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Rage Boy!
Posted on 08/26/2007 7:11:10 AM PDT by Ghayyour
A demonstration has been held in south- east Afghanistan accusing US troops of insulting Islam after they distributed footballs bearing the name of Allah.
The balls showed the Saudi Arabian flag which features the Koranic declaration of faith.
The US military said the idea had been to give something for Afghan children to enjoy and they did not realise it would cause offence.
The footballs were dropped from a helicopter in Khost province.
Some displayed flags from countries all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, which features the shahada, one of the five pillars of Islam - the declaration of faith. The words, which include the name of Allah, are revered, and Muslims are very sensitive about where and how they can be used.
Saudi Arabia has complained to the World Cup's ruling body in the past about the use of its flag on footballs.
Mullahs in Afghanistan criticised the US forces for their insensitivity, and around 100 people held a demonstration in Khost.
Afghan MP Mirwais Yasini said: "To have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an insult in any Muslim country around the world."
A spokeswoman for the US forces in Afghanistan said they made "significant efforts to work with local leaders, mullahs and elders to respect their culture" and distributing the footballs was an effort to give a gift the Afghan children would enjoy.
"Unfortunately," she added, "there was something on those footballs we didn't immediately understand to be offensive and we regret that as we do not want to offend."
Just curious...what were the balls made of.
By footballs, I’m guessing they meant soccer balls.
Bunch of whiners. Is there anything that doesn’t piss them off?
If they don’t want them, they could make a bundle selling them on ebay. ;)
Drop some footballs on ‘em next time. They’d have a blast with pigskin.
You’re probably right, but I can always hope that it was a good ol’ American pigskin.
Got a feeling that the “footballs” being referred to here are actually what we in the US would call soccer balls.
Drop-kick Allah... into the dustbin of history.
3rd world kickballs?
No good deed goes unpunished.
Evidently the “balls” were made of a material that should be used to rub bullets in, thus ending this war quickly. I suggest, as an alternative, that the bullets be rubbed in bacon fat during the presence of an Afghan “observer” who can watch a sniper place a round where it belongs. Hmmm, same for Iraq.
Worry about offending Muslims with well intended slogans is minor. Why not insult the enemy ALQ combatants with bacon fat bullets? End this thing, they are the enemy!
Apparently not. We need to develop a car that runs on Muslim outrage...
How do you deal with people whose mission in life is to be offended by everything?
Our energy woes would be a thing of the past.
I rather doubt that the kids or parents of kids complained.
What we need to do to some of those fanatics is to send our soldiers to their demonstration and simply ask them “Would you rather have a REAL reason to be mad”?
Of course they would not respond to that question. They would then continue their rant.
Have the Soldier slap one of them and challenge them to a game of “Head Ball”. A game they should be familiar with. Two people fight to the death and the loser has his head bound in cloth and used as a socker ball.
I think that might have them take a step back.
There is always a group that complains about a gift....
Muslims are very sensitive... I, for one, am insulted about their sensitivity.
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