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From the NewsMax.com Staff
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For the story behind the story...
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Monday, Oct. 20, 2003 10:18 p.m. EDT
Pentagon Edited General's Apology
An apology from Lt. Gen. William Boykin for speechmaking on the war on terrorism in terms that offended some Muslims was heavily edited by Pentagon lawyers, CNN has reported.
The former head of U.S. Army Special Forces said in a June speech to a Christian prayer group that radical Muslims hate the United States "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and roots are Judeo-Christian and the enemy is a guy named Satan." He added, "I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
Some of the redacted language from the apology, which was issued in final version and distributed by the Pentagon press office last Friday:
"The sensitivities of my job today dictate that further church speeches are inappropriate."
"I believe that God intervenes in the affairs of men, to include nations, as Benjamin Franklin so eloquently stated. Yes I believe that George Bush was placed in the White House by God as well as Bill Clinton and other presidents."
"As a Christian I believe that there is a spiritual war that is continuous as articulated in the Bible. It is not confined to the war of terrorism."
"The evidence that this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles is undeniable. We are a nation of many cultures and religions but the evidence of our foundation is historic."
In the sanitized version of the apology, Gen. Boykin said he never meant to offend Muslims.
"I am not anti-Islam or any other religion," Boykin said. "I support the free exercise of all religions. For those who have been offended by my statements, I offer a sincere apology."
"I have frequently stated that I do not see this current conflict as a war between Islam and Christianity," Boykin said. "I have asked American Christian audiences to realize that even though they cannot be in Iraq or Afghanistan, they can be part of this war by praying for America and its leaders."
A decorated veteran of foreign campaigns, the three-star general said of a 1993 battle with a Muslim militia leader in Somalia: "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol." After the man was captured, Boykin said he told the man, "You underestimated our God."
Boykin's statement said that comment was misinterpreted.
"My comments to Osman Otto in Mogadishu were not referencing his worship of Allah but his worship of money and power; idolatry," Boykin said. "He was a corrupt man, not a follower of Islam."
"I am neither a zealot nor an extremist," the general said in the final statement. "Only a soldier who has an abiding faith."
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