Posted on 05/18/2008 12:58:54 PM PDT by rocksblues
BAGHDAD (AP) - An American soldier used a Quran, the Islamic holy book, for target practice in a predominantly Sunni area west of Baghdad, prompting an apology from the U.S. military, a spokesman said Sunday.
snip
Iraqi police found the bullet-riddled Quran with graffiti inside the cover on a small-arms range near a police station in Radwaniyah, a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Col. Bill Buckner said in an e-mailed response to a query.
The shooting, which occurred May 9 and was discovered two days later, threatened to further strain relations between the Americans and Sunni allies who have joined forces with them against al-Qaida in Iraq in Radwaniyah and other areas.
The incident was first reported by CNN, which broadcast a ceremony at which the top American commander in Baghdad apologized to tribal leaders in Radwaniyah. The military confirmed the details in an e-mailed response to a query.
"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond was quoted as saying. "In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and I say please forgive me and my soldiers."
The military statement called the incident "serious and deeply troubling" but stressed it was the result of one soldier's actions and "not representative of the professionalism of our soldiers or the respect they have for all faiths."
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
Unfortunately, our allies in Iraq are also Muslims, and we have to try to deal with them.
As I think I mentioned, I’m as hard on Islam as anyone, but this was a foolish and unnecessary thing to do, for a soldier in Iraq. When you’re in the military there are times when you have to keep your personal opinions to yourself.
Good Job Morgana,
love it.
Has anyone ever burned the Koran on Youtube?
No one believes it happened.
We have no allies in Iraq. There are no Moderate Muslims.
This soldier really screwed up. Instead of leaving it laying around, he should have burned it after he was finished with his target shooting.
Well, that’s a whole other kettle of fish, if it was a faked incident.
Like the Koran flushed down the toilet.
Well, I said “unfortunately.” Allies of convenience? We have had some pretty strange allies in the past, like Uncle Joe Stalin.
The whole business of disrespecting a Koran is a piece with the worship of wooden idols. Mohammad burned the wooden idols at Mecca. Modern Moslems have brought it back but fashioned the wood pulp into Korans.
Still the same old idolotry. These people are such hypocrites.
Exactly. They trumpet this stuff far and wide in hopes that violence against Americans in Iraq or Afghanistan will ramp up.
The anti-American media makes me sick.
We are trying to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis and create a regime capable of managing its own affairs so that this guys' buddies can pack up and go back to family and country. Stupid things like this cause folks to get killed and delay mission accomplishment. I don't know how soldiers handle these things. In the Navy guys like this had bad habits of falling down ladders, banging their eyes on protruding equipment, and then doing extra duty painting over the blood stains that resulted from their clumsiness (making sure that the paint matched all the way around the engine room).
The MSM plays up the PC mood for the ignorant Liberals.
We had a guy that when the evening prayer began would walk down the passageway singing "Oh Lord wantcha buy me" He was an atheist. We had a Devil worshiper who held rituals on his rack. We ignored them and they stopped. The only whackjob who got in serious trouble was the idiot who burnt a cross on the aft mess decks. The gays also got a quick way off the ship.
While our fathers and grandfathers were fighting the Nazi's in Europe another group from Germany every bit as dangerous but a little bit more smarter in reaching their agenda was setting up shop in our education system.
Generals like MacArthur, Patton, and Ike were not effected as they had reached their top positions and were trained by older professional warriors in how to conduct battlefield warfare.
The Marxist took over our colleges and as such took over our future leadership both elected and career military. I can not imagine for example Patton sending out an apology for destroying a Buda or writings of Hitler. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS the other name for CULTURAL MARXISM is the war going on within the United States at this very moment. It is in our government and our military. It will kill far more persons and destroy our nation completely far, far, quicker than any Fundi Islamics could do in decades.
The fact this is an issue at all proves as much.
-ccm
You say “PC in a war zone,” but the Petraeus paradigm operates under the assumption that a little cultural sensitivity enhances stability in ways bullets cannot. I’ll side with the Army on this one.
I just wipe my a$$ with pages from my Koran. You want a video of that? Oh, and yeah, if you do, pick a color. (that blueray is really something)
The best private place to use it for "target practice" is your bathroom.
Hmm, Quranic printed baby wipes?
Yeah, wtf are freepers thinking...that this place is for posting and discussing news stories?
For the record, I will follow your lead and vote in favor of censorship and burying news we don’t like.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.