Indian Muslims Protest Alleged Quran Abuse
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May 20, 12:16 PM EDT
By SUDIPTO DAS
Associated Press Writer
CALCUTTA, India (AP) -- Muslim protesters burned, spit and urinated on a U.S. flag Friday in eastern India, accusing Americans of desecrating Islam's holy book as anger persisted despite the retraction of a magazine report that a Quran was flushed down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay.
U.S. officials have said they found nothing to substantiate the Newsweek report that interrogators at the prison camp in Cuba flushed a copy of the Quran down the toilet to unnerve an inmate.
But given frequent reports of mistreatment at the camp from released detainees, some Muslims remained convinced the desecration happened and U.S. officials pressured the magazine to deny the story.
In London, a former prisoner at Guantanamo told a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy that guards at the camp had mistreated his Quran.
"This was one of the methods they used, throwing the Quran, my Quran, on the floor in my cell. This was in the first month at Camp Delta but it is not something that stopped, rather continued and increased," said Martin Mubanga, who was released from the prison in January.
"It's a shame we have had to wait for a magazine to publish and then retract a story concerning the treatment of the Quran," Mubanga said.
He spoke as about 200 protesters gathered outside the embassy, chanting "kill, kill George Bush" and other anti-American slogans. Many in the crowd covered their faces with scarves. A man with a megaphone led chants including "USA watch your back, Osama is coming back" and "bomb, bomb New York."
Thousands also took to the streets in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu and the Palestinian territories, but the demonstrations were nothing on the scale of rioting in Afghanistan last week in which 15 people died and protesters threw rocks at police.
Riot police watched but did not stop some 500 protesters who shouted slogans against the United States and forced a traffic shutdown in the heart of the eastern Indian city of Calcutta.
The protest began at a mosque after Friday afternoon prayers conducted by the "imam" or chief priest, who then led demonstrators to the road.
"Death to America!" they cried as men spat on the flag.
They asked a boy in the crowd to urinate on it, and hit the flag with shoes and leather slippers. The 20-minute protest ended with the burning of two American flags.
Muslims are the largest minority in predominantly Hindu India, forming more than 12 percent of the 1 billion-plus population.
In the West Bank city of Nablus, some 2,500 Palestinian Hamas militants streamed out of mosques Friday chanting, "Death to America, death to Israel."
Muslim preacher Maher Haraz demanded that "America apologize to all Muslims worldwide, and punish those that trampled on the Quran and stuffed it in the toilet."
"There will be a Muslim uprising in the world, an uprising of the Quran," Haraz declared.
Mubanga, 32, was arrested in Zambia in early 2002 and handed over to U.S. officials, who accused him of being an al-Qaida operative. He denied the accusation.
He said prisoners had asked for notices to be posted warning U.S. soldiers that copies of the Quran should not be thrown on the floor.
"We were not asking to have a gymnasium, we weren't asking to have swimming pools, only that they did not touch the Quran," he said. "But time and time again new units, new soldiers would come and they would use the excuse that these new soldiers did not know how to handle issues around the Quran."
The international Red Cross said Thursday that it had told U.S. authorities about allegations of abuse to the Quran and that action was taken to stop it.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the ICRC's concerns about the handling of the Quran at Guantanamo were consistent with those the Pentagon has acknowledged, such as a Quran inadvertently dropping to the floor.
The Bush administration has called on Newsweek to explain how it got the story wrong and to report on U.S. military practices intended to ensure the Quran is handled with respect. The State Department told its embassies to spread the word abroad that America respects all religious faiths. -
fark all muslim
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Originally posted by wudimax:fark all muslim
i wouldnt wanna do that manz -
Please mind your language here. I don't wish that anything happen to you.Originally posted by wudimax:fark all muslim -
Did or did the Americans at Guantanamo Bay detention center abuse the Quran?
Newsweek apologized and retracted the story, but it did not say what was written never happened. Michael Isikoff, one of the two reporters responsible for the article only acknowledged that “perhaps his latest story could have been handled with more cultural sensitivity’ (since when are Americans sensitive to anything non Americans), he did not denied that there was actually no abuse.
Pentagon confirmed reports of abuse were received, according to the Straits Times, quoting from New York Times, but insisted they were rare (don know how many times should it happen before it is not rare???) The complaints were given by the International Red Cross, in multiple reports!!! Inmate abuse in the same place is just over with a few women convicted, now abuse of quran, whatÂ’s next?
Muslims worldwide are angry, why shouldnÂ’t they? Even the White House officials were furious!! to the extent that they demanded the retraction of the story. (I thought only in Singapore do the government asks journalists not to write certain stories.)
I am not a muslim. -
not surprised if they did.Originally posted by sgdiehard:Did or did the Americans at Guantanamo Bay detention center abuse the Quran?
Newsweek apologized and retracted the story, but it did not say what was written never happened. Michael Isikoff, one of the two reporters responsible for the article only acknowledged that “perhaps his latest story could have been handled with more cultural sensitivity’ (since when are Americans sensitive to anything non Americans), he did not denied that there was actually no abuse.
Pentagon confirmed reports of abuse were received, according to the Straits Times, quoting from New York Times, but insisted they were rare (don know how many times should it happen before it is not rare???) The complaints were given by the International Red Cross, in multiple reports!!! Inmate abuse in the same place is just over with a few women convicted, now abuse of quran, whatÂ’s next?
Muslims worldwide are angry, why shouldnÂ’t they? Even the White House officials were furious!! to the extent that they demanded the retraction of the story. (I thought only in Singapore do the government asks journalists not to write certain stories.)
I am not a muslim. -
For all you know, it might be retarded american soldiers behind the abuses.
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retarded americans can be soldiers???Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:For all you know, it might be retarded american soldiers behind the abuses. -
If crooks can be soldiers then why not retards?Originally posted by sgdiehard:retarded americans can be soldiers??? -
Please mind your language. This will be your first and last warning.Originally posted by wudimax:fark all muslim -
What? These guys are inciting terrorism and somehow they are the victims? Give me a break. Its a book get over it. More importantly, the story has been retracted. Get OVER IT.
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Has it been concluded that it did happen after an exhaustive international inquiry into the incident? No. So why all muslims in the world should take to the streets to protest, resulting in riots and deaths? Why act rashfully before knowing the whole truth? Act only on rumours? Where is decency and common
sense? Even if it did happen, is it carried out as a governmental policy of a sovereign state ? Or simply an individual action which no government in the world or countries would stand by it? Has it gotten to such a stage, that lives itself is worthless that people protest and kills over some news that has yet to be proven accurate? Are some people so closed minded that they planted that believe into themselves because they hated the free people of the world? -
We wouldn't want to stoop to their level, Wudimax, would we?Originally posted by wudimax:fark all muslim -
Hey hey hey... whats going on here? Sometime back, my thread was threatened to be closed because of flaming but some posts here are much worse and very highly flammable! Gosh if this thread is not deleted I will make a report to the press and very probably, the Internal Security Dept.
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Uh -huh...
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Not all Muslims are what they make themselves out to be; God-fearing and "clean".
I come across so many Muslims, whose PC contains so much porn video clips and pictures downloaded from the Internet. -
Abuse of qurans and inmate abuse already confirmed that americans are not what many others think they are, "God-fearing and clean".Originally posted by ShutterBug:Not all Muslims are what they make themselves out to be; God-fearing and "clean".
I come across so many Muslims, whose PC contains so much porn video clips and pictures downloaded from the Internet.
The Muslims, and everybody else, obviously download porn video clips and pictures from american websites.
Now then you know?? -
whatajerkOriginally posted by whatajerk:Has it been concluded that it did happen after an exhaustive international inquiry into the incident? No. So why all muslims in the world should take to the streets to protest, resulting in riots and deaths? Why act rashfully before knowing the whole truth? Act only on rumours? Where is decency and common
sense? Even if it did happen, is it carried out as a governmental policy of a sovereign state ? Or simply an individual action which no government in the world or countries would stand by it? Has it gotten to such a stage, that lives itself is worthless that people protest and kills over some news that has yet to be proven accurate? Are some people so closed minded that they planted that believe into themselves because they hated the free people of the world?
unfortunately human beings really have lost some of their commonsense and decency! Isn't the 9/11 incident a good example?
Yes, some people are so closed-minded or bigoted that no amount of reasoning can change their mind. And their obession with their views as the only truth could drive them to the extreme like persecuting and killing others who disagree with them. That's the danger!
The alleged desecration of koran took place in a prison, so even if it was perpetrated by an individual, retard or not, the govt is still responsible.
cheers! -
I agree here !Originally posted by pearlie27:whatajerk
unfortunately human beings really have lost some of their commonsense and decency! Isn't the 9/11 incident a good example?
Yes, some people are so closed-minded or bigoted that no amount of reasoning can change their mind. And their obession with their views as the only truth could drive them to the extreme like persecuting and killing others who disagree with them. That's the danger!
The alleged desecration of koran took place in a prison, so even if it was perpetrated by an individual, retard or not, the govt is still responsible.
cheers!
The government is responsible. And the government is entrusted to find the truth behind those allegations. But they certainly did not condone the actions of those individuals. Those people who rioted and killed because of hear say or rumours, are simply too impulsive. It is strange. I hardly hear of riots or violent protests worldwide that's started by other religion. Only a particular one has been going the rounds. And mind you, they are pretty closed to home. -
Muslims are the bossy religion..always must show perfect to all..Did the christians protest like the muslims when the bibles are burnt and abused in the muslim world???
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Evidence to back your allegations?Originally posted by chguy:Muslims are the bossy religion..always must show perfect to all..Did the christians protest like the muslims when the bibles are burnt and abused in the muslim world???
Source?
Do back up whatever you say. -
Maybe unconfirmed source.Originally posted by greengoblin:Evidence to back your allegations?
Source?
Do back up whatever you say. j Maybe it happened it the toilet cubicle 
Who knows 
. But I think the point many are saying is ....... why be over-sensitive, why go to the extreme to riot and kill because of one or several individual act of desegration of a particular holy book and mind you too, its allegedly done in a private environment, not in public, not desegrated by other heads of other religions.
Oral sex is a crime ! (I never knew why, everyone involves in it seems to enjoy it so much they asked for encore
)Just don't it in public ! Do it privately. Who gives a hoot then? -
a lot of christian like tat alsoOriginally posted by ShutterBug:Not all Muslims are what they make themselves out to be; God-fearing and "clean".
I come across so many Muslims, whose PC contains so much porn video clips and pictures downloaded from the Internet. -
shut the hell up lah,Originally posted by wudimax:fark all muslim
should say FARK ALL AMERICANS
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I think to those whom are not particularly inclined towards that religion, it may seem like a book to them. However, to those true muslims, those are life. We should practise tolerance.Originally posted by whatajerk:Maybe unconfirmed source. j Maybe it happened it the toilet cubicle Who knows . But I think the point many are saying is ....... why be over-sensitive, why go to the extreme to riot and kill because of one or several individual act of desegration of a particular holy book and mind you too, its allegedly done in a private environment, not in public, not desegrated by other heads of other religions.
Oral sex is a crime ! (I never knew why, everyone involves in it seems to enjoy it so much they asked for encore )Just don't it in public ! Do it privately. Who gives a hoot then?
BTW I do not condone the acts of extremist. Rather, I seek to have peace with those who are moderate and peace loving.