It is frightening for me to write this. As an Arab-American who has experienced hatred because of my ethnic background and a self-employed businessman who has lost clients over my political opinions, living in a time when a huge chunk of the population does not easily accept dissenting viewpoints makes it tempting to keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself. But, my conscience will not allow me bow to the intimidation.

I am the most peaceful person I know. As an Orthodox Christian, I try to base my entire life on the teachings and examples of our Lord Jesus Christ, unlike what the right-wing would have you believe about liberal Democrats. By word and deed, He taught His disciples to lay down their lives as examples of a reliance on a greater good, instead of taking up arms against those who persecuted and posed an "imminent threat" to their people: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?"

I am of 100% Middle Eastern descent, though, so my passions tend to run deep and powerful, as is true with most Semitic people. The blinding weakness in the pacifist foundation of my moral ideology is my overwhelming love for my family. All it would take to turn this "turn-the-other-cheek" pacifist into a raging terrorist would be an attack on my son or my wife.

What is it about these two inarguable truths – the basic tenets of Christianity and the inner workings and reactions of the human psyche – that George Bush and his inner-circle do not understand? Can those of them who justify their war on Christian grounds be so ignorant of New Testament theology? Can those who claim to be experts in international affairs not realize that if you destroy a man’s world, he will not roll over in submission for long before he lashes out in very unpleasant ways? What makes them think that Arabs will react any differently from any American whose family is threatened or home attacked? Can they truly believe that tightening their grip and hardening their tactics are morally justified or will increase their chances of success?

Estimates of Iraqi deaths resulting from American military action range between 10,000 and 30,000. And, these numbers do not include the horrific injuries and mutilations suffered by the innocents in this war. In one attempt alone to kill Saddam, our forces dropped a 2000 pound bomb on a hotel. The number of collateral casualties including neighborhood children and blameless hotel employees is staggering.

I can’t help but believe that many Iraqi husbands and fathers who have lost loved ones to American bombs must feel very conflicted as to whom they view as "terrorists" in this situation, even if they despised Saddam Hussein with every fiber of their being. I’m sure these are many of the people now mounting resistance to American forces. To these people, the statistics of war casualties are devastating personal tragedies.

I am not condoning the killing of American soldiers. I think it is morally reprehensible, and I have friends with children overseas. But we must realize that for every American life lost or injury suffered, there have been potentially thousands of innocent Iraqis killed or injured.

During the Vietnam war, our strategy often was to "destroy the village in order to save it." In this war, we too often kill the Iraqis in order to liberate them. Let us be mindful of the wrongs committed on all sides, and make sure that we preface our "God Bless America" with God Forgive America.

Elliot M. Namay, Jr.

As published in the Charleston Gazette, December, 2003