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Respect Muslim Culture, U.S. Forces in Baghdad Told
Fri April 11, 2003 01:37 PM ET
By Matthew Green
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Don't ogle the women and watch what you do with your feet -- U.S. forces in Baghdad have been issued with lists of "dos and don'ts" to navigate a cultural minefield of Islamic sensitivities.
In the U.S. Marine First Tank Battalion, crews rumbling through the Iraqi capital have been told not to hang their feet off the sides of their M-1A1 Main Battle Tanks to avoid causing offence to Arabs by revealing the soles of their feet.
Troops have been ordered not to wave with their left hand -- which they were told was used for toilet purposes in Iraq -- though some Marines with experience of Arab societies questioned that particular piece of advice.
"A lot of Marines are learning that the Arabs are very affectionate people, they're not afraid to shake your hands and give you a kiss on the cheek," he said, sitting under an awning next to his tank parked in the city's eastern suburbs.
"At first that's a little strange, American men don't tend to kiss each other on the cheeks, unless they're drunk," Jefferies said.
SPEAK ENGLISH, LOUD AND SLOW
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Lt. Col. Jim Chartier, commanding officer of the U.S. Marine First Tank Battalion, said he had ordered his crews to move their tanks to a more respectful distance from the Martyrs' Monument to Iraq's war dead.
Drivers of "Humvee" all-terrain vehicles were told to stop running them up and down steps near the landmark. Proper latrines are planned to avoid too much damage to bushes by Marines based in a nearby car park.
"Look at this monument as their version of the Vietnam Wall," Chartier told an officers' briefing on Friday. "It's got to be honored and respected," he said, gesturing at the giant, azure dome -- bisected into two halves.
Cultural briefings were given while U.S. forces were still in Kuwait, with troops being told not to stare at women -- who might often be veiled due to cultural or religious beliefs.
At least some of the "grunts" -- combat troops whose average age is about 19 -- seemed to have disregarded the advice.
"Did you see the one with the blonde streaks in her hair?," said one Marine, trooping through the affluent "Engineer's Town" suburb in eastern Baghdad on a foot patrol. "She was hot!"
Respect Muslim Culture, U.S. Forces in Baghdad Told
Fri April 11, 2003 01:37 PM ET
By Matthew Green
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Don't ogle the women and watch what you do with your feet -- U.S. forces in Baghdad have been issued with lists of "dos and don'ts" to navigate a cultural minefield of Islamic sensitivities.
In the U.S. Marine First Tank Battalion, crews rumbling through the Iraqi capital have been told not to hang their feet off the sides of their M-1A1 Main Battle Tanks to avoid causing offence to Arabs by revealing the soles of their feet.
Troops have been ordered not to wave with their left hand -- which they were told was used for toilet purposes in Iraq -- though some Marines with experience of Arab societies questioned that particular piece of advice.
"A lot of Marines are learning that the Arabs are very affectionate people, they're not afraid to shake your hands and give you a kiss on the cheek," he said, sitting under an awning next to his tank parked in the city's eastern suburbs.
"At first that's a little strange, American men don't tend to kiss each other on the cheeks, unless they're drunk," Jefferies said.
SPEAK ENGLISH, LOUD AND SLOW
>>
Lt. Col. Jim Chartier, commanding officer of the U.S. Marine First Tank Battalion, said he had ordered his crews to move their tanks to a more respectful distance from the Martyrs' Monument to Iraq's war dead.
Drivers of "Humvee" all-terrain vehicles were told to stop running them up and down steps near the landmark. Proper latrines are planned to avoid too much damage to bushes by Marines based in a nearby car park.
"Look at this monument as their version of the Vietnam Wall," Chartier told an officers' briefing on Friday. "It's got to be honored and respected," he said, gesturing at the giant, azure dome -- bisected into two halves.
Cultural briefings were given while U.S. forces were still in Kuwait, with troops being told not to stare at women -- who might often be veiled due to cultural or religious beliefs.
At least some of the "grunts" -- combat troops whose average age is about 19 -- seemed to have disregarded the advice.
"Did you see the one with the blonde streaks in her hair?," said one Marine, trooping through the affluent "Engineer's Town" suburb in eastern Baghdad on a foot patrol. "She was hot!"
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