Posted on 06/04/2005 1:25:37 PM PDT by FairOpinion
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2005 – An inquiry into allegations of mishandling of the Koran by U.S. personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reveals "a consistent, documented policy of respectful handling" dating back almost two and a half years, the general who led the effort said June 3. Army Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, released results of his inquiry, which was launched following allegations in the media that U.S. personnel at the detention facility had flushed a Koran down the toilet.
The inquiry found no credible evidence that the flushing incident occurred, U.S. Southern Command officials said in a news release. "This matter is considered closed," the statement said.
Hood's extensive inquiry of documents and procedures at the detention facility related to alleged abuse of the Koran revealed "five incidents of apparent mishandling by guards or interrogators and 15 incidents of mishandling and outright desecration by detainees," Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said June 3.
Four alleged incidents of mishandling by U.S. personnel could not be confirmed, Hood said.
The inquiry involved a review of 31,000 hard-copy and electronic documents covering 28,000 interrogations, Di Rita noted. In addition, Hood said the inquiry team reviewed 63 Habeas petitions for any incidents involving the Koran, as well as 38 press articles.
It also included a review of procedures involving the Koran. Since January 2002, Joint Task Force Guantanamo has issued more than 1,600 Korans and undergone thousands of cell moves that involved moving detainee effects, including Korans, U.S. Southern Command officials noted.
From those activities, the inquiry team identified 19 incidents in which U.S. personnel handled Korans. Ten of those incidents involved no mishandling, and simply touching of the Muslim holy book "during the normal performance of duty," the statement said.
"With the other nine incidents, there was either intentional or unintentional mishandling of a Koran," Hood said. He defined mishandling as "touching, holding or the treatment of a Koran in a manner inconsistent with policy or procedure."
"We have confirmed that five of these alleged mishandling incidents took place," Hood said. "After thoroughly investigating the four remaining alleged mishandling incidents, we cannot determine conclusively if they actually happened."
Hood's inquiry identified 15 incidents in which detainees mishandled the Koran. These involved using it as a pillow, ripping pages from it, attempting to flush it down a toilet, and urinating on it, SOUTHCOM officials said.
Hood called mishandling of the Koran by U.S. personnel at the Guantanamo facility "a rare occurrence" that "is never condoned."
"When one considers the many thousands of times detainees have been moved and cells have been searched since detention operations first began here in January 2002, I think one can only conclude that respect for detainee beliefs was embedded in the culture of the JTF from the start," Hood said.
Koran-handling procedures in force at Guantanamo Bay are "appropriate," SOUTHCOM officials said the inquiry concluded. However, they said, "a number of recommendations for minor modifications are under review."
"SOUTHCOM's policy of Koran handling is obviously serious, respectful and appropriate," Di Rita said. "The Hood inquiry confirms that."
Why aren't the Muslims and the MSM upset about THIS?!
Oh we note well how the MSM distorts and lies. Standard operating procedure. Amplify the negative -- anything anti-American, anti-Bush, anti-Christian.....that is why they don't sell me newspapers anymore...remember, anything that is POSITIVE for America, is BAD FOR THE LEFT!!!
The Koran is a bloodthirsty terrorist manual.
When wiping (before the flush) the torn page is to be most respectfully folded in two, or even in three.
Someone less charitable than I might say there are those in the MSM that want Ameerica to lose this war.
Thanks for posting Krauthammer's article.
"Moreover, what were the Korans doing there in the first place? The very possibility of mishandling Korans arose because we gave them to each prisoner. What kind of crazy tolerance is this? Is there any other country that would give a prisoner precisely the religious text that the prisoner and those affiliated with him invoke to justify the slaughter of innocents? If the prisoners had to have reading material, I would have given them the book "Portraits 9/11/01" - vignettes of the lives of those massacred on Sept. 11. "
He gets it and makes the right points -- why don't others see and do the same, instead of letting the MSM drum into everyone, that the US is the "evil" one.
"What kind of crazy tolerance is this?" I'll bet Christians in Islamic countries don't get a Bible when they go to jail. Christians just get beaten, maimed or killed. Zero tolerance.
PC will thwart the objectives of the War on Terror. I'm sick to death of hearing about these things.
Hood's inquiry identified 15 incidents in which detainees mishandled the Koran.
In other words, 75% of the "mishandling" was committed by the muslim detainees!!!
........and C.A.I.R is predictably silent.
You pointed out what should be the headline: 75% of Koran abuses were done by detainees.
Related article -- it takes an editorial to highlight the important part buried even in the article at the Military news site and not mentioned in any of the MSM:
GITMO DETAINEES DESECRATE QURAN
by Michelle Malkin
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1416641/posts
CC:"In other words, 75% of the "mishandling" was committed by the muslim detainees!!!"
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Scott McClellan (White House spokes person): "
"There were three times as many confirmed incidents of (Koran) abuse by detainees, a number which were far worse than the few isolated incidents of mishandling by a few individuals that violated military policies and practices," McClellan added."
http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050604/2005-06-04T183758Z_01_N04265172_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-SECURITY-GUANTANAMO-BUSH-DC.html
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He must have read your post. ;)
Actually I am serious -- people are starting to point out the facts -- it's about time. And I wouldn't be surprised to find out they are reading the posts on FR to get ideas. :)
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