Quran Protests Spread To Turbulent Afghan East

[The Straight Story]

Quran Protests Spread To Turbulent Afghan East
Obama Effigy Burned, Protesters Stomp On Drawing Of US Flag

JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- Demonstrators battled police in southern Afghanistan's main city on Sunday and took to the streets in the turbulent east for the first time as Western pleas failed to halt a third day of rage over a Florida pastor's burning of the Quran.

An officer was shot dead in a second day of clashes in the city of Kandahar, said provincial health director Qayum Pokhla. Two officers and 18 civilians were wounded, he said.

In Jalalabad, the largest city in the east, hundreds of people blocked the main highway for three hours, shouting for U.S. troops to leave, burning an effigy of President Barack Obama and stomping on a drawing of a U.S. flag. More than 1,000 people set tires ablaze to block another highway in eastern Parwan province for about an hour, said provincial police chief Sher Ahmad Maladani.

The violence was set off by anger over the March 20 burning of the Quran by a Florida church - the same church whose pastor had threatened to do so last year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, triggering worldwide outrage.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/27413186/detail.html

Stepping on/burning the US flag? Well, I think that gives me the right to go and kill some people (hate speech from flag steppers/burners upsets me, they should know this, therefore if I kill folks over it I get a pass...right? Not sure how all of this works.)

[msongs]

1. yet when their families are killed there are no riots. priorities I guess nt

[riderinthestorm]

3. Ouch. Good point. nt

[Webster Green]

2. Yeah, you're good to go.

Be careful out there though. :smoke:

[Old and In the Way]

4. There will be Americans paying the price in the ME for this Pastor's 'free speech'.

If I'm a parent or a spouse of someone serving in these areas, I'd be interpreting Jone's actions as dumping gas on a smoldering fire.

[The Straight Story]

6. My son is in Iraq right now

And knowing him he would be for the free speech and hold those doing the hurting of others accountable and would not buy their excuse that someone in another country burning a book made em do it.

[Old and In the Way]

7. That's very magnanimous of your son.

If the tables were turned, though...and the Iraqi's were doing the occupation of our country (after 2 wars and 20 years of enforced fly zones/sanctions, etc), I wonder how the general population here would feel about news that a fundie Ayatollah in Baghdad was burning our Constitution?

But what the hell, we can burn their Korans, they can burn our flags and our Bibles, too. Free speech all around!

Seriously, best wishes for your son, too.

[Hannah Bell]

5. gosh, those crazy muslims. i guess it doesn't matter if we bomb them.