Posted on 06/03/2005 11:15:54 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
A U.S. military investigation into the mishandling of the Muslim holy book at the Guantanamo Bay prison for suspected terrorists has determined that detainees -- not U.S. soldiers -- attempted to flush the Quran down the toilet there.
-SNIP-
In one incident, on February 23, 2004, the report said a guard saw a "detainee place two Qurans in his toilet and state he no longer cared about the Quran or his religion.
Five minutes later, after the detainee retrieved the Qurans, he ripped several pages out of one Quran and threw the pages on the floor. Then, he placed both Qurans on the sink."
Another time, on January 19, 2005, a detainee "tore up his Quran and tried to flush it down the toilet. Four guards witnessed the incident," the report said.
The report also cited 12 other incidents by detainees, including one who used his Quran as a pillow, another who urinated on his holy book and several who ripped pages from the Quran.
Capt. Jeff Weir, an Army spokesman at the facility, told CNN in a phone interview that the detainees were typically trying to stage some form of protest when they mishandled the Quran.
Hood said investigators reviewed more than 30,000 documents in an exhaustive probe.
"The inquiry found no credible evidence that a member of the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay ever flushed a Quran down a toilet. This matter is considered closed," the report said.
It said the U.S. military has issued more than 1,600 copies of the Quran since January 2002, conducted more than 28,000 interrogations and carried out thousands of "cell moves."
"Mishandling a Quran at Guantanamo Bay is a rare occurrence," Hood said. "Mishandling of a Quran here is never condoned."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Something really bothers me about this. They seem to imply that there is some kind of appropriate way to handle the Quran and that in itself is promoting the book. This is the same US Government that promotes the crucifix in urine as art, they shouldn't be promoting Islam this way because of the whole separation of church and state that I've heard so much about.
Yes, the koran is apparently subject to 'appropriate' handling. Unlike every other documented book.
We apparently lost the battle of 9/11, and the entire war.
ping
I see it as what it is. A book of words. To be sure, those words were meant to subvert an entire culture of people to the whims of a madman, but just a book nonetheless.
Its only symbolism comes from within the one viewing it. I have no reason to desecrate it because it means nothing to me. Those who believe its hatred and lies will do so whether I take out my frustrations on a pile of paper or not.
You say we got to wonder if it is a bad thing to desecrate it. In my opinion, no. But neither is it a good thing. Your viewpoint may be totally different, but that is due to your internal response to the act. It is you, not the book, that gives power to its symbolism.
I'm surprised the Greenpeace crowd aren't getting into this. Flushing something made from a tree--now THAT might get them to speak out against the terrorists.
I'd desecrate a copy of the communist manifesto with less gusto than the koran.
To show proper "solidarity" with the Peace Loving Islamanazis....
We should immediately shoot the Gitmo "detainee" for his act of defiling the Koran...
As a matter of fact -- in order to PROVE our horror that we allowed this act to occur in our prison -- we should shoot every damned detainee in Gitmo... IMMEDIATLY.
Perhaps then, the followers of Islam will know we respect their "culture"...
</ sarcasm> for you folks in Rio Linda.
Semper Fi
L
I snipped out the parts that had nothing to do with the title and which were already reported in the AP article earlier, so it would be under 300 words.
And why would I include a paragraph from an entirely different source?
And I put forth that it is that idealogical system, and not the printed media in which it is contained, that is the true source of discontent. Does the act of burning a book unlearn the thoughts that created it? Would Hitler somehow not have risen to power had he simply issued his ideology through speeches and propaganda, and never bound it into Mein Kampf?
Explain to me how the hypothetical act of flushing a Koran down the toilet would make the world safer.
In the grand scheme of things, our few 'desecrations' against their continuing obscene acts of inhumanity, we look good. We allow ourselves to be rolled. A few Qu'Rans getting wet doesn't stand up against hundreds of Bibles confiscated and countless preachers arrested in Saudi Arabia. Tired of seeing us cave in the face of the onslaught.
Flushing a koran makes the world safer in that it exposes the absolute insanity of the followers that they get so worked up over it being flushed.
I get worked up over the Twin Towers being destroyed. People throwing themselves from it by the hundreds, many hundreds inside burning alive. islam's destroyed many thousands of lives in the modern times. Go to ogrish for extreme videos of it.
To desecrate and destroy the idealogy and book that perverts humanity in the way that islam does is a virtue.
"In one incident, on February 23, 2004, the report said a guard saw a "detainee place two Qurans in his toilet and state he no longer cared about the Quran or his religion."
Strong evidence that a restful stay at tropical GITMO can restore one's mental faculties, to rational thinking.
http://www.ogrish.com/archives/2005/april/ogrish-dot-com-helicopter_downed2.wmv
That's islam. So is 9/11.
"However, the report did find four confirmed incidents in which U.S. personnel at the base mishandled the Quran ..."
and then continues for 5 paragraphs about that before getting to the part about the "detainees."
"There are plenty of instances in recent(Salem Witch Trials?) and old history where the Christian Bible was used to justify murder and war. It is still a Holy book just as the Koran is a Holy book"
There it is people. islamic apologism in full form.
Republicans don't even know how to run a gulag right. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.