Death Before Dishonor

   On a recent trip to the local hardware store, I noticed a bumper sticker on an old Chevy pickup truck. It showed the Marine Corps emblem in the background with the words "Death Before Dishonor!" written in bold print in the foreground. I know several people who would point to that bumper sticker and say, "Aha! The Marines are just as worried about someone offending their honor as Islamic terrorists. That shows they are both extremists." But such moral equivalency is intellectually dishonest.

   On March 20, 2011, "Pastor" Terry Jones fulfilled a long-standing threat to burn a Koran in public. In retaliation for such an offense, at least twenty people have been killed in violent riots in Afghanistan so far. Included in this total are seven United Nations workers based in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif who were targeted simply because they were foreigners (1). Two of those workers were beheaded, in accordance with the dictates of the same book that Terry Jones set on fire. In addition to the bloodshed, the rioters destroyed cars and burned shops to the ground. It is unclear exactly what these activities have to do with protesting the desecration of their holy book, but I'm sure that the falafel stand had it coming. Terry Jones has been excoriated by the international community for sparking the riots, but he steadfastly refuses to take the blame. To be fair, the man is an idiot with connections to the other idiots at Westboro Baptist Church. However, that does not mean that his little act of disrespect warranted such a reaction from the Muslim world.

   And this brings us to the crux of the matter. When a Marine says "Death before dishonor!" he is referring to the noble aspiration to die before bringing dishonor upon oneself. In other words, "I would rather die than abandon my mission, my fellow Marines, or my country." It is the choice to avoid the easy way out and to continue along the honorable path despite the dangers. Honor was once held in high esteem by all of Western culture, but our modern age has largely forgotten it or passed it off as archaic nonsense. In Western civilization, honor's focus was internal, ensuring that the individual kept himself according to whatever code guided his or her life.

   But in Islamic culture, honor is almost entirely external. That way of thinking goes along the lines of, "If you offend me, then you must suffer as a consequence." Islam has its own version of "Death before dishonor!" found in Koran 2:217: "Idolatry is more grievous than bloodshed" (2). It doesn't matter whether someone actually did or did not do the act they stand accused of committing. Perception is everything. So no pictures of Mohammed (even in a bear costume), no books that view the Koran or Islam with a critical eye, no women walking around the city without a male escort, and no one of a different faith inside the "holy" city of Mecca. It is the Islamic sense of "honor" that inspires teenagers to strap explosive vests to themselves to destroy Israeli checkpoints. It is the same sense of "honor" that leads fathers and brothers to brutally murder their own flesh and blood because of some perceived slight that was brought upon the family. It is the same "honor" that causes people in Gaza to hand out sweets in celebration of the cold-blooded murder of an Israeli family, including an infant (3). Not all Muslims react in such ways, but that way of thinking has been so deeply embedded in the culture that it is difficult to pull away from it. The inherent volatility of Islamic culture makes it extremely difficult to understand many of the motives that drive militants to action, and the aversion to honor of any kind in our own diplomatic corps makes things even harder.

   On January 21, 2011, two Indian Christians were taken into custody by the mutaween, or religious police, of Saudi Arabia (4). The authorities pressured the two men to convert to Islam and demanded that they reveal how many Christian groups were working in the capital city of Riyadh. In addition, the police destroyed and trampled on Bibles and other Christian materials that the men had in their apartment. They have still not been presented with formal charges despite spending over seventy days in prison (the court sentenced them to forty-five days, again with no formal charges). What was the Christian response? Have we taken to the streets, looting and burning anything in our path in a fit of rage? Have we called for the assassinations of the policemen or judges that were involved in this case? Have we burned the Saudi flag or King Abdullah in effigy? No, no, and no. Christians have prayed for their fellow believers in the Middle East to maintain their faith in the face of persecution.

   The courageous men and women who stand firm for Christ are the ones who show true honor. They need our prayers, they need our support, and they need their stories to be told to the world. One of the imprisoned men told his pastor, "If I have to die for my God, I will die for Him here."
   Death before Dishonor!

   References-
1. "'Hold Islam accountable': U.S. pastor defiant after his Koran-burning publicity stunt led to two UN staff being beheaded and five others murdered." Daily Mail Online; April 2, 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372442/Pastor-Terry-Jones-defiant-Koran-burning-led-2-UN-staff-beheaded.html; accessed April 4, 2011

2. Dawood, N.J. The Koran (1956). Penguin Books; London, England

3. Levy, Elior. "Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack." YNetNews; March 12, 2001. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041106,00.html; accessed April 4, 2011

4. "Two Indian Christians Languish in Saudi Prison." Compass Direct News; March 28, 2011. http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/saudiarabia/article_99127.html; accessed April 4, 2011