French Muslim Troops Refuse Afghan Duty

[WAR MACHINE]

January 15, 2009
Agence France-Presse


http://www.military.com/news/article...ghan-duty.html


French Muslim soldiers have refused to serve in Afghanistan, saying their faith forbids them from fighting fellow Muslims, a military spokesman confirmed to AFP.
"The refusal to be assigned to a mission for religious reasons is a micro-phenomenon concerning fewer than five cases per year," said Colonel Benoit Royal, confirming a report on the website of left-wing daily Liberation.
Liberation's respected "Defence Secret" blog reported Wednesday that an infantry soldier in eastern France had in October refused to be stationed in Afghanistan but later agreed, after meeting with a Muslim chaplain.
Soldiers who refuse a mission face disciplinary action and in most cases are discharged from the army, Royal said.
The army spokesman said the refusal by some soldiers showed a "lack of understanding of their commitment which is to bear arms for France to defend its interests and values at all times and everywhere."
France has 2,600 troops serving in NATO's Afghan mission to shore up the weak government of President Hamid Karzai and battle the Taliban, who were driven out of Kabul in late 2001.
France's force is one of the largest there, after the United States, Britain, Canada and Germany. In all, 25 French soldiers have died on the mission, with casualties increasing since they were reinforced last year.

[Recon133]

"Soldiers who refuse a mission face disciplinary action and in most cases are discharged from the army, Royal said"

Wow! The French sure are tough. Soldiers who refuse a mission should be put in the stockade or shot.

"their faith forbids them from fighting fellow Muslims"

WTF - isn't Hamas and the Taliban, Muslims. They sure as hell don't refrain from killing other Muslims.

[307th_ACE]

Think about it -- it is the French Army -- not the FFL.

Would you want to go to war with them?

[LOOON]

Wow! The French sure are tough. Soldiers who refuse a mission should be put in the stockade or shot.

Why should they? We no longer do it.

[Ricardus]

That's a load of crap. There are Muslims killing Muslims every day. Hell they assassinated two of the original Caliphs (after Muhammad)! What the hell is going to stop them from murdering each other if they will kill their own children!

[bg]

That's a load of crap. There are Muslims killing Muslims every day. Hell they assassinated two of the original Caliphs (after Muhammad)! What the hell is going to stop them from murdering each other if they will kill their own children!

It's all in how you read the rulebook, brother. Instead of studying it and then making decisions, they make decisions and then look for just those excerpts that support it.

[Skysoldier]

I had a bumper sticker once....

Religion is the root of all wars!

[Ricardus]

It's all in how you read the rulebook, brother. Instead of studying it and then making decisions, they make decisions and then look for just those excerpts that support it.

Tell me about it. I am doing an "historiographical paper" for a grad Readings class on the "Intellectual origins of Islam". It is on the interpretation of Hadith and Qur'an. I have to brush up on my Hadith Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi etc (the Sunnis believed in some Hadith, Shiites on others. Classical and Medieval Arabic is tough if you don't know what you are doing - I know enough to be dangerous. It totally sucks but I have to do it to get my degree done. Don't ask me why.

[Mortarman11c]

Just another reason to reopen Devils Island..........

[bjohns5454]

Shirkers should be gut shot and hung by their toes as an example to others.

[GERONIMO]

Now do you understand why the French have lost all of their teritorial properties? I watched a show on the History channel about how the Foreign Legion trains. They are a bunch of pussies. Most of them couldn't pass BCT. I sat there and just thought WTF, a bell, I never gave any trainee the option to quit. "Get your ass in formation, you are going to Viet Nam". They were told from day one. US or RA (draftee or regular army) it didn't make any difference.AIRBORNE! GERONIMO!!

[vnvetret]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Germany refuse to engage in combat? Also, do the Dutch still have an Army? I know they unionized a long time ago.

[testedone]

It's all in how you read the rulebook, brother. Instead of studying it and then making decisions, they make decisions and then look for just those excerpts that support it.

In my study of their religion and now my experience with them that is how I see it also...

Good way to out it...