OMFG - why did they burn Korans at a US airbase in Afghanistan

[malaise]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17123464
<snip>
At least four people have been killed and 20 injured in Afghanistan after protests spread over the burning of copies of the Koran at a US airbase.

One person was killed in Kabul, one in the eastern city of Jalalabad and two in Parwan province.

US officials apologised on Tuesday after Korans were "inadvertently" put in an incinerator at Bagram airbase.

Officials at Bagram reportedly believed Taliban prisoners were using the books to pass messages to each other.

The charred remains of the volumes were found by local labourers.

[raccoon]

1. Last night's news said it was accidental. Yeah, right. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Beyond stupid.

I can't believe that burning Korans was done without orders. Superiors had to have anticipated the reaction of the Muslim world.

[and ur bird can sing]

34. Yes, I agree.

So why do you think they did it? Even if they had burned them, how did the citizens discover this? So blatant and by design.

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. I honestly believe

that when the world is distroyed, it will be over religion

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. Too bad non-believers will be caught up in it.

Thanks alot!

[Blue_Tires]

4. TEN goddamned years over there, and we still have the cultural awareness and sensitivity

of the Griswold family...

[TheMadMonk]

9. You're too fucking kind. /nt

[and ur bird can sing]

33. No, no, no...

I don't buy that for a second. And I listened to the news on the radio this morning and they said they're gonna do training for cultural sensitivity (as if the troops didn't know it would inflame Muslims to burn their holy book) and THEN mentioned that case in FL with the minister threatening to burn the Koran! They knew, their superiors who ordered it knew it, and it was obviously done to make the Muslims look like savages so our country can continue to meddle in the Middle East, plus distract from what we are REALLY doing in Syria!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. We are constantly being manipulated.

Who knows that this was not 'leaked' to keep the native population in a state of unrest thereby justifying our presence? It's Wag the Dog........... maybe

[raccoon]

6. I like the way you think! nt

[malaise]

7. Quite possible

All it takes is one neo-con fundie decision-maker.

[Ganja Ninja]

8. Why not just drop them off at a local Mosque? n/t

[Nuclear Unicorn]

10. It's just a book. It's not worth killing people over.

[Broderick]

14. Reminds me of a story I read the other day

That a young 23 year old is being extradited back to the Saudi Arabia with the threat of death over an innocuous twitter post.

http://www.freemedia.at/index.php?id=288&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6015&cHash=4d124155d7

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. I'm all for respecting different cultures

But nothing gives people the right to kill other people. I yelped quite loudly that OWS was destroying its public image by burning flags and I respect the right of people who cherish the flag to be offended. OWS only has itself to hurt; but if those who demand respect for the flag were to riot or hurt people/Occupiers I would expect the police to crush them hard and fast.

Same principle. Our troops should respect other cultures and I'm assured great emphasis is made to do just that. It's in their own best interest but I see no reason anyone should respect those who are using this as an excuse for wholesale violence.

[Ikonoklast]

47. The deliberate defacement or destruction of symbols held sacred by the cultures that keep them

is a way to show disrespect to and dominance over that culture.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

55. .

icon·o·clast noun \-ˌklast\

Definition of ICONOCLAST

1: a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration

2: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions

just sayin'

[Ikonoklast]

57. Yes, I know.

[baldguy]

22. It's just a book. It's not worth antagonizing a billion people by not handling it properly.

Just so we can prove that "Our god is bigger than your god."

[Nuclear Unicorn]

27. It wasn't a theological statement. There's no point in whipping up blood libels.

The Korans were being used to pass messages between prisoners. I would imagine they were disposed of in the same manner as any other confiscated contraband. What part of that justifies murder?

Supposedly progressives oppose the death penalty for actual crimes duly adjudicated but suddenly we find a soft spot for rioting and mass murder over a book.

How do you feel about defending the religious sensibilities of Catholics operating strictly within their own institutions?

How do you feel about people outraged over OWS burning flags?

Are any of those groups allowed to slaughter innocent people or is your god bigger than theirs?

[deaniac21]

31. The only well reasoned posts

I've seen here.

[zappaman]

42. Nicely done! n/t

[deaniac21]

45. This is really dignified

[link:http://news.yahoo.com/photos/students-set-fire-effigy-president-barack-obama-eastern-photo-170130505.html|

[Codeine]

46. Nuclear Unicorn speaks for me.

[deaniac21]

53. You might enjoy

[link:

|

[Mojorabbit]

52. We don't know for a fact they were being used in this manner. nt

[FarCenter]

11. Out of curiosity, how is one supposed to discard a Bible? On paper, on CD or on a USB drive?

[pipi_k]

18. This is what I don't get...

for some things, burning is not only OK, but the only respectful method of disposal.

I've always hated throwing books away, but if I had to, I would rather they be burnt than to be left out to rot in the elements like compost.

sigh...this is why I prefer the company of my pets. Dealing with human beings is too damned difficult when there's so much to have to know or remember to avoid giving offense to someone or another.

[FarCenter]

23. It must be blasphemy to read the Koran in a browser

When you display a page of the Koran in your browser, a copy of the text is created in memory.

When you navigate away from the page, the copy is destroyed. Its destruction is not in the approved methods of burial or being dissolved in a flowing stream.

Therefore, it is blasphemous to read the Koran or any verses from it online.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

38. Like this, apparently....

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/

[quinnox]

12. We continue on our noble crusade of winning hearts and minds over there

USA USA USA USA!!


[for the impaired]

[Ron Obvious]

13. Selective outrage

Why are we always so much more outraged at the people burning holy books than at those howling savages who would go around murdering people for doing so, I wonder?

See also: Danish Cartoons

[onethatcares]

20. probably for the same reason

we are so outraged about drones killing civilians, marine corp squads with nazi flag insignias, and other marines pissing on corpses of dead Afganis.

Why are we in Afganistan anyway? Kind of late for bin Laden I would think.

Oh, we want their women to be treated better. I forgot that one.

[Ron Obvious]

26. Afghan women

Afghan women never had it so good as when the Soviets ruled the place.

[and ur bird can sing]

35. Save it. This was inciting violence in those people.

Whether it's the highest consciousness or not is hardly the issue. We shouldn't even be there in the first damn place!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

39. Does this incite violence?

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/

[bighart]

16. OMFG People are rioting and killing because their favorite book got burned.

THAT is what is just completely INSANE.

[itsrobert]

17. Here's your answer

"Officials at Bagram reportedly believed Taliban prisoners were using the books to pass messages to each other. "

But that just leads to more questions.

That are not answered in the article.

[malaise]

19. If that's the line then clearly

it did not happen by accident.
The reporter on GEM$NBComcast was totally confused trying to come up with a believable meme.

[bananas]

24. So they destroyed the evidence? nt

[itsrobert]

28. That's a question that is not answered in the article

n/t

[and ur bird can sing]

36. Yeah. It doesn't explain why the military would allow it to be known they

had burned the books. Anyone who believes the official story is a blooming fool.

[originalpckelly]

25. No: Why are some people so fucking stupid and nuts they kill you for doing that?

Hate is always a bad thing, but I can show disrespect for religion in general by burning a religious text.

[Comrade Grumpy]

32. It's actually Afghan police and/or soldiers killing rioters.

As far as I can tell, the rioters haven't killed anybody.

[Arugula Latte]

29. They shouldn't have burned them, but, WTF? riots and killings over this?

Once again, religion makes people crazy and stupid and murderous.

[badtoworse]

30. If they had just dropped them in a jar of urine,...

...they would have been hailed as artists.

[zappaman]

43. Might as well lock this thread

cuz you win!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

37. I treat this story with the same level of outrage as the one about burning bibles at military bases

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/

It's protocol for any item of that sort, so I was fine with it. Same here. I'm not a hypocrite. But if that story upset you then as well, at least you aren't.

[aquart]

40. Geniuses we are.

[Yupster]

41. The whole world should hold an insult Allah week or month

Burn the books, draw funny cartoons, piss on the holy writings, keep going until the rioters get tired and realize that their religion will survive a funny moustache drawn on the prophet.

Then we can be done with this nonsense once and for all.

I have no sympathy for the backward bullies.

[Joe the Revelator]

44. Religion is so silly

Killing people? Really?over words on paper?

[Tippy]

48. Absolutely STUPID.....

[Proud Public Servant]

49. I am very, very close to this

There are things I'm not going to say on a public message board, but here's what I will say:

1) It really was an accident -- if by accident we mean "complete f*ck-up by someone at a lower lever." This appears to have genuinely caught military brass by surprise, and is certainly not reflective of any US strategy or policy.

2) Everyone in the US government is going into overdrive making abject apologies about this, which tells you how serious a screw-up it was; there's been none of the usual mealy-mouthed hedging and politi-speak (e.g., "we're sorry if anyone is offended.&quot I'm sure Freepers are having a field day with teh apology from President Obama that was hand-delivered to President Karzai.

3) The military is very, very bad at cultural sensitivity, public affairs, and instilling good independent judgment down through the ranks, which is how this shit keeps happening (indeed, I suspect good independent judgment is actually detrimental to a military career below the level of full-bird colonel). If we're going to have a military, we need to use it for its obvious purpose: protecting us from bad guys by killing said bad guys. Asking the military to win the hearts and minds of a civilian population we want to keep friendly is a fool's errand.

[grantcart]

50. thanks for your comments

[morningfog]

51. Fuck-ups like this are impossible to avoid when we occupy a country

and operate prisons in those countries. It is inevitable that we will make horrible mistakes and culturally offend.

What is worse is that this is not an isolated incident of offense and abuse. This comes on the heels of years of torture, rendition, night time raids, drone strikes on civilians, killing of kids and even videos of soldiers urinating on recently killed bodies.

The US military is insensitive and inept at preventing these types of atrocities. There are serious issues of how we conduct ourselves in war. The apologies ring hollow after 11 years of this.

The sooner we pack up and get the hell out the better.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

54. This lost war is FUBAR in every respect. We lost. Get out. Get over it.

[renie408]

56. Come on...they are trying to win those hearts and minds!! n/t

[countryjake]

58. Now there are at least two dozen killed, including two US soldiers...

after the four days of violence which resulted from the disposal and burning of the Koran.

Protests Against Quran-Burning Roil Afghanistan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204778604577243113850631098.html


Afghanistan Koran protests claim more lives
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17152705


When will they ever learn?