Female Guards Banned at GITMO

For John, BLUF:  We have to stand up for OUR culture.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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There seems to be nothing the "West" can do right.  The lawyers for Mr Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others have objected to the use of military women as part of the escort teams that move the men from their cells to meetings with their lawyers.  This is believed, by the lawyers to humiliate the men and undermine their religious sensibilities.

From The Stars and Stripes we have "Female Guantanamo guards barred from moving 9/11 defendants".

A military judge ordered officials at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Wednesday to stop using female guards to move the five defendants in the Sept. 11 case to court and back and to meetings with their lawyers.

The ruling by Army Col. James Pohl addresses a dispute that has threatened to disrupt proceedings in the case, which is in the pretrial phase. Defendants have been refusing to meet with defense lawyers, arguing that any physical contact with a woman not related to them violates their Muslim beliefs.

Lawyers for the five defendants said the use of female guards, which apparently began recently inside the top-secret unit where they are held known as Camp 7, is unnecessary and interferes with their right to legal counsel as they face trial by military commission.

. . .

"It is being done to disrupt them and to disrupt their ability to defend themselves," Nevin said.

I admit to being much less sensitive to these humiliations today that I would be on most days.  The lack of sensitivity on the part of other Salafists has reduced my sensitivity.  The dead in Paris is a big contributor to this attitude.

Ultimately, the question is if we are willing to lose our culture in order to not offend those of other cultures who happen to put themselves in our way.  If we do to Saudi Arabia our military women should not be driving off base.  If some Salafist comes here and is offended because some woman is not covered, that is his or her problem.  And, if some Salafist man brings a wife with him to the US and she decides to wear a miniskirt, he should divorce her, but otherwise accept his humiliation and let it go.  And "honor killings" here in the US should be punished severely.

Rant off.

Sure, go with only male guards or now.  If, however, the defense is not moving forward to trial, go back and make all the guards female members of our military.

Regards  —  Cliff