Syriology

By Adnan Mouhiddin

According to the DSM-5 (2013), Zoophilia is defined as the “recurrent and intense sexual arousal involving animals” (p. 705). Bestiality, on the other hand, refers to the cross species sexual activity between human and non-human. In other words, sex between human and animals. The photo below shows an American soldier, taking photo with an Iraqi man who obviously has no clue what is written on the cardboard , which reads “I fuck sheep when I am not busy mortaring the base.”

This photo caught my attention for various reasons. I noticed on various occasions a general understanding among many Americans I came across (the vast majority are religious Christians and/or conservatives) on the social networks or even reality who refer to Arabs and Muslims as Camel riders and goats and sheep shaggers. The soldier in this photo is seemingly one of them.

I have no clue if the Iraqi man in the photo performs sex with animals or not. I do not know him or his background and therefore I cannot decide if he performs bestiality or not. However, I am not sure the soldier in the photo is in position to comment on the sexual life of the Arab man next to him whereas bestiality is not only performed in America, but also is legal in many American states. In fact, bestiality in America has its passionate activists and advocates among Americans whereby they describe bestiality as a relationship and a right and they push to normalize it and make it legal across the United States.

Furthermore, the same institution that recruits the soldier in the photo, the American military, permits bestiality! I can’t resist the temptation of rephrasing it. In other words, the law permits American soldiers to have sex with goats, sheep, cows, camels, elephants, chickens and even Dinosaurs. If in doubt whether Dinosaurs exist or not, please refer to Sarah Palin; she is the expert as she believes they walked among humans 5 thousands years ago. In November 2011, the ‘Senate Armed Services Committee’ unanimously approved  s.1867 of the National Defense Authorization Act which includes a provision to repeal Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice which originally made it illegal to engage in both ‘sodomy with humans and sex with animals’. Therefore, sex with animals in the American army is legal. Now how bestiality and homosexuality are included in the same article and ban, is another story in ‘Jesus is white’ country.

American veterans who served in Iraq (and elsewhere) are often told “Thank you for your service and thank you for protecting and defending our freedom and way of life.” I can related to the “Thank you for your service”. It is well understood. However, what puzzles me is how does fighting in Iraq defends and protects the American freedom and way of life? Again, this is another story that may decode if you were a ‘Tea Party’ member or a ‘FauxNews’ audience.

To the soldier in the photo: First, shame on you. Second, thank you for going to Iraq and fighting for the freedom and the way of life of the American people; the freedom that includes bestiality. Third, please take the plank out of your own eye first.