Troops Use Quran For Target Practice; Army Apologizes

[chill_wind]

Behind the Scenes: Apology for a desecration

By Michael Ware
CNN

In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events. CNN's Michael Ware covers the Iraq war. He was present when a U.S. general apologized for a soldier using the Quran as a target.


CNN's Michael Ware says the Quran incident could have become a crisis.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- What the Iraqi fighter found threatened America's vital alliance with Sunni militia.

A week ago in a police station shooting range on Baghdad's western outskirts, the American-allied Iraqi militiaman found what one or more GIs had been using for target practice -- a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book.

Riddled with bullets, the rounds piercing deep into the thick volume, the pages were shredded. Turning the holy book in his hands, the man found two handwritten English words, scrawled in pen. "F*** yeah."

(see article)

Investigators soon identified the Army section that had been at the police station's small arms range, and a staff sergeant, a sniper section leader from the 64th Armor Regiment, was the primary suspect. After denying involvement, the sergeant eventually confessed, though he claimed he had no idea the book used for target practice was a Quran. Martin dismissed the excuse.

more:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/17/btsc.ware/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/17/btsc.ware/index.html#cnnSTCVideo


http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. Oh, there they go again

winning hearts and minds.

[chill_wind]

2. First he denied. Then he confessed.... then he "had no idea it was a Quran".

Retch.

[roguevalley]

3. there is no bloody excuse for this. the sacrilege of this is unbelievable.

what asses.

[Rage for Order]

11. Oh, please

It's just a fu**ing book. It's not sacrilege. Doing this in a country in which the majority of citizens follow the koran isn't the smartest move, any more than someone burning a bible in the US is smart. Or would that somehow be different?

[roguevalley]

17. first of all, you don't get how they view the 'fucking book'. they see

it as Allah. it is the embodiement of God. For fucks sake. how are we supposed to stay alive over there when this happens? those assholes probably have condemned some kid to get his head chopped off. if you had a wit, you would know this but obviously you are blowing your personal angst about religion out your butt. Oh please my ass.

[msongs]

4. shoot korans bad, shoot americans not bad - no apologies for those shootings nt

[chill_wind]

5. Invading and slaughtering Iraqi men, women and children who had no WMDS = BAD.

American troops getting killed for empire and oil = BAD

It's all bad. And adding fuel to the fire is bad, too. Don't you think?

[Disturbed]

6. Apparently , the US Military has some stupid troops.

The standards for enlistment have gotten real low.

[ConsAreLiars]

10. What a disgusting, sick attitude.

Your leader butchers and murders hundred of thousands or a million and drives several millions from their homes, and you regard their resistance to that bloody massacre as a justification for some brainwashed idiot (like you) provoking further resistance by further adding one more insult to that intolerable injury? My gawd, how sick is that! What a sick and depraved world you inhabit and reflect.

[leftchick]

15. killing millions of Iraqis bad

Attacking the occupiers? Who could have predicted? :eyes:

[lutefisk]

7. I wonder if most Americans and soldiers think we are at war "with" Iraq?

The official, wink-wink-nod-nod, line is that the US liberated Iraq and is now simply defending Iraq so it can become a democratic state.

Yet, it is called the Iraq War. I really believe that many, if not most, Americans (including soldiers) think that the USA is actually fighting Iraq (and Islam), not defending Iraq. This whole thing is so, so fucking sick.

[Disturbed]

8. The Iraq War is against the Iraqi people.

The US & UK mission is to control the resources & territory of Iraq.

[orleans]

9. army: (shrugging) "...sorry..." n/t

[malaise]

12. But, but, but didn't Bush say this was a

Crusade and aren't the so called chaplains promoting their 'holy war'?
What did Hagee say about Islam again?
Winning hearts and minds. NOT!!

This is Bushco's policy. Move along.

[Octafish]

13. What can we expect? They are trained to kill PEOPLE.

What's a book, then?

[Ezlivin]

14. What if...

A bunch of us got together and shot the hell out of the Bible. We filmed the event and even flipped to a couple of pages where someone had scrawled "F*ck yeah."

Then we posted it on YouTube, et al.

Would there be any outrage here in the States? Would O'Reilly run a piece on it?

Hmmm...

[El Pinko]

16. That's very insensitive of them.

I realize it's just an old book of mumbo-jumbo, but how would they feel if I shot up THEIR old books full of mumbo-jumbo (Bible, Torah, etc)? And aren't all the Abrahamic books more or less the same stuff? The imaginary cloud man made a guy and girl out of mud, then set a bush on fire and murdered a bunch of Egyptian babies so that the Israelites could get out of Egypt, etc. etc.

Some of us not enslaved to ancient superstitions are often tempted to take these various "holy" books of the different religions, tie them to our feet and use them for flip-flops, or use them as hockey pucks or toilet paper, but we don't because the superstitious are very touchy about their talismans and books of incantations or whatever.

I hope that the soldiers in question are punished strictly for shooting at the old book. Have they never considered that some of their fellow troops might be followers of that particular superstition?


But that being said, it's just a bunch of paper. There is no such thing as a "holy" book.