As I am Grinch, Noting Xmas is not always exportable

As it happens on Xmas day I was watching the Arab Sats and caught a report on al-Jazeerah regarding a US military PR operation in Afghanistan that struck me as typically wrong headed. It appears from the report US command had US soldiers out on public relations missions for Xmas, singing Christmas carols, giving out presents and similar activities in Afghanistan.

Oh that's wonderful PR. In the US.

But let's put this in context.

First, there are almost no Afghan Xtians. Of course, the video amply demonstrated kids love presents, but the Afghan adults seemed notably bemused at the moderately ostentatious celebration of a Xian holiday.

Second, among the points of propaganda that the Jihadi types like to play on - and with some resonance - is that the US is seeking to impose Xianity, its culture and the like, a mass conversion campaign if you will, on the Muslims of the world. An effort in this propaganda to 'roll back' Islam. Even non Salafi Muslims get more tha a bit worked up by the sensation of being subject to a kind of second colonial era. This is often overdone, and is not well founded for the most part. But it is there.

The ostensible purpose of these PR efforts is to win hearts and minds. It would behoove those designing such efforts to not choose efforts that fairly scream 'own goal.' Celebrating Xmas and giving out presents as part of an outreach effort is one of such 'own goal' efforts. Relatively minor of course, but already the US has marked rather too many gratitious own goals in these efforts from pure clumsiness.

collounsbury: As I am Grinch, Noting Xmas is not always exportable