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Reply With QuoteAbdul doesn't give a sh!t about the General's apologies.
looks like there are pakistani/taliban instigators, too:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/wo...fghanistan.htmSome in the crowd were singing Taliban songs and several Urdu speakers, described as Pakistanis, were making speeches to the crowd.
NATO Commander Apologizes for Koran Disposal in Afghanistan
By ALISSA J. RUBIN, SHARIFULLAH SAHAK AND SANGAR RAHIMI
Published: February 21, 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan — Attempting to contain a violent reaction already gathering steam, the NATO commander in Afghanistan issued a fervent apology on Tuesday for foreign troops having “improperly disposed” of Korans and Islamic materials.
As protests swelled at the gates of Bagram Air Base, where the incident occurred, Gen. John R. Allen released a statement apologizing to President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan people.
“ISAF personnel at Bagram Air Base improperly disposed of a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Korans,” General Allen said, refering to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. “When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them. The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities.
“We are thoroughly investigating the incident, and we are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again. I assure you,” he said, “this was not intentional in any way.”
There were unsubstantiated reports circulating among the protesters of NATO personnel taking a load of Korans and starting to burn them.
What is clear is that Afghan employees on the base intervened to stop them, according to a report from an employee on the base and General Allen’s statement.
“I would like to thank the local Afghan people who helped us identify the error, and who worked with us to immediately take corrective action,” General Allen said.
Previous incidents of desecration of the Koran have set off extremely violent reactions in Afghanistan. The last one, when a Florida pastor burned the Koran a year ago, triggered protests across the country, including an outburst in Mazar-i-Sharif in which a crowd overran a United Nations compound and killed 12 people, including seven foreigners.
It is not clear how close the NATO personnel came to destroying the Korans, but one worker, Abdul Wahid, 25, said that “American soldiers brought a pickup truck loaded with new copies of the Koran in its trunk and dropped it in burning pitch and set fire and started burning the Koran.”
Mr. Wahid said that he and two friends tried to stop the soldiers. “We said, ‘We will give it to our mullahs,’ ” he said.
Western officials said they did not believe that any Korans were actually set on fire, but that an investigation was under way and they would have information later Tuesday.
The crowd at Bagram, estimated at more than 2,000, shouted “Death to America” and “We don’t want them anymore,” according to witnesses who were reached by telephone. Witnesses said gunfire could be heard and security forces were firing rubber bullets.
Some in the crowd were singing Taliban songs and several Urdu speakers, described as Pakistanis, were making speeches to the crowd.
The protesters closed the district government building and stopped people trying to come to the center of the city before dispersing in the afternoon as the demonstration ended.
Western officials warned foreigners to remain at home.
“I offer my sincere apologies for any offense this may have caused, to the president of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan,” General Allen’s statement said.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."ť- Isaac Asimov
Abdul doesn't give a sh!t about the General's apologies.
Those who know don't speak
Fools seem to be artificially made,'cause there's a hell lot of them and they have no disease
After so many years in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's hard to believe that Americans still don't get the cultural and religious sesitivities of these people.
A select few dummies...not a collective view.Originally Posted by Hitman817
After so many years in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's hard to believe that Americans still don't get the cultural and religious sesitivities of these people.
Remember that it is the Actions and not the Commission that make the Officer and that there is More expected from him than the title. – GEORGE WASHINGTON
i agree, however there has been too many lately, pissing on dead and MAKING VIDEO of it, ss signs, now this.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" B. Franklin
if the Koran was printed in English - it was not a valid Koran by fundementalist standards - they would probably burn them themselves - since the claim is that the Koran must be in Arabic to be authentic.
Still trying to destroy them in front of Afgan workers was not to clever - after all the fuss the idiot in Florida caused.
"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."
Right. The holy books must not be burned. Better to bomb innocent women and children. Somehow I don't think the great Mohamed would agree.
To be Truly ignorant, Man requires an Education - Plato
Since the issues were procured for prisoners at the base i'd presume they were in Arabic.
"Right. The holy books must not be burned. Better to bomb innocent women and children. Somehow I don't think the great Mohamed would agree."
This is such a profound comment that it merits full attention by all those truly interested. Have we read or heard ONCE an apology by the taliban for their killing of civilians? Of course not. Those oft-repeated killings are the function of intentional targeting, and done so with nary a regret.
Now, if the intention by Afghans is to make us cease burning these books I suspect all that could be accomplished rather quickly and quietly by approaching the post commandant. Of course, with some pre-emptive thinking among either side, those books could have been donated into the community at large assuming they'd not been tainted by their use among those forsaken Afghan prisoners.
Instead we've the ritualistic "Death To America" demonstration.
Now...imagine a group of appointed representatives approaching a taliban commander with the request that he stop mining roads and mortaring market-places. Would anybody care to take bets on their continuing life-span?
I'm pretty sure that the afghan community understands there's a wider world out there that's benefited from education and integrating the fairer sex into their live's daily discourse. OTOH, "hearts and minds" withstanding, anybody here who believes those counter-insurgency platitudes hold weight against brutal direct action and shabnamah (night letters) is a fool.
This isn't (yet again) about the Koran. It's really, really not. There have been more than enough mosques and minerats turned into insurgent ASPs, observation posts and fighting positions in both Iraq and Afghanistan to bely that falsehood.
It's about power and supplication before the eyes of the influenced. We are the supplicants whether seeking forgiveness for burning books or the initiation of peace negotiations. Anybody recall the afghan taliban calling out for peace negotiations?
Anybody recall what was the final outcome of the last U.S.-sponsored peace negotiation between warring factions inside an insurgent-torn country?
We're the losers-again.
Very powerful observation, JAD.
"This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs
"a war begun for no wise purpose, carried on with a strange mixture of rashness and timidity, brought to a close after suffering and disaster, without much glory attached either to the government which directed, or the great body of troops which waged it. Not one benefit, political or military, was acquired with this war. Our eventual evacuation of the country resembled the retreat of an army defeated".
Rev G.H. Gleig
Look if you are using a book - any book - as way of communicating to plan actions that hurt our troops we reserve our right to destroy your communications system. If you don't want us to destroy holy books don't use them as a means of communication.
So by that definition snaps , do we burn mosques and hate preachers ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, , yayyyy i like it
"When England was a kingdom, we had a king.
When we were an empire, we had an emperor.
Now we're a country
If they are using them as places to meet and plan agressive actions they are no longer religious buildings alone and we should reserve the right to hit them. You do not set up a Command centre in a school normaly but if an enemy should do so he, not I, is responsible for the consequences should innocent suffer.
Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.
/\/\ love it .
"When England was a kingdom, we had a king.
When we were an empire, we had an emperor.
Now we're a country
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