An article appearing in Newsweek has given rise to violent protests in Afghanistan. Several protesters have been killed and several dozen injured in Afghanistan because of anti-American protests that have flared up following a story in Newsweek magazine that said American personnel at Guantanamo Bay detention facilities had desecrated the Koran.

Now, they've "sort of" retracted the story. The issue was not only the remarks made in the article, but after some time passed and questions were asked about the source, they wouldn't identify the source - AND the source now claims he wasn't sure the information was correct. My understanding regarding the retraction is that the "source" is a senior U.S. government official and that our government put pressure on Newsweek to issue a retraction.

As an aside, as early as last spring, similar reports from released detainees started surfacing in British and Russian news reports and in the Arab news agency Al-Jazeera -- claims by other released detainees have been covered in other media since then.

But reported in the American media?

What are your thoughts? Should Newsweek have written this article for all the world to see? Would it have made any difference if the author had double and/or triple checked his "source"? Even though American citizens have the right to know what's going on in our government and this isn't the first we've heard of this type of descration of the Koran, do you believe it was negligent and / or appropriate for Newsweek, an American magazine, to reveal this information -- information that could only further inflame things and harm our already tainted image in a part of the world where we're involved in an horrific war? Is THIS how we wipe out terrorism? Do you think this retraction will have any positive bearing on the riots it seems to have provoked?

The Koran is to them like the Holy Scriptures is to us. How would we feel were the Bible abused in that land. Retraction? Saving face is more like it.

I haven't read the article, but I certainly plan on doing so!! Will get back to you with my thoughts...........

I'm a little nervous about jumping into the political fray, but here goes... (trying to be more honest and authentic).

If that sort of thing has been going on, I believe the world SHOULD know. And that the guilty parties should be held accountable. It is NOT appropriate to be desecrating others' holy texts. I agree, if our soldiers were being held as POW's, and their Bibles being flushed down toilets, there would be a huge outcry. It's not right, WHICHEVER side is doing it.

Nah, I don't believe the retraction will do a thing. The damage has been done. What might help is if the guilty parties have a publicized trial.

Well, I don't expect Matt and Katy to have much to say about this story anytime soon. Too busy reporting what's going on with Michael Jackson or runaway brides.

I think the press needs to be very, VERY careful when our military is in harms way, but I believe in the first amendment.

I "read" that the article was approved by the Pentagon before Newsweek ran with it. Did anyone else read that, or was that another reported inaccuracy??

In that case, we better be talking to all the Arab countries, such as the Saudis, that burn Bibles when they find them & to Cairo that has put a Christian Arab in an insane asylum until the returns to Islam! I don't think we should be flushing people's Korans down their toilets - sorta negates the value of the action of giving them to them in the first place - which we did. But I think there should be as big as outrage about what they do to the Bible and the Torah!

Zelma

Zelma,

Isn't my quote, and your response, saying the same thing?

I REPEAT - IT'S NOT RIGHT, WHICHEVER SIDE IS DOING IT!!!


Jacquie

All-

I don't have much faith in what the press is reporting these days. Not sure whether it is backed by good facts.

Why are they so quick to put our soilders more danger?

The Koran is a large book which could not be flushed down a toilet in my opinion.

I don't think Christians would riot and kill people if the Bible was flushed down a toilet.

Sandy

I have to agree with that. I don't have a problem with peaceful Muslims, obviously, but I have a lot of concern about their religion.

I don't say anything here with great certainty, because I honestly haven't studied the religion, but am I correct in remembering about a year (?) or more ago that they were going to let school girls burn up in a fire rather than letting them escape because their bodies were not completely covered?

And I have heard too many stories of how the sister of a criminal is often raped for the brother's crime. Now, I do know one of these incidents was condemned by the local government, which I was happy to hear. I also read where a father killed his daughter because she lost her virginity and justified it with his Muslim beliefs.

I don't need to mention suicide/homicide bombers.

From what I have read, respect for their religion is everything in many Muslim countries, and some seem to have no problem killing someone who disrespects their god.

I have a big problem respecting religions that take life so lightly. (The history of Christianity is pretty frightening, too.)

I agree - all these people killing in the name of God.

I think the media should use common sense rather than going for a scoop. It was wrong to show Saddam in his underpants just as it was wrong to show our captured soldiers paraded on Al Jazeera ( and worse). Each country should show common decency towards each other and be respectful of each others customs and beliefs.

Arab states don't believe in alcohol and we should be repectful of that when visiting or living in their country. The UK pussyfoots around Christmas celebration here in case it offends UK citizens of other religions! The UK is a Christian country and others should be repectful of that. No-one here stops anyone from following their own faith. As it is, many UK Asians here think the PC brigade is being silly as they enjoy it too!

And isn't it strange that all these books of peace, love and tolerance are turned around by Man's warped way of thinking.

AMEN.

The thing is, most of the "holy" books (ever take a gander at the old testament?) aren't books of peace, love and tolerance at all. They are extremely violent, even murderous. Stone children who disobey, and all that.

There is a former Methodist minister who spoke at U.C. Berkeley who has a new book out (it may not be out yet) on "the terrible texts of the bible." But he said the publisher changed the name, so I don't know what is will be called. Anyway, he read verbatim from these texts and they were absolutely horrifying. There is no possible way to reinterpret these texts. The Koran and others are no different.

Frankly, the only "religion" (and I'm not sure it really is a religion) that is all about peace, love and tolerance is Buddhism.

I think Buddhism is a philosophy, but we in the Western world reassigned it as a religion.

I'm not sure Buddhism is the ONLY belief system that is about peace, love and tolerance, but I know there aren't many others.

I agree with your post Aimee. I'm glad you had the guts to post it because I had written a very similar post but deleted it. There are people who think if we question the bible, then we must be against it.

You made your point perfectly.

Thanks, Leanne.

I just think we need to tell the truth about things, rather than seeing what we wish to see.

I hope there are other "religions" that are peaceful, but I don't personally know of any. I agree that Buddhism is not a religion, exactly, because there doesn't seem to be a deity. But they do believe in reincarnation, which would be nice (maybe!), lol.

But I can't be a Buddhist, because they don't even kill mosquitoes, which is my favorite hobby.