Fw: what we have become
----- Original Message -----
From: Kimberly Redigan
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 7:57 PM
Subject: what we have become
From the National Catholic Reporter. There are no words.
Kim
The Passion of Dilawar of Yakubi
By DAVID TOWNSEND
Watching Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ, you wonder if this
is
really what Jesus of Nazareth suffered. Here on film an actor affects
pain,
agony and a brutal death by crucifixion. It does not seem that anyone
could
suffer so much. It does not seem that the barbaric sadism of the Roman
interrogators and prison guards could be surpassed. It does not seem
that
the human heart could deliver such cruelty. Surely a Christian would
not do
so.
And yet now comes the passion of Dilawar of Yakubi, a man like Jesus
of Nazareth, innocent, and supposed by his interrogators to be
innocent. Yet unlike Jesus of Nazareth, Dilawar of Yakubi was
executed by crucifixion without the benefit of even a trial in the
Sanhedrin or an audience with the local procurator, Gen. Daniel K.
McNeill. Unlike Pontius Pilate, Gen. McNeill denied what his
subordinates and we Americans do. We are not chaining people to the
ceilings, he lied on Feb. 7, 2003.
Two months before this lie, just before Christmas 2002, Dilawar of
Yuakubi, a small village in Afghanistan not unlike Nazareth in
Palestine where Jesus grew up, died by crucifixion. Dilawar of Yakubi
was chained to the ceiling of his cell, suspended there for three
days compared to Jesus of Nazareths three hours. His arms dislocated
from their sockets. They flapped like a birds broken wings when he
was taken down for interrogation, as Jesus arms may have done had he
been taken down from the cross before three hours.
While he was chained to the ceiling, Dilawar of Yakubis legs were
beaten to a pulp. Pulpified is the coroners description. Ive
seen similar injuries in an individual run over by a bus, reports
coroner Lt. Col. Elizabeth Rouse.
In Mel Gibsons portrayal, Jesus was a marvelously healthy specimen,
muscular, unblemished and beautiful to behold. He stood about 6 feet
2 inches at about 195 pounds. Dilawar of Yakubi was a frail 122
pounds standing at 5 feet 9 inches. His hands died first. When
brought in for interrogation, his arms waved about, a common effect
of crucifixion. Dilawar of Yakubi could neither stand nor sit, his
legs now pulpified. By all accounts, Jesus of Nazareths legs were
not broken until after he died.
By all accounts, Jesus of Nazareth cried out upon death in a loud
voice.
Dilawar of Yakubi cried out, Allah! Allah! Allah! repeatedly during
the
final 24 hours of his crucifixion.
The guards hearing Jesus of Nazareth scream out Eli, Eli, supposed
he was
calling for Elias, not clearly understanding his native tongue. They
decided to see if Elias would come to rescue him and took sadistic
delight
that Elias did not come to save him. Similarly, American guards
returned
often during the final 24 hours of Dilawar of Yakubis crucifixion to
beat
his dangling legs with pulpifying blows. I would think it was about
100
strikes, said the First Platoons Specialist Corey E. Jones.
Everybody
heard him cry out and thought it was funny.
Allah! Allah! Allah! cried out Dilawar of Yakubi and gave up his
spirit.
There is nothing else to say in this Year of Our Lord 2005 except his
blood is on our hands and on the hands of our children. He was a
poor, innocent taxi driver in a remote place. The three customers he
had picked up for that fatal fare were released after 15 months of
interrogation at Guantánamo as posing no threat.
Oh, and one more thing: 22-year-old Dilawar of Yakubi, unlike 33-year-
old Jesus of Nazareth, leaves behind a daughter, Bibi Rashida, age 3.
You can look at the picture of this beautiful girl on Page A13 of The
New York Times for May 20. You might want to put it on your wall, as
I did, next to your crucifix.
David Townsend is a tutor at St. Johns College in Annapolis, Md.,
and senior adviser for seminars at the Aspen Institute.
National Catholic Reporter, August 12, 2005
By DAVID TOWNSEND
Watching Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ, you wonder if this
is
really what Jesus of Nazareth suffered. Here on film an actor affects
pain,
agony and a brutal death by crucifixion. It does not seem that anyone
could
suffer so much. It does not seem that the barbaric sadism of the Roman
interrogators and prison guards could be surpassed. It does not seem
that
the human heart could deliver such cruelty. Surely a Christian would
not do
so.
And yet now comes the passion of Dilawar of Yakubi, a man like Jesus
of Nazareth, innocent, and supposed by his interrogators to be
innocent. Yet unlike Jesus of Nazareth, Dilawar of Yakubi was
executed by crucifixion without the benefit of even a trial in the
Sanhedrin or an audience with the local procurator, Gen. Daniel K.
McNeill. Unlike Pontius Pilate, Gen. McNeill denied what his
subordinates and we Americans do. We are not chaining people to the
ceilings, he lied on Feb. 7, 2003.
Two months before this lie, just before Christmas 2002, Dilawar of
Yuakubi, a small village in Afghanistan not unlike Nazareth in
Palestine where Jesus grew up, died by crucifixion. Dilawar of Yakubi
was chained to the ceiling of his cell, suspended there for three
days compared to Jesus of Nazareths three hours. His arms dislocated
from their sockets. They flapped like a birds broken wings when he
was taken down for interrogation, as Jesus arms may have done had he
been taken down from the cross before three hours.
While he was chained to the ceiling, Dilawar of Yakubis legs were
beaten to a pulp. Pulpified is the coroners description. Ive
seen similar injuries in an individual run over by a bus, reports
coroner Lt. Col. Elizabeth Rouse.
In Mel Gibsons portrayal, Jesus was a marvelously healthy specimen,
muscular, unblemished and beautiful to behold. He stood about 6 feet
2 inches at about 195 pounds. Dilawar of Yakubi was a frail 122
pounds standing at 5 feet 9 inches. His hands died first. When
brought in for interrogation, his arms waved about, a common effect
of crucifixion. Dilawar of Yakubi could neither stand nor sit, his
legs now pulpified. By all accounts, Jesus of Nazareths legs were
not broken until after he died.
By all accounts, Jesus of Nazareth cried out upon death in a loud
voice.
Dilawar of Yakubi cried out, Allah! Allah! Allah! repeatedly during
the
final 24 hours of his crucifixion.
The guards hearing Jesus of Nazareth scream out Eli, Eli, supposed
he was
calling for Elias, not clearly understanding his native tongue. They
decided to see if Elias would come to rescue him and took sadistic
delight
that Elias did not come to save him. Similarly, American guards
returned
often during the final 24 hours of Dilawar of Yakubis crucifixion to
beat
his dangling legs with pulpifying blows. I would think it was about
100
strikes, said the First Platoons Specialist Corey E. Jones.
Everybody
heard him cry out and thought it was funny.
Allah! Allah! Allah! cried out Dilawar of Yakubi and gave up his
spirit.
There is nothing else to say in this Year of Our Lord 2005 except his
blood is on our hands and on the hands of our children. He was a
poor, innocent taxi driver in a remote place. The three customers he
had picked up for that fatal fare were released after 15 months of
interrogation at Guantánamo as posing no threat.
Oh, and one more thing: 22-year-old Dilawar of Yakubi, unlike 33-year-
old Jesus of Nazareth, leaves behind a daughter, Bibi Rashida, age 3.
You can look at the picture of this beautiful girl on Page A13 of The
New York Times for May 20. You might want to put it on your wall, as
I did, next to your crucifix.
David Townsend is a tutor at St. Johns College in Annapolis, Md.,
and senior adviser for seminars at the Aspen Institute.
National Catholic Reporter, August 12, 2005
posted by carol wolman @ 11:27 PM
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