An Afghan security officer gunned down two high-ranking American officers in the place they thought was the safest in Afghanistan. They lost their lives - shot in the back of the head. The killing happened in a fortified Afghan Interior Ministry compound where people only with the highest security clearance, worked.

In other parts of Afghanistan - in provincial capitals, hundreds - even thousands, are marching, protesting with murderous fever. What is the occasion? As part of cleaning out the US base, personnel disposed of copies of Qur’an in insulting, irreverent manner. Instead of wrapping the worn copies of the holy book in cloth, and burying them in a Koran cemetery, they burned them. They could have also tied heavy objects around the necks – as it were, of these sacred books, wrapped in clean clothes, and lower them with dignified motion into a river. Some scholars do argue though that Muslims have the third alternative; that is of burning worn copies of Koran and other texts of the faith. In our case, the violation occurred by burning the blessed books mixed with garbage – in the presence of Afghan personnel.

NATO did not manage to learn some basic facts after a decade of hard work and the loss of thousands of lives. If it were possible to transplant Western culture into a Muslim society with guns and bombs, the British and the Russians would have done that already. It proved time and again that it is counterproductive to hurt cultural, religious sensitivities. It creates barriers, makes our efforts less productive, and undermines our success.

Now, let us flip the coin and ask some simple questions. We can safely assume that not one Muslim comes into this world as Muslim. That comes later in their lives. At birth, they all are plain human – same as the rest of us. So here is the question. How do Muslims learn that it is their duty to kill other people, destroy property, and get killed if an infidel fails to revere the Koran? To know that this is their ‘holy duty’ does not come with birth – that is for certain. Who is responsible then for conditioning Muslims to respond to the violation of their ways in this dysfunctional, idiotic way?

The Catholic church in Europe practiced this decaying, fetid culture of inquisition, crusades and burning books of the heretics and apostates throughout the Middle Ages. It took us a few centuries to become human again. Why are we so naive and pretentious in our effort trying to change the culture of Iraqis, Afghans and other societies in the span of a few years? It took us long centuries to figure it out, put religion to its right place, and settle for democracy at the end. (Well, one should tread carefully here. If Mr. Santorum - the USA/GOP presidential candidate, had his way, we may be heading back into that shameful past in a hurry.)

So, do we have better alternatives to respond to Islamist terror than bunker-busting bombs? While we are building roads and schools with our money from the West, Imams are busy indoctrinating the populace to hate and to reject those who are offering help. Why do we force our ‘gifts’ on Afghans and Iraqis? Why do we free Libyans, support Egyptians, and arm the Syrians to transform one form of tyranny into another kind? Who benefits from these transformations? Did the Russians and the Chinese get it right when they vetoed an Arab-sponsored resolution at the UN that proposed sanctions on the Assad regime? A frightening prospect, that would be.

9/11 happened, and we wanted to respond. This is understandable. However, it appears that after a decade of ‘helping’ the Afghans at the cost of thousands of lives lost, and billions of dollars wasted on corrupt officials, the populace thinks that we are their enemy. We, the infidels, are there to destroy their way of life with our morally inferior culture. They take any excuse to rise with righteous indignation, ready to die for their faith – and kill the infidels too while at it.

What are we doing in this country? We should get out. It becomes ever more obvious that we cannot save 18 Million Afghans against their will. Yes, it is gratifying to see children going to schools. It spoils the good feeling though when one learns that their mothers, fathers and siblings are out in the streets, throwing grenades at those who are building their schools.

Is it any wonder that our soldiers are going mad? A US Army Staff Sgt., the professional sniper drinks more than enough, slips out of his barracks in the middle of the night, and walks a few miles to visit two sleeping Afghan villages. By the time he is done, nine kids and seven adults are shot dead in their slumber. This is not sniper work. It is a planned murder of helpless humans who will never know what did they do wrong to earn this horrific end at the hands of those who were there to protect them from such a fate?

To straighten matters out, back home they will put him on trial. But who is the culprit? What is the role of politicians who started these holy wars? Who will deliver judgment on them? How about his superiors who redeployed him three times to do some more killing – sniper style? He did not want to return the last time. He had enough of it but could not get out of the bind.

At times like this, I am glad I am not God...

About the writer:

For other stories, please visit my Website at http://istvandeak.com, or drop me an Email at sdeak@rogers.com. I'd love to here from you...