WAR: Newsweek May Have Erred in Koran Desecration Report

I submitted a news article relating to this days ago and its been removed. What the hell is going on around here lately?

while not quite a "which came first a chicken or the egg" thing, it certainly comes close.there are two distinct possibilities at work here. a) bad story, not properly researched, outright lie. it does not matter which or b) story true but coverup in place because of what it has caused. which is true? that in it's self is a hard question to answer.

even worse is the fact that at this point it matters not. the damage has been done. as the saying goes, "it is pointless to close the gate after the horse has escaped". and that is what has happened here. we can go on and on, about wheather the story was truthfull or not. on who to lay blaim. the damage has already been done. the cat is out of the bag, pandora's box has been opened. the deed is done and can not be undone.

this "little news story" has kindled a flame that we may well be incapeable of extinquishing. this may well be that straw that broke the proverbil cammel's back. this could start what we have been dreading, A HOLY WAR. lets be honest this is not the lone cause of fury that may be inciteing such a thing, but yet one more indignity. at this point truthfullness matters not.

this all has started with an act. an act that apologeticaly some see as a possible farce on it's own. not that real lives were not lost in tragity. but on whom the blaim lies. on whom set the stage that started this whole ball rolling. namely the attacks of sep 11, a time that like the kennidy assasination most will remember clearly from then on. remember the anguash that we all felt that day. sadly just as with the kennidy assasination ther have been many questions about who realy committed those acts of destruction and mayham.

that act ultimately led to the invasion of a nation. admittedly not the nicesed place by all that we have been told, but a sovern nation non the less. since then there have been reports of prisoner briutality and abuse. other acts by the invadeing forces atrosities to the people. as well as insurgants running amuk, causeing yet more death and destruction in their wake. neither side is blaimless in this. both sides have reportadly committed acts against innocents. weather by purpose or accident. from suicide and car bombs, to killings at checkpoints. all this is realy doing is causeing yet more hate towards both sides. adding yet more fuel to a conflaguration that day by day grows like we have added oil. a fire that threatens to burn well passed the borders of one nation to ignite yet more hate and calls for retribution, against both sides of the conflict.

hate only breads more hate. and will add yet more fuel to the fire. now we have this story that has added yet more fury, more distrust. what will be the next act in this play that will even cause more hate, terror, and calls for retribution? should the invader even depart the land that they have taken. it will not help. the seeds of war have been sown and will grow to maturity regaurdless. if the occupiers were to leave it would only cause yet more strife and civil war in a country where the government has been thrown down into ashes. many factions would fight to gain controll. but should the occupiers stay it will cause yet more strife on it's own. we may even see this fight broadening to include many others. it would be nice if we could just yell STOP, end it and decide what can be done to begine to repair the damage done. unfortunately that is not so easily done.

what we need is a peace maker, but even the peacemaker will be suspect in everyones eyes. especialy in this time where many see the possible comeing of the anti-christ. the end of times. a time where people even distrust those that are in power over them. the fear of a mysterious organization believed to have the goal of compleate planet takeover. the distrust between differing religions of which a large part are simmiler and yet so differant that it is nigh impossible to agree on important and minor isues alike. unfortunatly distrust is so rampant that most would distrust anyone who is not from their background, religion or beleifs. at the same time it is something that needs to be ended, before it can grow even further.

what can be done? who can achive it? who can everyone trust? that is the question that we need to ask. that is the question that we need an answer to. it is a question that needs to be answered as soon as possible before yet more suffering can take place. the fire is growing and we need a fireman to help put it out. to cool down the coals and seek out and extinguash those spakes that remain. all the while not takeing away more rights and createing even more hate and fear in the process.. we need the answer and we need it now.

I think Newsweek was correct about the desecration of the Koran as this has appeared in many articles in the past.

Here's a Washington Post article from 2003:

washingtonpost

Ehsannullah, 29, said American soldiers who initially questioned him in Kandahar before shipping him to Guantanamo hit him and taunted him by dumping the Koran in a toilet.

"It was a very bad situation for us," said Ehsannullah, who comes from the home region of the Taliban leader, Mohammad Omar. "We cried so much and shouted, 'Please do not do that to the Holy Koran.'"

Merza Khan, who had been captured in northern Afghanistan while fighting for the Taliban, said Americans in Kandahar tied him up and alternately forced him to lie face down on the ground, then squat with his hands on his head for hours. He also said he saw American soldiers throw the Koran on the ground and sit on it while in Kandahar

There have been many more out there.
Here's an article that says Newsweek was right:
www.antiwar.com...

How can anyone "desecrate" anything that is in itself a desecration? The Koran is about as holy as Mad magazine..........

Originally posted by Xenersys
How can anyone "desecrate" anything that is in itself a desecration? The Koran is about as holy as Mad magazine..........

this is your view. but others do hold it as a holy book. even if you do not belive in it, it makes it no less valuble to those who do.

Muslims sceptical over 'Newsweek' back-track.

"We will not be deceived by this," Islamic cleric Mullah Sadullah Abu Aman told Reuters in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan, referring to the magazine's retraction.

"This is a decision by America to save itself. It comes because of American pressure. Even an ordinary illiterate peasant understands this and won't accept it."

Source

Sanc'.

This is all, btw, very similar to the Sepoy Mutiny.

This should make for some great conspiracy stories here on ATS for the next few days - at least.

I can't explain or understand why people would get so distraught by someone desecrating their holy book of life when they know there are millions of other copies.

It's almost like someone planted a virus in millions of Windows based computers that all went off at the same time & millions of peoples brains crashed as the wave of those few bytes of information reached them causing chaos throughout the planet. A virus creator's (sociopath's) wet dream indeed.

I have to question any system that would make so many people go berserk over a simple thought or idea. Is it a flaw in our brains or a flaw in their programming that needs to be patched?

Note: I edited out what I no longer standby as I changed my mind during the edit period. Sorry.

[edit on 16-5-2005 by outsider]

Originally posted by outsider
It's time for Newsweek join Dan Rather in retirement. I can't see how any advertiser would want to publicly associate itself with Newsweek any longer.

Because they have a history of journalistic integrity and good work, despite this possible error, which is of a nature that they can't investigate in the first place???

they are either guilty of lying in the first place or they are lying under pressure by retracting it.

Do you not understand the situation? I mean, if you think those are the only two options, then you must not understand it.

I can't explain or understand why people would get so distraught by someone desecrating their holy book of life when they know there are millions of other copies.

Indeed, its absurd, and a fundamentally invalid complaint.
Abu garaib, sure, thats something a person can, understandably, get worked up about. But some little book supposedly getting 'mistreated'? Bah. Maybe someone needs to make some 'holy book kebabs' with the koran, torah, and bible lined up, on a stick. With peppers and onions in between. And yogurht sauce. Oh oh, and how about some black pepper and a little, just a little, but of curry to add some spice too it, yeah yeah with some hot peppers hummus spread out on a place made out of printings of the hadiths, and cheeseburgers toped with bacon and pages from the talmud. Yum.

I find it interesting that most of the people who typically would view this desecration of the Koran as good news because it may be a black eye to the Bush Admin are saying NewsWeek was probably forced to retract their true story.

At the same time, the people who generally support Bush and would see it as good news that NewsWeek lied are accepting the apology at face value, assuming no conspiracy.

Guess you really do believe what you want to believe, eh?

I just wonder how people believe that the government would exert sufficient pressure on this magazine after the fact, but would not have exerted any pressure on them to prevent them from printing it in the first place. There was no doubt as to the effect of this article you know. Everyone knew it would incite fury.

On the other hand from a press perspective I guess it's just a crappy situation because when you're provided with stories sometimes you jump the gun before authenticating them properly. It happens all the time where you'll see corrections to things a day or two later. What's sad though is that in this particular case people died...

I think it might be time for people to realize the mistakes dating back to the 2000 election where the news outlets looked dumb for calling things too early and realize the importance of authenticating news before distributing it to the public. This isn't a business with a readership of 100,000 anymore, these news items circle the whole planet in a matter of minutes. A little extra time to be careful isn't a bad thing.

If it would have been a copy of the Bible it would have been called Art and the jailers would have got Federal Arts Endowment bonuses in their paychecks.

There is is no doubt many mainstream "American" media and print outlets are nothing more than terrorist propoganda services.

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2005 – There's no evidence to support a recent Newsweek magazine article accusing U.S. personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of desecrating the Muslim holy book, the Koran, a senior Pentagon official noted.

"Newsweek's story about Koran desecration is demonstrably false, and there have thus far been no credible allegations of willful Koran desecration, and Newsweek has produced no such evidence," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today in response to media queries.

U.S. Department of Defense

Rumsfeld and Meyers also commented on it when leaving a BRAC meeting. Rumsfeld quoted a Mark Twain saying "A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on."

If it would have been a copy of the Bible it would have been called Art and the jailers would have got Federal Arts Endowment bonuses in their paychecks.

Now that you mention it, that is pretty crazy... A crucifix in urine etc...

Although, those "art" exhibits were not perpetrated by members of other religions, I don't think. That would certainly fan the fire when it's someone from another group doing it.

[edit on 5-16-2005 by Djarums]

Nygdan - regardless of the options as you put it - I didn't completely slam the door as I left it open for conspiracies - which seems to be the direction the story is going as they blame it on a unnamed foreign source. Shifting the blame to an unnamed entity is what corporations do these days and shifting the blame to unnamed foreign sources was probably their best option.

Originally posted by Djarums
I just wonder how people believe that the government would exert sufficient pressure on this magazine

The fact that the government publicly admits its exerting pressure for them to retract the article is enough for me. White House Wants Retraction From Newsweek



[edit on 16-5-2005 by outsider]

If the the Koran is a mere book then a Church or Synagogue is a mere building. Would Christians like to see a U.S marine wipe their arse with the Shroud of Turin or would Jews like to see a U.S soldier burn the torrah?

The desecration of a religion's symbols is in bad taste. I dont think it warrants violence but it shouldnt be sanctioned by governments.

Also the DoD response of:

no credible allegations of willful Koran desecration

is an interesting choice of words. Why add the "willful" to the statement? Does that imply that there might of been accidental desecration of the Koran? I find that hard to believe. If a U.S soldier had a copy of the Koran in their possession I find it hard to believe they'd have it for the beliefs.

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

First off, the US military is all inclusive. Muslims serve in our military as well. As a result, it is not twisting reality to believe a US soldier could have a Koran because they are a Muslim.

Willful desecration would be an act with the intention of desecrating their Holy Book.

Inadvertant desecration is a different matter. My boss is a very devout Orthodox Jew. I was talking to him one day and, without really thinking about it, set my pad of paper on his copy of the Tora (Jewish Holy Book). After that, I found out I had desecrated the book by treating it so callously. While it wasn't my intention to desecrate the book, it happened. An unwillful desecration could also occour if a prisoner is acting up and soldiers attempt to subdue him or her and, in the ruckus, accidently tear or spill something on the Koran. While that would be considered desecration, it would not be willful desecration.

The charges here are willful desecration. The act of choosing to defile someone's holy book for the express purpose of demeaning their faith.

Newsweek is now issuing a full retraction of the story, something they stopped short of doing until now.

Edit:

Here's the full report via FOX News:

NEW YORK — Newsweek on Monday retracted a story alleging interrogators at Guantanamo flushed the Koran down a toilet in front of detainees.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," editor Mark Whitaker said in statement released Monday evening.

Earlier, Whitaker acknowledged the story was problematic in an apology to Newsweek's readers, but said there was no reason to retract the story.

FOX News

[edit on 5/16/2005 by djohnsto77]

junglejake, the fact that there are muslims in the U.S army didnt escape me I just disregarded their accidental desecration of their koran out of hand because any muslim would revere the koran equally thus making accidental desecration impossible.

[edit on 16/5/05 by subz]

thus making accidental desecration impossible.

Have you ever accidently knocked your coke onto some papers or a really good book? The whole concept of accidental desecration is exactly that: an accident. You don't mean to do it. Plus, let's face it, people are failable. No matter how much we cherish something, we can still screw up and ruin it. Heck, I accidently broke my Ghost Recon 2 CD the other day. Love that game, but I tripped, reached out, caught the CD which slid off a table right under my hand, only to snap in two when I hit the ground. Bummer, now I'm depressed thinking about not being able to play Ghost Recon until I replace it. Blast...