What's more, Iraqis were deeply offended by al-Qaeda leaders – almost all of them foreigners – saying their interpretation of Islam is flawed and inadequate, as has been that of their families and clans for generations. Mneimneh reports that Iraqi clerics have responded by calling al-Qaeda’s version of Islam "excessive and unfair."
To express such views while al-Qaeda militants were walking the streets would have brought severe reprisals. But over the past few months, as the surge has been making progress, and as more Iraqis have felt more secure, they have been articulating these views loudly and clearly. Mneimneh believes they are being heard beyond Anbar, beyond Iraq and even beyond the Middle East. "This is coming out," he emphasized.
At the same time, because Petraeus has moved his troops from cloistered bases into Iraqi communities, more Iraqis are coming into contact with Americans and learning that – frightening though they may look with their body armor and big guns – they aren't quite as satanic as advertised. They don't ask for bribes. They like kids. They show respect. And they have been providing security while training Iraqis to protect themselves. They are willing to stay and assist but they would prefer to go home as soon as conditions permit – not quite the dictionary definition of a foreign occupier.
"Note that the troops taking part in the surge have not been attacked by the Iraqis who live in the neighborhoods where they are now posted," Mneinmeh said. "On the contrary, those Iraqis have been bringing the troops the intelligence they need to succeed." Accepting a tactical alliance with such people does not violate Islamic doctrine, Iraqi religious scholars are daring to assert.
"The longer this persists," Mneinmeh said, "the more Iraqis' views will be changed. As these new views are expressed, disseminated and reinforced, it becomes less likely that they will be abandoned later."
In other words, every day the surge continues, every day American soldiers continue to wage the clash of arms in Iraq, they also are fighting – and perhaps winning – a consequential clash of ideas.