See No Evil; Hear No Evil

Sgt. Martland

    I did a recent article in December titled, "Can't We All Just Get Along". I stated that radical hate groups do not want to "get along" or coexist with any who disagree with them. It's either their way or no way. That's how it is with ISIS, the Taliban, and all non-tolerant hate groups/nations. Countless inhumane acts happen every day in some countries, and in many cases, violators target their own countrymen. The following incidents happened in the month of February alone (reader discretion advised):
    An Afghan woman was flogged for going to the doctor. She had followed all the requirements by being completely covered from head to toe and having a male family member (brother-in-law) as her escort, as their law states. Then why was she flogged? Because members of the Taliban thought she was with a non-family member. Did the Taliban apologize or compensate her in any way? No!... it was "their right". This is disgraceful!
    A Palestinian leader, appearing on local TV in Gaza, advised men on how to beat their wives "more compassionately". He said what not to do: "break her hand and cause bleeding, or hitting that makes the face ugly." He went on to say that the hitting should "be like a joke" and that it displays "the love and friendship" between a couple. When asked whether a husband can force his wife to have sex, the answer was yes, of course he could... any time. Despicable!
    A 15-year-old boy was recently beaten and beheaded by ISIS thugs for listening to "Western music". A new ISIS video shows many Ethiopian Christians murdered. These Christians tried to coexist and not cause any disturbances, but were murdered, simply because they were Christians!
    A few years ago, Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, a Green Beret with an impeccable Special Forces career, and his team leader, Special Forces Captain Daniel Quinn started hearing reports of abuse about the Afghan police units they were supporting and training. One commander raped a 14-year-old girl and Quinn reported it to the local Afghan chief, who punished the violator... 1 day in jail! After he was released, the girl was forced to marry her rapist! Another Afghan commander murdered his own daughter, merely because she had kissed a boy. He was never punished. 
    An Afghan mother with her 12-year-old son showed up at the U.S. base for medical reasons. A medic determined that the boy had been raped. The mother explained that she had been beaten after pleading for her son's return from Abdul Rahman, an Afghan police commander, who had held her son captive. 
    Sgt. Martland and Capt. Quinn went to question Rahman, who admitted to the awful act unashamedly, even laughing about it. Quinn and Martland, who were both angry, threw Rahman out. He complained to their "higher-ups" and Quinn and Martland were told to mind their own business! They were told that the official policy was to look the other way and to ignore what they saw and heard, even if they heard screams. Shortly afterwards, Capt. Quinn was forced out of the military! 
    Incidents like these that I am writing about were/are happening every day, and crimes are committed by men who were and are working alongside our own soldiers! Appalling! Is this what our military has come to?! Siding with rapists and thugs and betraying the innocent?!! Human rights should be the first thing upheld! We should be defending women and children before anyone else! And we should be bringing anyone to justice who does such hideous acts! Certainly we should not let it continue! Many soldiers felt they were condoning such beha​vior by doing nothing, even though they were ordered to do so. Many could not stand it anymore and left the military. Who can blame them?!
     Quinn has since said that they "were putting people into power who would do things that were worse than the Taliban did"! Now the military wants to discharge Sgt. Martland for trying to help the boy, his mother, and others. Our own military is trying to kick one of our best soldiers out for doing the right thing! It's an utter disgrace! And I, for one, am not going to keep silent about it!
    Nadia Murad, 21, who escaped ISIS captivity several years ago, went into hiding for fear of her life. In February, she spoke out for the first time, at a meeting in London, about the ordeal that happened to her in her own country. Nadia, unwilling to keep silent any longer, knew that speaking up about the atrocities happening every day was the only way to get people's attention. We, as the civilized world, should, at the very least, hear her out... and take it to heart!
    Her family (mother and 6 brothers) were all killed by ISIS members when she was a young girl because they lived in the "wrong section" of the country. She was taken captive along with thousands of young women and girls. I can't describe what happened to her next, but you can imagine. Nadia said that ISIS was committing "murder, rape, and displacing people by force in the name of Islam. What they are doing to women is more difficult than death." Tears welled up in her eyes. Finally Nadia said, "What we are asking for is humanity to be united in facing ISIS. It is a threat to all the communities in the region." ISIS is a threat to the Middle East, Europe... and the world!
    Should we just keep our eyes and ears closed to the horror around us, not wanting to know how bad it really is?! No!! Should we, in the name of tolerance and cultural sensitivity, accept what these hate groups/nations practice?! No!! We need to "get our heads out of the sand" and understand what is really going on! Only then will behavior like this begin to stop. We are not to be tolerant of such despicable acts! Looking the other way or stopping up our ears only condones this behavior!

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