Re: UK Church Offers Apology for Iraq War - About time too!
Actually, Chechens got the short end of the stick AFTER communism. In general, Islam survived intact from the communist era.
America was the better place to be for Muslims, no doubt. But it’s folly to suggest that America somehow prevented the spread of communism into Muslim lands.
Gorbachev was trying to negotiate a face-saving pull-out from Afghanistan as early as 1986. The Americans flatly refused, and in fact started pumping in arms big time at around the same period, whereas their support up to that point was so-so at best.
The Afghan war was prolonged by the Americans, who were in no small part supporting and encouraging the mindless Jihadi types (America was just as much involved as Pakistan, that America subcontracted to Pakistan and Pakistan supported the “wrong” people is a myth).
The rest is well-known, and I suppose this history is ongoing with 9-11 and all.
As for the soviets, no doubt their treatment of anyone with faith on their soil was bad, but as allies they were perhaps more loyal. Pakistan has gotten screwed over by America countless times, while India to this day can count on India for the most meaningful kinds of support.