"Hajji"

In Vietnam, it was Charlie. In Iraq, the enemy is known as "Hajji"---a word loaded with connotation and implication. From this AP report:

As the patrol set off on its six-hour mission, the soldiers of the 467th scanned the road for any sign of hidden bombs, no mean feat in a country where garbage, soft drink bottles, plastic containers and other debris litter the highways.

The troops also watch for telltale signs such as potholes and irregularities in the pavement either a sloppy repaving job or a sign that insurgents buried an IED in the road overnight.

"Hajji is greedy," said Hill, using the soldiers' nickname for the insurgents, taken from the term for a pilgrim to Mecca. "He wants to be as close to the road as possible" when placing bombs.

We seem determined to do everything possible to give ammunition to those who would accuse us of waging war against Islam.

If this was a defensive war instead of an unprovoked invasion, would using an important religious term as a slur be an issue?