Letters

Iraq: How Did It Come to This?

The cold and inhuman acts of abuse committed at the Abu Ghraib prison are, sadly, the first signs of the decline of a great power.
CLAUDIA ESLAVA
Miami

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As a former u.s. soldier who served in Iraq, I am ashamed of the abuse inflicted on Abu Ghraib prisoners by American troops [May 17]. The actions shown in the photographs were deliberate, and the soldiers' excuse that they were simply following orders is absurd. Every U.S. service member has the right to decline an order that is morally wrong. All the proper training in the world cannot replace a lack of morals. This scandal undermines everything that I and many others did to help the Iraqi people.
ROSS EDWARDS
Palatine, Ill.

We should be angered by the extensive outrage over Abu Ghraib. It's easy for people to judge those soldiers, but I thank them for the job they are doing. They are dealing with fighters who kill Americans without thought or concern. The critics should shut up, unless they are willing to put their lives on the line.
CHASE HOOZER
Houston

The soldiers who were involved in this mess should be made to apologize directly to the prisoners they abused. Maybe then it would occur to them that the Iraqis are fellow human beings.
JAYE WOTHERSPOON
Pittsboro, N.C.

How can anyone in the Arab world ever again defend what the U.S. stands for? The shocking pictures displayed on TV screens in Arab homes only confirm the hypocrisy of U.S. policy in the Middle East. How can moderates in the Arab world advocate the American democratic system as a model for their own countries? The U.S.'s plans and policies for the Middle East are a complete mess.
ADEL MALAIKA
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Although the conduct of a few American soldiers was abhorrent, even more repulsive were the crimes of the Iraqis who burned and hanged four of our citizens. Next time the media show pictures from Abu Ghraib, they should also run photos of the charred remains of U.S. civilians. Who was being inhumane?
LINDA GRANT
Roselle, Ill.

I held my head high with pride during the weeks and months following 9/11, as there was no widespread violence against Arabs or Muslims here in my adopted country. I have known places where actions much less damaging than the attacks would have caused a frenzy of retribution against innocent bystanders. I told others that this is a civilized society. But with the atrocities carried out by Americans, I hang my head with shame.
RAVI KUMAR
Buffalo, N.Y.

President Bush has apologized for the torture of Iraqi prisoners. Now it is time for Muslim clerics to denounce the terrorists or admit that Islam is fighting a war with us — a religious war. The Abu Ghraib pictures were not meant for public distribution, unlike the videos of the beheadings of noncombatants taped by Islamic murderers. The mullahs must show that this barbaric behavior is not tolerated — or admit to being accomplices.
MARK PRICE
Houston

Perhaps TV cameras should be mandatory at military prisons and detention centers around the world. Everyone ought to be able to see what goes on in all the places where people are being held against their will.
MANJULA PADMANABHAN
New Delhi

The soldiers who acted badly didn't lack training. They followed the Administration's "my way or the highway" attitude. Is it any surprise that they felt they could do anything they liked? I am an Army veteran who feels only shame.
KATHLEEN C. BUTLER
Wichita, Kans.