Muslim cleric from Russia held at Guantanamo reports Qur'an desecration

Associated Press by way of Winnipeg Sun ^ | 28JUN05 | JIM HEINTZ

[familyop]

MOSCOW (AP) - A Muslim cleric formerly held at Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba said Tuesday U.S. guards there regularly desecrated the Qur'an by putting it into a toilet, although he added he never witnessed it himself.

Airat Vakhitov, who described himself as a former imam of a mosque in Tatarstan, a majority Muslim republic in southern Russia, is one of seven men released from Guantanamo in 2004 and returned to Russia. He and the six others were held in Russia for three months, then released a year ago.

Vakhitov said at a news conference organized by the state RIA-Novosti news agency guards in Cuba threw the Qur'an in the toilet. But he later told The Associated Press he did not witness the actions.

"A Palestinian named Mahir, who was in a neighbouring cell, had seen it and told me about that," Vakhitov said. "Many other people in Guantanamo also told me about that."

A spokesman at U.S. Southern Command in Miami, which oversees the prison, declined to comment on the specifics of the allegations. But he said such claims were found to be untrue in an investigation released last month by Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, commander of the joint task force at Guantanamo Bay.

That report showed "no Qur'ans are flushed down the toilet at Guantanamo," spokesman Lt. Col. Jim Marshall said. He said many al-Qaida members use allegations like these to help increase recruiting.

A statement from Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Flex Plexico did not specifically address Vakhitov's allegations, but said "it is important to note that al-Qaida training manuals emphasize the tactic of making false abuse allegations."

Vakhitov said he was held both by forces from Russia and its breakaway region of Chechnya on suspicion of spying. He said he later moved to Tajikistan, where he claimed to have been kidnapped by members of the radical Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, affiliated with al-Qaida, and then taken to Afghanistan, where he was held by the Taliban and then sold to U.S. forces.

Vakhitov said when he was held by U.S. forces at Kandahar, Afghanistan, he personally saw Qur'ans desecrated.

"In Kandahar, they tore up copies of the Qur'an and even put it in a bucket of feces," he said.

In May, Newsweek magazine published - and later retracted - a story that claimed interrogators at Guantanamo flushed the Muslim holy book down a toilet.

The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush blamed the report for deadly demonstrations in Afghanistan and protests throughout the Middle East. The Pentagon later disclosed five instances in which U.S. guards mishandled the Qur'an.

[familyop]

"He and the six others were held in Russia for three months, then released a year ago."

...Russia...not Chechnya. "One man's terrorist is..."

[familyop]

Ping!

[vpintheak]

So what!!!! Punk, I am more than your equal, and I will not bow down to your scumbag prophet, ever!

[oolatec]

WOLF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LAURENTIJ]

Flush flush.. I like this trend.

[Williams]

"although he added he never witnessed it himself."

Laughable. I happen to know this cleric actually flushed the Koran down the toilet, although I never witnessed it myself.

[Williams]

Don't you understand? The messsage is that every OTHER religion deserves respect, except yours. Every other family deserves protection, except yours. Every other country's sovereignty is sacred, except yours, and so on ...

[ncountylee]

"....they tore up copies of the Qur'an and even put it in a bucket of feces."

Hey kids.....you can do this at home.

[Echo Talon]

although he added he never witnessed it himself.

Why is this news, and why is this dude free?

[familyop]

Have a look at this from a quick search.

RFE/RL

"Mintimer Shaimiev, the 68-year-old president of Tatarstan, said he made his decision to stay in power for another term at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin. . . . Yesterday, Putin formally nominated Shaimiev and submitted his candidacy to Tatarstan's legislature for approval. Shaimiev's candidacy is to be considered by the republican State Council within 14 days. Under federal laws, if the Tatar parliament fails to approve Shaimiev for president, Putin has the authority to dismiss the State Council.

With the move, Shaimiev thus becomes one of the first regional leaders to support Putin's decision to abolish elections and instead appoint the heads of the 89 administrative regions."

So it's under the Russian Federation government.

[AmishDude]

A bucket of feces?

Maybe somebody should inform this cleric that in the Western world, we have ... indoor plumbing.

[CyberAnt]

I don't care!!

[FlingWingFlyer]

So let me get this straight. This guy knows a guy whose cousin knows a guy who was told by another guy that his cousin's friend's brother had seen a guard flush a Koran down the toilet? Come on. You lying terrorists can do better than that. Only the America-hating, Liberal morons in the MSM would publish something as dumb as this.

[familyop]

"Why is this news, and why is this dude free?"

...because the Russian government set him free.

[river rat]

How can anyone believe these clymers from the Turd World, when they speak of books being flushed down toilets..

Hell, most of them saw their first flush toilet in Guantanamo --- and couldn't know it's impossible to flush a book down a toilet...

NO ONE seems to have seen the dastardly act....
In this case, the source was a Palestinian!
WHO in their right mind believes a Palestinian?

Jeeeez....the press needs to STOP printing these stories and contributing to the misinformation getting back to the already irrational, lunatics in the Arab world.

Semper Fi

[JustTheTruth]

These kinds of articles should be headlined:

"Murderers and Attempted Murderers Held at Gitmo . . . "

[familyop]

"How can anyone believe these clymers from the Turd World, when they speak of books being flushed down toilets.."

...exactly, and well said.

[rawcatslyentist]

I'm stuunned I tells ya. A mooozluuum would lie? What next? Representation in our Senate? Oh yeah, they already have that. Just ask Dick Durbenladen.

Seven Dead Monkeys Page O Tunes

http://www.takebackthememorial.com/

[Echo Talon]

grrr

[kromike]

Ya know, it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between these pathetic little Muslim fruitcakes and most DemocRATic politicians.

Geez, is it like a religion with these moonbats? The Holy House of "Keep Repeating Nonsense Until Enough Dumb American Voters Believe This Verbal Vomit"?