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Pakistan: Pentagon to probe general's comments -- Detail Story
Lieberman raps Boykin for comments on Islam
Rumsfeld Grants Boykin's Request for Inquiry into Comments
Focus on the Family Decries Media Lambasting of Lt. General Boykin; Worldwide Ministry Alarmed at Anti-Christian Attacks
10/24/03 12:32:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Paul Hetrick of Focus on the Family, 719-531-3336
COLORADO SPRINGS, Oct. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Focus on the Family Chairman Dr. James Dobson expressed outrage over the vicious media treatment Lt. Gen. William Boykin has received for making Christian statements in reference to the war on terrorism.
'"We are extremely distressed by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and others' treatment of Gen. Boykin. Since when does a man not have the right to express his private religious views in the company of fellow believers?" asked Dobson. "Does a man forfeit his freedom of speech when he becomes a military leader?"
Dobson also explained that Gen. Boykin's comments were directed to a Christian audience who clearly understood the meaning of his message.
"Every conservative Christian would understand the language that Gen. Boykin used to describe what is known as spiritual warfare. His words were consistent with mainstream evangelical beliefs and he had a right to express them."
Dobson further lashed out at Boykin's vocal media critics, describing a record of antagonism toward Christians in the public square.
"General Boykin was speaking about terrorists with no regard for human life, not peaceful Muslims. Nothing in the excerpts of his speeches can even remotely be construed as an attack on Islam. Yet, his critics are all too eager to draw inferences that don't exist. These diatribes against Gen. Boykin are consistent with the denigration of anyone in public life who has the temerity to speak openly about his faith. This is nothing more than an assault on the Christian faith, which is becoming a very common occurrence in the mainstream media."
Dr. James Dobson also addresses the issues raised by Lt. General Boykin's comments during the first part of today's Focus on the Family radio broadcast.
The entire broadcast can be heard by visiting http://www.family.org
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/© 2003 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Friday, Oct. 24, 2003
By Robert Marus
Associated Baptist Press
WASHINGTON - Comments by a Pentagon official casting America's struggle against terrorism as a Muslim-versus-Christian holy war are causing some news outlets to call for a reprimand by the Bush administration.
Meanwhile, some on the Religious Right have stood up to defend Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who is a highly decorated veteran of covert and American military operations.
Boykin, the Pentagon's newly named deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, sparked a controversy after NBC News and the Los Angeles Times revealed comments he made to evangelical Christian audiences.
Appearing in uniform, he repeatedly described the war against terrorism as a conflict between a "Christian nation" and radical Islamists.
During a Jan. 28 speech at a Southern Baptist evangelism conference at First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, Fla., Boykin described his 1993 efforts to capture a Somali warlord who had boasted that Allah would protect him from defeat. "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol," Boykin said.
Speaking in June 2002 at First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Okla., he described an aerial photo he had taken over the city of Mogadishu during the 1993 conflict in Somalia. Noting strange black marks in the sky, the general claimed they were evidence of a demonic presence over the city.
"Ladies and gentleman, this is your enemy," he said. "It is the principalities of darkness. It is a demonic presence in that city that God revealed to me as the enemy."
Boykin has said that radical Islamists hate the United States "because we're a Christian nation;" has described the U.S. Army as "a Christian army;" and has said that President Bush was appointed by God "for such a time as this."
Bush and White House officials have taken pains since Sept. 11, 2001, to insist the war on terrorism is not a war against Islam.
Boykin issued an apology on Oct. 17, saying that his comments had been taken out of context and that he had never intended to denigrate the Islamic faith or all Muslims.
Regarding his comments on the Somali warlord, Boykin said he had been referring not to the man's Islam, but rather to his "worship of money and power" as the "idolatry" that was inferior to Boykin's God.
Boykin's apology also contained a defense of his earlier descriptions of the U.S. as a "Christian nation."
Nonetheless, Boykin was careful to point out in the Daytona Beach speech that he wasn't attempting to foment a holy war. "Bin Laden is not the enemy. No mortal is the enemy," he said. "It's the enemy you can't see. It's a war against the forces of darkness. The battle won't be won with guns. It will be won on our knees."
The pastor of the Daytona Beach church defended Boykin, whom he described as a "dear friend," in a strongly worded editorial released Oct. 20 by Baptist Press.
Bobby Welch, a military Special Forces veteran, compared Boykin to past U.S. generals who "called on God, prayed to God, gave God praise and glory for victories and called upon God to defeat their enemies." Welch said that "not a single one of those military leaders ever was belittled, harassed or chastised for speaking out about their spirituality."
Lauding Boykin's past heroism, Welch said, "I despise the unthinkable and asinine fact that some take cheap backstabbing shots at a real God-fearing American hero who continually risks his life to protect all of us."
Robert Parham, head of the Baptist Center for Ethics, said that Boykin's comments seemed to reflect "bad theology," and the real question is whether his public statements were appropriate for someone in his position.
"Can he be trusted to act in the nation's interest instead of pursuing his own twisted theological agenda?" Parham asked in an Oct. 17 edition in the organization's e-mail newsletter, EthicsDaily.com. "The nation can ill afford a commander who sees the war on terrorism as a war between dueling deities."
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced Oct. 21 that Boykin had asked for an investigation of his past comments by the Pentagon's inspector general. Rumsfeld said he would wait for the inspector general's findings.
Boykin and Welch made headlines in April when Welch led a gathering at Fort Bragg intended to help pastors learn evangelism lessons from military strategy. The event was part of training for pastors in the FAITH Sunday School evangelism program.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State raised questions about Boykin's endorsement of the program and the use of military facilities and personnel for the event. The group asked Army Secretary Thomas E. White to cancel the event.
Army officials decided that the gathering met Department of Defense directives and Army regulations.
An
Extremist General?
By Warner
Todd Huston on 10/24/03
Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin is being skewered, roasted and de-boned over the
recent revelations of his comments equating America’s counter terrorist war with
Christian ideals. It is said he is an extremist little different than the hate
mongers and nuts we are supposed to be fighting. It is said his appointment as
deputy undersecretary of Defense is a dangerous thing and somehow sends the
wrong message to the Islamic world. But is this a correct evaluation of Boykin’s
comments?
Any balanced review of what Boykin is reported to have said bears little
resemblance to statements made by extremists of the ilk of an Osama bin Laden or
any of the extreme Wahhabist Muslims we are engaged in battle with. The sole
similarity is that they are both using a religious point of view to express
their worldview. But there are stark differences between what those we are
fighting in this war on terrorism have said and the words General Boykin has
used.
Boykin is certainly a staunch believer in his religion and feels God’s favor has
been bestowed on the USA. He also feels that the enemy has a forsaken ideology
that is doomed to failure and is left unblessed by God. Similar language can be
seen in Osama bin Laden’s messages to his faithful followers. He, similarly,
feels that God is smiling upon his work and will damn the enemy. But this is
really where the similarities end.
Return To Top
The bin Ladens of the world go on to say that
their enemies should be killed and that there is no room on the planet for them
anywhere. That they intend to destroy every man, woman and child of the infidel
races or force them to observe Islam as the only religion. There is no such
language in anything Boykin has said.
Curiously, those who want to see Boykin hung out to dry and are wringing their
hands and gyrating in pain over the General’s comments are saying nothing what
so ever about the extreme comments being said in this country by Muslim support
groups like CAIR. They are not asking other international groups to curb their
extremist speech in any way either. So one is forced to wonder if it really is
religious extremism that they are against or is this really just another avenue
for them to complain about religion in America.
The hysteria from the anti-religious in the USA has reached fever pitch on this
Boykin issue. They see no difference between a man who professes a religion,
claims God is on his side, but otherwise postulates no further extreme solutions
to the problem other than fighting the good fight to people who desire an
eradication of their enemies to the last child. There simply is no comparison
between the things Boykin has said to what people in Al Quaieda, the Palestinian
Authority, Hammas and other hate mongering groups have said and continue to say.
Return To Top
This crusade to censure General Boykin is
simply an extension of those who want to eliminate all religion in the US
government. It is simply another excuse to push their pet ideology regardless of
the legitimacy of their example in Boykin. If it was not their arguments would
not be so hypocritical.
Click here to
send feedback to the author
Mr. Huston has a keen interest in American history in
general and political history in particular and writes for several websites and
magazines on both topics.
Copyright © 2002-2003 Warner Todd Huston.
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Headline: Pentagon to probe general's comments -- Detail Story |
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WASHINGTON:
US Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld said on Tuesday the Pentagon would launch an internal investigation
into comments about Islam made by a senior military intelligence official.
During a Pentagon briefing, Mr Rumsfeld said the investigation came at the request of Lt Gen William Boykin, who has been sharply criticized by some Democrats and religious and civil rights groups. Gen Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defence for intelligence and war-fighting support, made comments at churches and prayer breakfasts that cast the US "war on terrorism" in starkly religious terms, saying in one speech that Muslims worship an "idol" and not a "real God". |
||
Lieberman raps Boykin for comments on Islam
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman, recently heckled
during a speech before a largely Arab-American audience, implied that the Bush
administration should punish a top Army general who said a Muslim terrorist
worships a false "idol."
Mr. Lieberman told the Associated Press that Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin
contributed to a "global theological conflict" that will only further inflame
terrorists' hatred for the United States.
Gen. Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, is in charge
of tracking down top al Qaeda leaders. He made his comments in speeches
delivered in Christian churches last year, and a Los Angeles Times reporter
taped some of them and published the comments last week.
Speaking of his pursuit and fight against a Somali warlord, Gen. Boykin
said, "My God was bigger than his, and I knew that my God was a real God and
that his was an idol."
In another speech, he said some Muslims hate the United States "because
we're a Christian nation, because of our foundation and our roots are
Judeo-Christian, and the enemy is a guy called Satan."
Mr. Lieberman called the comments "wrong theologically," "very bigoted" and
said they played into the enemy's hands by escalating the conflict.
"That's exactly what [Osama] bin Laden and al Qaeda want to do, and these
remarks unfortunately give material, give fuel to the fire that bin Laden wants
to start all around the world against the rest of us," the Connecticut Democrat
said Wednesday.
Asked by AP whether Gen. Boykin should be fired, Mr. Lieberman suggested he
supported the idea with a quip: "Based on his comments, or on a failure to
capture bin Laden? Or both?"
Gen. Boykin issued an apology last Friday, and maintained that his words
were misunderstood.
Speaking at a candidate forum last week in Dearborn, Mich., sponsored by the
Arab American Institute, Mr. Lieberman, who is Jewish, was heckled by some in
the audience.
While speaking about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, several
people interrupted him by shouting "What about the wall?" — a reference to a
security fence the Israeli government is constructing to stem the flow of
suicide bombers into Israeli territory.
James Zogby, president of AAI, downplayed the incident yesterday, saying it
was "a small group of people who got loud."
Mr. Zogby said he wrote a letter to Mr. Lieberman thanking him for taking
part in the forum, noting that "most of our conferees recognized the importance
of your attendance and appreciated your decision to come."
Mr. Lieberman received hearty applause when he criticized Gen. Boykin in
front of the group.
Rumsfeld Grants Boykin's Request for Inquiry into Comments
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
October 23, 2003
WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Confident that he has not said or done anything wrong despite the enormous negative media coverage he has received over the past week, Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin has requested an investigation into the recent comments he made regarding the war on terrorism.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld granted Boykin's request for an inquiry on Tuesday, which will be carried out either by the Army or Department of Defense inspector general, or possibly both of them.
"He has requested an inspector general review the matter," Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday. "It seems to me that's a perfectly responsible thing for him to do on his part."
However, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John Warner (R-VA) said that Boykin needs to be removed from his top military intelligence position and reassigned to another post while the investigation is still pending. He added that Boykin should spend most of his time during the investigation examining the statements he has made.
"When you start trying to explain what you did say, you need time out to do a little study," Warner reasoned in a statement to the Associated Press.
Warner said he wants to know if Boykin used "good, sound judgment in the exercise of his freedom to speak."
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) agreed with Warner that Boykin should be moved elsewhere until the probe into his comments has been conducted.
"Important questions need to be asked and answered about things he said and did," Durbin told the AP.
On Friday, a letter written by Warner and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) was sent to Rumsfeld asking for a complete and thorough examination of the statements made by Boykin.
In the letter, they accuse Boykin of making "inflammatory, offensive" comments that "denigrate another religion." Warner and Levin warn that this "bigotry" will lead to a possible "increased risk for members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving in Muslim nations."
At the end of the letter, the senators request that the investigation determine whether or not the comments made by Boykin were appropriate.
Warner said it was in the best interest of the United States in the ongoing war on terrorism for Boykin's comments to be closely examined.
"When we have young men and women patrolling the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan, it's best we try and take this matter, hopefully, off the front pages with the representation to the American public that the proper authorities are reviewing it," Warner said to the AP.
Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday that he had not yet seen the letter from Warner and Levin.
Since he began serving as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence in July, Boykin has been the man responsible for hunting down two of the world's most notorious terrorists: al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden and former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Boykin has spoken at several Christian churches and prayer breakfasts recently, where he presented his personal views on the war on terrorism. Alluding to Biblical language, Boykin stated that the real enemy in the war on terrorism is Satan, that the United States should "come against [terrorists] in the name of Jesus" and that God ordained President Bush to be the leader of the free world "for such a time as this."
Also, he told one church audience that a Muslim military leader who credited Allah for protecting him from his enemies was an idol worshiper.
"I knew that my God was bigger than his," Boykin commented on a videotape of the remarks, the AP reports. "I knew that my God was a real god and his was an idol."
He has since apologized for offending anyone with his comments about the Muslim leader.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace said Boykin's comments have been taken severely out of context and should not be overly interpreted by non-Christians as an attack against them.
"He does not see this battle as a battle between religions," Pace said at a news conference on Monday. "He sees it as a battle between good and evil. He sees it as the evil being the acts of individuals, not the acts of any religion."
Pace admitted that if Boykin "could pick his words more carefully, he would."
In a statement about his comments last Friday, Boykin did not back down from the fact that the United States was founded on the principles of God.
"My references to Judeo-Christian roots in America or our nation as a Christian nation are historically undeniable," he wrote in the statement.
He added, "I am neither a zealot nor an extremist, only a soldier who has an abiding faith."
However, Rumsfeld responded by saying, "It is not our statement; it is his statement."
Some of Boykin's most vocal opponents say he may have been in violation of participating in certain political activities that are prohibited by military law. They also point to supposed ethics violations since they claim Boykin did not prelude his comments alerting the audience that they were his opinion and not affiliated with the views of the government.
On the other hand, Boykin's supporters contend that this issue is about his First Amendment right to free speech and denying his right as a Christian to speak freely. They add that the investigation of an alleged rule violation takes him away from his duties.
A Pentagon spokesman said that preliminary reports from Defense Department attorneys find that Boykin's comments were not in violation of any military rules of conduct.
The full investigation by the inspector general, who oversees activities involving government agencies, will include an independent and thorough investigation of the matter, including reports sent to both the Defense Department as well as Congress.
Copyright © 2003 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
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