How to be a good neighbor

Q-- Eight years after the U.S. attacked Afghanistan, fighting continues. Religious extremists in the Taliban and al-Qaeda retain significant power there. What is our moral responsibility to the people of Afghanistan? If religion is part of the problem there, how can it be part of the solution?

The enemy in Afghanistan is the Taliban. They have declared the U.S. to be their enemy and demonstrated their willingness to inflict pain and killing upon us. The people of Afghanistan however are not all members of the Taliban and many have been innocent casualties in this seemingly endless war that the U.S. is waging against the insurgents. The Taliban has committed crimes for which they should pay however the people of Afghanistan are simply hostages in this war. .

We would like to believe that the misery of the Afghanistan people is all the fault of the Taliban. But the reality is that we have been co-conspirators in destroying their home and their ability to live what we treasure as a “normal” life. The length and nature of this war threatens to create a culture of despair. Our moral responsibility to the people of Afghanistan is to refocus on the initial mission to find and punish the perpetrators of 9/11 and then get out of their country.

It has been said that we are at a critical juncture in our military strategy; that if we don’t commit to winning and send in more troops now that window of opportunity for us gain the upper hand against the enemy will close forever. This is what our military leaders tell us based on their experience and understanding of the cadence of war. A similar cadence exists in matters of the human spirit. I fear that we are facing a similar closing window of opportunity in which to restore hope for the Afghanistan people. The U.S. needs to pursue whatever strategy will enable the military to find its targets with minimal impact on the civilians and then leave. Developing a democratic government for Afghanistan was not part of the original reason for invasion and should not be the reason for outstaying our welcome.

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Muslims are our neighbors. Although we may be separated by great geographic distance we share a common ancestor (Abraham) and a common belief in the One True God. However their ways are not our ways, and they shouldn’t have to be. One of the reasons that good fences make good neighbors is that it keeps each side from overstepping boundaries. The U.S. should redouble efforts to stop terrorism against America but not continue the futile investments in nation building a form of government that is pleasing to us but contrary to the way of life that is familiar and traditional to the people of Afghanistan.