Posted on 05/19/2005 3:42:18 AM PDT by Eurotwit
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A group of Afghan Islamic clerics have deferred a call for holy war against the United States over a magazine report that U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran after the report was retracted.
The clerics in Badakhshan province said on Sunday the United States should hand anyone guilty of desecrating the holy book to a Muslim country for prosecution in three days or they would declare jihad, or holy war, against the United States.
But Newsweek magazine, which first ran a story in its May 9 issue saying U.S. military interrogators at Guantanamo Bay had flushed a Koran down a toilet, on Monday retracted the report.
"We will consult and discuss our next move with other Ulemas," said the head of Badakhshan's council of clerics, Mullah Sadullah Abu Aman, when asked about the jihad call.
Ulema are Islamic scholars. Representatives will be sent out for talks with other clerics, he said.
"We are keen to take a unanimous decision about this," he said.
Aman said he suspected Newsweek had retracted the story because of U.S. government pressure following their call for holy war.
"The regret and retraction by the magazine clearly came after the issue of our deadline," he said.
Muslim clerics have traditionally been teachers and leaders in Afghan society and throughout its history they have rallied public opinion and sometimes led uprisings against unpopular rulers and foreign occupiers.
Muslims consider the Koran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence.
The Newsweek report sparked violent protests in Afghanistan, where 16 were killed and more than 100 injured, as well as in Pakistan, Indonesia and Gaza last week. The reported desecration was condemned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and by the Arab League.
"WITHDRAW U.S. FORCES"
The Afghan protests against the United States were the worst since U.S. forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001 for sheltering Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network.
Another member of the council said if the clerics did not approve jihad against the United States, then Badakhshan's clerics would push in parliament for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Afghans go to the polls on Sept. 18 to elect a parliament.
"Badakhshan's delegates in parliament will push for the withdrawal of American forces and will stand against their bases in Afghanistan," said Mawlavi Abdul Samad.
U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai says he wants closer relations with the United States, including defense cooperation.
The United States commands a foreign force in Afghanistan of about 18,300, most of them American, fighting Taliban insurgents and hunting bin Laden and other militant leaders.
Karzai said outside forces stirred up last week's disturbances but he did not say who he suspected.
Toilet paper made from the Koran would sell very briskly. I am tempted to go into business.
There is no absolute right to "freedom of the press".
With each and every "Freedom of..." RIGHT in the Constitution, there is a "Responsibility for..." implied. These children called "journalists" are behaving completely irresponsibly, and it is time that changed.
As pointed out so many times in the past, you have no "right" under the US Constitution to yell "fire" in a crowded theater. You have no "right" to "freedom of religion" if, for example, your "religion" dictates human sacrifice.
Journalists do not now, or have they ever in the past, had a complete "right" to publish anything their irresponsible selves wanted to...
Censorship was NORMAL in WW2, and it has to be brought back NOW in order to protect our troops and the rest of the world from these completely irresponsible reporters run amuck. Their editors haven't been keeping them in check ever since Watergate - and now they are encouraging them.
Take a look at Ann Coulter's piece here: 'NEWSWEEK DISSEMBLED, MUSLIMS DISMEMBERED'
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1405980/posts to see JUST HOW IRRESPONSIBLE this Newsweek "Editor" was.
Well said. I share your POV.
""We are keen to take a unanimous decision about this," he said."
"Keen?" Do Afgans really use this word?
Add to that, ignorant.
Ignorant imams lead illiterate masses, a disastrous combination.
Thanks for the link.
Interesting piece by Coulter which it is hard to disagree with, but even she concedes that it is not entirely fair to blame Newsweek for the behaviour of the islamic savages.
I don't disagree that the majority of the MSM is fairly useless and an immoral waste. The reporting tends to be so infected with liberalism and PC'ism that it is downright nausating. You should try to read the Scandinavian press. It is far worse even, yet our own CAIR equivalents rants and raves about islamophobia and racism in our media, and the media gently obliges them. Yet one of the major newspapers in Norway recently called Ann Coulter the wicket hag of the American right. It's safe to attack in that direction...
As for wartime censorship...
Sure. Don't let the enemy know that B-52 bombers are heading in their direction. But, do not censor an article making fun of moustaches because it might enrage the fuhrer.
I guess what worries me is that when a fairly useless article about Koran and toilets, whatever its editorial merits, causes global mayhem, that the focus is put on Newsweeks editorial practices and not on the whacky reaction of the islamic savages. The scary part though, is that I fear the islamic reaction is not so "wacky" afterall, and that it is part of a calculated strategy.
A strategy that seems to be rather succesful.
Afterall it is time proven.
Cheers.
They are known to be easily riled. With the right people whispering lies and the assistance of 'insurgents' at Newsweek the desired results were attained.
Oh no. We didn't hand over that terrorist who tore pages out of the Koran and tried to stop up the plumbing at Gitmo. Are they wanting to start a jihad over that or can we just send that POS back to them????
Strategy by whom? They are the same people who have bloodletting parades and believe the likes of Baghdad Bob. Our wonderfully principled and responsible media know this and use it as a means of controlling or at least 'inspiring' events. It used to be highly effective but now they get called on it and >gasp< even have to issue a (half-hearted) retraction.
I don't blame Newsweek for the behavior of the savages.
Nevertheless, this is a different type of war, but a war nonetheless. One of this enemies' major tools is propaganda - true or faulty - that they use to build their "weapons" in the form of suicide bombers and fanatacism.
Our military and civilian leadership has gone to extraordinary lengths to deny the enemy "true propaganda", particularly in this case. We have done it systematically and done it pretty done well. The irresponsibility (best case) of Newsweek REVERSED years of work.
The traitorous tendencies of these folks must be checked. Whether CBS trying to undercut the Bush presidency in the Guard FRAUDcase, the NYSlimes' daily wilfull misrepresentation of the WoT, CNN's wilfully hiding Hussein's atrocities "to maintain access", the UN's shredding of documents pertaining to Oil-for-Food and only ONE MSM outlet the Wall Street Journal covering this clear reason France/ Germany/ Russia supported Hussein, Boston Globe publishing pictures from a porn site claiming they were Americans abusing prisoners --- all of these examples and many other stories told and that the Old Media refuse to tell --- these MSM outlets are cleaving to the enemy --- knowingly or unknowingly.
Those who have knowledge and concern for the big picture are not resident in the newsrooms. They apparently don't care, or don't know, how crucial these factors are to our winning the War of this Century. Either way they have been behaving irresponsibly at worst, and ignorantly at best.
If "irresponsibly" is the reason: FORCING Censorship is the answer.
If "ignorantly" is the reason: even THEY will agree that censorship is the answer.
You know, I have to agree with them. We should turn the reporter and editor of NewsweAk over to them. LOL
When you understand what their goals are, and how they think, you realize the little day to day battles they win, which may not seem significant to most westerners and barely raises an eyebrow in the MSM, mean everything to the islamofascists. In their eyes, it encourages and legitimizes their "struggle" even more.
At times I feel cursed, like the mythical Cassandra, who could see what was going to happen and warn against it, but whose warnings go unheeded.
Most Muslims know their ideology can not withstand scrutiny, and "airing" the simple truth about Islam or its perverted and genocidal founder, for the outside world to know is so humiliating for them and their cult that they know the will loose vast amounts of followers if this goes unchecked. Islam can not stand the truth. They know it.
The strategy the Imams and the "true believers" use is to hijack the words of legitimate movements for civil rights and (ab)use emotionally manipulative words like "hate" or "racist" by inserting them in their complaints just about every time they have a gripe, knowing now effective this can be in silencing their critics in the West where "political correctness" has run out of control.
Once the achieve this to use as a cover, or if their numbers reach critical mass in the west, they will promote the harsher elements of their agenda with few obstacles in their way.
It's up to every one of us to stop this.
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