[WikiEN-l] Mosque as military target

Fri Aug 27 21:38:31 UTC 2004

Christiaan Briggs stated for the record:

> On 27 Aug 2004, at 10:17 pm, Sean Barrett wrote:
>> you are ignoring nearly a century of international law declaring the 
>> exact opposite of what you think.
> 
> 
> I'm hardly ignoring it, I started my sentence with it. I'm certainly 
> disputing its morality however. If you'd like to respond to my argument 
> you're welcome.

I -- or rather, the signatories of the Hague Convention of 1907 -- have 
already responded to your argument.  To repeat: mosques, like all other 
religious edifices, are to be spared by any attacker "provided they are 
not being used at the time for military purposes."  The moment the 
Iraqis -- however noble their cause -- took weapons into their mosque 
the Americans -- however despicable their cause -- became justified in 
attacking it.  The decision of the Nuremberg Tribunal has no bearing on 
this principle.