Iranian SOF Operative captured in Iraq

[Zissou]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,454504,00.html

Even Charlie has Operators.

 

[Junkball]

Imagine that.

What's the deal with this reliance on mosques/religion to combat the coalition? I thought these objects sacred to them, or are some of the fighters not exactly practitioners?

 

[Slammer2]

They're only sacred to them if we attack them in response to fuckers using them for that purpose. Other than that, they're great weapons deopts for them.

 

[BlackBearHockey]

What's the deal with this reliance on mosques/religion to combat the coalition? I thought these objects sacred to them, or are some of the fighters not exactly practitioners?

From what I understand based on a handful of books I've read (and that alone), in early Islam, Mosques were routinely used as community centers as much as places of worship. Subsequently, when the community, much more tribal in nature than current times, was at war, the most accessible rally point was the mosque. In such times, the place of worship became an armory. Theorists in my readings have suggested that it's a much more common practice than people perceive.

Again, no offense intended, just throwing out what I've heard.

 

[Single Seat]

The Iraqi's should try him as a spy, and for espionage.

"Boy's! I think it's time we had a hangin!"

 

[JD81]

The Iraqi's should try him as a spy, and for espionage.

"Boy's! I think it's high time we had a hangin!"

Quote fail. Fixed it.

 

[Single Seat]

Thanks.

 

[Zissou]

From what I understand based on a handful of books I've read (and that alone), in early Islam, Mosques were routinely used as community centers as much as places of worship. Subsequently, when the community, much more tribal in nature than current times, was at war, the most accessible rally point was the mosque. In such times, the place of worship became an armory. Theorists in my readings have suggested that it's a much more common practice than people perceive.

Again, no offense intended, just throwing out what I've heard.

That's been my personal experience as well. Different tribes treat their mosques with varying degrees of reverence. Some places mosques were used as TOC's (Najaf, Kufa) and some were avoided by the enemy and used as refuge by civilians. It really varied based on needs at the time and the local Imam's ruling.

I've been eagerly invited into the Grand Mosque in Najaf, one of the holiest sites of Shi'ite Islam. The same mosque also served as a weapons cache for the Mahdi Army in 2004.