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How a Fire Broke Out (NEWSWEEK source is now unsure)
Newsweek ^ | 05/15/05 | Evan Thomas

Posted on 05/15/2005 2:56:45 AM PDT by Pikamax

May 23 issue - By the end of the week, the rioting had spread from Afghanistan throughout much of the Muslim world, from Gaza to Indonesia. Mobs shouting "Protect our Holy Book!" burned down government buildings and ransacked the offices of relief organizations in several Afghan provinces. The violence cost at least 15 lives, injured scores of people and sent a shudder through Washington, where officials worried about the stability of moderate regimes in the region.

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The spark was apparently lit at a press conference held on Friday, May 6, by Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricket legend and strident critic of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Brandishing a copy of that week's NEWSWEEK (dated May 9), Khan read a report that U.S. interrogators at Guantánamo prison had placed the Qur'an on toilet seats and even flushed one. "This is what the U.S. is doing," exclaimed Khan, "desecrating the Qur'an." His remarks, as well as the outraged comments of Muslim clerics and Pakistani government of-ficials, were picked up on local radio and played throughout neighboring Afghani-stan. Radical Islamic foes of the U.S.-friendly regime of Hamid Karzai quickly exploited local discontent with a poor economy and the continued presence of U.S. forces, and riots began breaking out last week.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cary; evanthomas; gitmo; isikoff; koran; korandesecration; newsweek
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Comment #1 Removed by Moderator

To: Pikamax

Isikoff just jumped the shark, big time.


2 posted on 05/15/2005 2:59:49 AM PDT by hershey
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To: Pikamax

snip
On Saturday, Isikoff spoke to his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Qur'an, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns had surfaced in the SouthCom report. Told of what the NEWSWEEK source said, DiRita exploded, "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now?"

Indeed.


3 posted on 05/15/2005 3:17:33 AM PDT by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)
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To: hershey
"People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now?" __________________________________________________________ I don't think the media has any qualms about Americans being killed or harmed. It's all about the cause, you know.
4 posted on 05/15/2005 3:18:04 AM PDT by KStorm
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To: GeneralStorm

Isikoff has weaseled his way out of scrapes before, but this one has to haunt him. He should see skulls in the mirror when he shaves.


5 posted on 05/15/2005 3:22:39 AM PDT by hershey
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To: Pikamax

When muslims choose to kill or to die because they believe that the koran has not received the treatment they believe it deserves, they've forfeited their rationality and thus an important part of their humanity. In the long run, it's impossible to satisfy such people; they'll always find a reason to behave irrationally towards non-muslims. The sooner the non-muslim world wakes up to this unfortunate fact, the sooner it will understand what's going to be required if it wishes to continue to exist.


6 posted on 05/15/2005 3:27:50 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: snarks_when_bored

These people are like the participants in the Rodney King Memorial Loot-In and Shopping Spree: they are looking for an excuse to do what they wanted to do anyway. I'd be willing to bet that a large percentage of them didn't care if the story was true or not.


7 posted on 05/15/2005 3:40:14 AM PDT by KateatRFM
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To: Pikamax

More anonymous sources like those of CBS destroying lives and undermining our country.


8 posted on 05/15/2005 3:46:10 AM PDT by tkathy (Tyranny breeds terrorism. Freedom breeds peace.)
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To: Pikamax
"People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now?"

This is what happens when you traffic in gossip tarted out as "fact". I expect neither an apology nor a retraction from Newsweek. (FR, otoh, traffics in fact tarted out as gossip.)

Reckon they'll get a Dan Rather "Fake but Accurate" award from the learned elders of CBS?

9 posted on 05/15/2005 3:47:19 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (What's 17% of 155 words?)
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To: KateatRFM

Sounds about right.


10 posted on 05/15/2005 3:49:38 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: KateatRFM
These people are like the participants in the Rodney King Memorial Loot-In and Shopping Spree: they are looking for an excuse to do what they wanted to do anyway. I'd be willing to bet that a large percentage of them didn't care if the story was true or not.

BINGO..we have a winner

11 posted on 05/15/2005 3:50:05 AM PDT by sure_fine (*not one to over kill the thought process*)
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To: Pikamax

12 posted on 05/15/2005 3:54:10 AM PDT by Nick Danger (Honey, Intel wants to go outside)
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To: Nick Danger
Appropriate photo Nick.

I wonder if 10,000 Liberals will go on a killing spree after seeing their precious Newsweak in a toilet, fueled by rumors that Republicans are also switching the radio dial away from NPR.

13 posted on 05/15/2005 3:57:44 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Pikamax
It's time for zelous prosecutions in cases where the media has knowingly fabricated, or through lack of investigatory integrity, allowed bogus information to be disseminated to the general public as news.

In this case, those responsible should be charge with conspiracy to commit murder.

These false and misleading stories are not rare events. Though many do not directly result in slayings and further turmoil and destruction in the world, they too should be chargeable offences, and severly dealt with.

Dan Rather being allowed to retire and raking in a huge retirement benefit, instead of going to jail, where the lying Leftist belongs , is but one of the thousands of crimes against humanity that the media is perpertrating.

14 posted on 05/15/2005 4:03:04 AM PDT by G.Mason ( Save the Republic from the shallow, demagogic sectarians.)
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To: G.Mason

I agree with you. This was extremely irresponsible, to the point of being criminal. There should be charges of some sort, perhaps even civil liability, if anybody has standing.

Ironically, I would suspect the rumor was probably started by Islamists who had been detained on Guantanamo; there have been many other insane rumors started by them, all of which we have debunked through our very careful record keeping and chain of commmand at Gitmo.

However, it was repeated (although who even knows in what context) by an unnamed "source," and spread throughout the world by an unscrupulous journalist simply to create another "gotcha" moment in the attack on Bush and the military.

Isikof had to know it would be like gasoline on the Islamist fire, and now, several dead bodies later, he and his magazine simply get to shrug and walk away.


15 posted on 05/15/2005 4:13:52 AM PDT by livius
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To: All

Can't think why Imran Khan should be holding himself up as a model of Islamic propriety.

When he played cricket here in the UK, as a resident professional, he was legendary at screwing his way throught the many infidel female cricket groupies.

Still, that was in the UK and Allah was not watching, so it doesn't count.

Just the barest hint again of Islamic double standards?

No.. (shock, horror)... really!!! ;-)


16 posted on 05/15/2005 4:20:29 AM PDT by 5050 no line
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To: Pikamax
"More allegations, credible or not, are sure to come.

It is certainly the fault of the evil and incompetent Bush administration that these allegations are made, credible, or not.

17 posted on 05/15/2005 4:38:34 AM PDT by norwaypinesavage
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To: Pikamax

Spikey's got a lot to answer for...


18 posted on 05/15/2005 4:46:29 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: hershey

Compare this to how those evil Christians rampaged about the government-funded crucifix in a jar of urine.


19 posted on 05/15/2005 4:59:03 AM PDT by thoughtomator (A government-funded artist is an incompetent whore)
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To: norwaypinesavage
It is certainly the fault of the evil and incompetent Bush administration that these allegations are made, credible, or not.

You are right. If it wasn't for the fact that we have a Republican President, they wouldn't have to do these things, so it's our fault too.

20 posted on 05/15/2005 4:59:25 AM PDT by Bahbah (Something wicked this way comes)
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