Koran burning fires up Afghan clashes

SazzyLilSmartAzz · 02-22-2012, 11:45 am

2-22-12

(We have the filthy Jews to thank for this mess. We don’t belong in Afghanistan anyway)

PR Nightmare: Koran burning fires up Afghan clashes - YouTube

At least four people are dead and dozens more wounded after police in Afghanistan open fire during a second day of protests. Outside a US military base, demonstrators are hurling rocks at police and chanting anti-American slogans after copies of the Koran, the Muslim Holy Book were inadvertently burned by troops. The US embassy in Kabul has been put on lockdown during the protests. A senior commander apologized yesterday and ordered a full investigation. Former U.S. Marine Jake Diliberto tells RT this won't be the last time troops create a PR nightmare for America.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has appealed to his countrymen for calm amid clashes between Afghan security forces and demonstrators protesting over the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base.

Demonstrations, already in their second day, turned deadly on February 22 as Afghan police fired live ammunition into rioting crowds from Kabul to the eastern city of Jalalabad.

In a statement, Karzai urged both protesters and security forces not to use violence, adding he was deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives.

The Interior Ministry said seven people had been killed in the violence.

The ministry said police in Kabul, Jalalabad, and the province of Logar each shot dead one protester on February 22 as angry crowds stormed foreign military bases, Afghan riot police, and Afghan government buildings.

It said another four people were killed during a protest in Parwan Province near Bagram Air Field -- where NATO said some Korans "inadvertently" had been burned on February 20.

Earlier, a local official in Parwan Province said up to six demonstrators had been killed there.

In Jalalabad, a doctor confirmed that one young man was killed and 10 wounded on February 22 by live ammunition fired into an angry crowd of protesters.

RFE/RL's correspondent in Jalalabad said the shots were fired by members of the Afghan National Police who were trying to contain the surging crowd.

Meanwhile, at a protest in Kabul, doctors say one protester was killed and 10 other wounded by Afghan police who opened fire on demonstrators who were trying to march on the city center.

A Reuters correspondent said the demonstrators were charging at police and had begun smashing the windows of nearby cars.

On the outskirts of Kabul, police fired in the air over a crowd that gathered outside a housing complex for foreigners and a U.S. base.

Nearby, demonstrators set a fuel truck ablaze on the main highway linking the Afghan capital with Jalalabad.

U.S. Embassy Lockdown

Some chanted "Death to America" as they hurled rocks and set fires outside of the Camp Phoenix complex -- which is home to foreign contractors, police and some coalition military forces.

Afghan police say a smaller, peaceful demonstration with about 100 people took place in the western part of the capital, near Kabul University.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, meanwhile, has locked down its staff -- recommending they do not venture outside for security reasons.

WATCH: Outside the Bagram military base near Kabul, protesters threw rocks and gasoline bombs or fired slingshots on February 21. (video by Sayedjan Sabawoon, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan)

More videos on below link

At Least Seven Dead In Afghan Protests As Karzai Calls For Calm

SazzyLilSmartAzz · 02-22-2012, 06:21 pm

Seven dead in Bagram riots after US officials scorch Koran

Seven people are now dead after thousands of Afghans rioted in the streets just outside the US air base in Bagram, Afghanistan on Tuesday. Tires burned and protesters hurled rocks at the base after word got out that US military personnel burned copies of the Koran. US officials have expressed apologizes for what is being called a simple mistake, but are the horrible events in Afghanistan really winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people?

Seven dead in Bagram riots after US officials scorch Koran - YouTube

Pink Elephant · 02-23-2012, 01:18 am

I must say that I have not seen the videos here and I don't know all the details of this. But I wanted to comment that the proper method to "dispose" of religious material IS by BURNING.

I've burned outdated flyers/posters that had Quranic verses IN MY BARBEQUE PIT! And I will continue to do so!

If that Pastor what's his name really wanted to create an uproar then he'd simply have put the Quran on the FLOOR!

There must be more to the story or some people don't know what their religion is about because of the IGNORANCE of their scholars.

There is a lot more detail to add but will keep this post to a minimum.

(end rant)

---------- Post added at 03:18 am ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 am ----------

(ok maybe i'm not done ranting)

wanted to add that my dad was a lay reader and on the church committee and the proper method to dispose of Christian literature as directed by the Reverend was by burning.

(end)

SazzyLilSmartAzz · 02-23-2012, 10:56 am

Several killed in clashes with Kabul cops over Koran burning - YouTube

Seven people have been killed and dozens wounded by gunshots fired on anti-American demonstrations in Afghanistan, says the country's Interior Ministry. The American embassy in Kabul is blocked by protesters.

Up to 30 people were wounded by gunfire during protests over burnt copies of the Koran. Shooting episodes broke out at two locations, with at least four spontaneous demonstrations throughout Afghanistan.

In northern Parwan province two people were shot dead by police after protesters violently attacked the provincial district center.

Reuters reports that in one case shooting came from a foreign military vehicle parked outside the US military base. In another case police reportedly fired on violent protesters, who were smashing cars and charging the police line.

The head of Kabul police‘s crimes unit said 11 police officers were wounded, including the city police chief, who was hit by a stone.

The crowd has torched a part of a guesthouse at the Green Village complex, reports a Reuters' witness. This zone is a safe haven where 1,500 people, mostly foreign contractors, live and work.

Kabul provincial police reported that hundreds of protesters are gathering on Wednesday outside the Camp Phoenix base on the main highway linking Kabul with the eastern city of Jalalabad, closing the main trade route.

Protesters are shouting “Death to…” slogans, mentioning Bush, Obama, Karzai and America.
US embassy Security Announcement

US embassy in Kabul is locked down; the staff suspended all travels because of the protests.

"The embassy is on lockdown; all travel suspended. Please, everyone, be safe out there," says the embassy's official Twitter feed.

The embassy has issued a security announcement, urging American citizens residing in Afghanistan “to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations, spontaneous or planned.”

Also, Americans should avoid being predictable in their movements.

If you are an American in Afghanistan, they warn, you should not discuss your plans publicly or with strangers. The areas where Westerners usually congregate should be avoided at times of unrest. Having “appropriate communication equipment” is a must.

The protests have flared in Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan for the second day. Hundreds are participating in the protests. Demonstrators are burning tires in the Hod Khail neighborhood, through which goes Kabul’s most important Jalalabad Road. This district lies close to several American military bases.

On Tuesday they blocked city’s major artery, causing traffic jams, so that authorities had to bring in riot police and water cannon to clean the Jalalabad road.

The protests began after a Koran-burning scandal emerged, exposing incineration of about 30 copies of the Koran, among other religious books, at a detention center at Bagram Air Base.
*America apologizes

The US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has said on Wednesday that he will ensure that all necessary and appropriate steps are taken “so that this never happens again.”

“ISAF Commander General John Allen…and I apologize to the Afghan people,” Panetta has said.

The Secretary of Defense expressed support to General John Allen's “swift and decisive action to investigate this matter jointly with the Afghan government”.

A day earlier, General John Allen himself apologized twice for the incineration of the Koran. He admitted that Korans had been burnt, saying they were "inadvertently taken to an incineration facility at Bagram Airfield.”

The books were retrieved from the shelves of the library of a detention center adjoining Bagram Air Base because they were being used to pass by extremist messages among the inmates.

General John Allen ordered an investigation into the incident of American troops burning various Islamic religious materials – together with copies of the Koran. He also promised to train personnel in the “proper handling of religious materials no later than March 3.”

General Allen assured that whenever such incidents happen in the future, they “will be corrected in the fastest and most appropriate manner possible.”

The general stated that "We've been shoulder to shoulder with the Afghans for a long time. We've been dying alongside the Afghans for a long time because we believe in them; we believe in their country, and we want to have every opportunity to give them a bright future.”

The inability of the allied contingent to understand and respect religious and cultural references in Afghanistan interferes with effort to defeat Taliban. Muslims – Afghans included – consider the Koran the literal word of God, so the torch treatment of the holy book does not add popularity to the occupational forces.

Several killed in clashes with Kabul cops over Koran burning (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT

---------- Post added at 11:56 am ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 am ----------

Quote

Originally Posted by Pink Elephant

I must say that I have not seen the videos here and I don't know all the details of this. But I wanted to comment that the proper method to "dispose" of religious material IS by BURNING.

I've burned outdated flyers/posters that had Quranic verses IN MY BARBEQUE PIT! And I will continue to do so!

If that Pastor what's his name really wanted to create an uproar then he'd simply have put the Quran on the FLOOR!

There must be more to the story or some people don't know what their religion is about because of the IGNORANCE of their scholars.

There is a lot more detail to add but will keep this post to a minimum.

(end rant)

---------- Post added at 03:18 am ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 am ----------

(ok maybe i'm not done ranting)

wanted to add that my dad was a lay reader and on the church committee and the proper method to dispose of Christian literature as directed by the Reverend was by burning.

(end)

How would you like it if someone came into your home and started burning or destroying things that you treasured or held dear? That's the situation going on here. The "major" problem is not so much religious as the point these people are occupied. What "you" do with religious material in your own home is "your" business and no one else's. But when you go into another's home and destroy their treasures and even kill them and piss on their dead - that's called criminal behavior!

SazzyLilSmartAzz · 02-24-2012, 10:07 am

Protesters killed in clashes with Afghan police over Qur'an desecration

Afghan´s were killed while storming a Army Base after desecration of Holy Quran by Americans - YouTube

At least a dozen protesters have been killed in clashes with law enforcement in Afghanistan as anti-US rallies continue across the country in protest to the desecration of the Holy Qur’an at a US military base.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets on Friday and chanted slogans against the United States and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the Pul-e-Mohammand Khan area of the capital following the Friday Prayers.

Angry protesters clashed with hundreds of riot police and Afghan armed forces deployed in the area, while the security forces fired shots into the air and injured protesters with live rounds, witnesses said.

Fatalities were caused in the capital city of Kabul and three more provinces including Herat, where police opened fire on demonstrators after they tried to storm the US consulate.

At least 36 people have been killed since anti-US protests erupted in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Similar protests broke out in the northern provinces of Baghlan and Kunduz, as well in central provinces of Bamiyan and Ghazni and in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

The latest deaths increased to 24 the number of people killed across Afghanistan since anti-American protests erupted in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Two American troops are also among the dead.

The violence was triggered by the burning of copies of the Holy Qur’an and other Islamic texts at the US-run Bagram Airbase, 11 kilometers (7 miles) southeast of the city of Charikar in Afghanistan's Parwan Province.

Afghanistan wants NATO to put on public trial those who desecrated the Holy Qur’an at Bagram Airbase.

“NATO officials, in response to a request for the trial and punishment of the perpetrators ... promised this crime will brought to court as soon as possible,” read a statement released by the Afghan presidential office on Thursday.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has sent a letter to his Afghan counterpart Karzai, apologizing for the burning of copies of the Holy Qur’an by American forces in Afghanistan.

Obama told Karzai that the incident, which has sparked angry protests against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was not intentional.

Afghans have rejected the apology and demanded an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from their country.

PressTV - Protesters killed in clashes with Afghan police over Qur'an desecration

SazzyLilSmartAzz · 02-26-2012, 11:47 am

Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned desecration of the Holy Qur’an by US-led forces in Afghanistan describing it a violation of human rights and international law.

A statement released by the ministry on Sunday read burning the Qur’an was a new instance of disregard for human rights and international law by foreign military forces in Afghanistan and for the sanctities of the world Muslims.

“Disrespect for Muslim beliefs stems from an incorrect understanding of the religious culture of the Muslim people of the region and the world by Afghanistan’s occupiers,” the statement added.

The statement pointed out that this is not the first time international law has been violated by US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, warning that repetition of such acts would only garner more hatred for these forces.

Condemning desecration of the Holy Qur’an by US-led forces in Afghanistan, the ministry emphasized on the necessity of the withdrawal of foreign military forces from the country.

Any measure that results in prolonging the presence of these (foreign) forces in Afghanistan, including the signing of a strategic pact between Washington and Kabul, will not only increase insecurity in the country (Afghanistan) but also pose a serious threat to the entire region.

On February 20, US soldiers burned the copies of Qur’an and other Islamic texts at the US-run Bagram Airbase, southeast of the city of Charikar in the Afghan province of Parwan.

Following the Qur’an desecration US President Barack Obama sent a letter to his Afghan counterpart Hamed Karzai, apologizing for the actions of American forces in Afghanistan. Obama told Karzai that the incident was not intentional.

The incident has sparked angry protests against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries.

Afghans have rejected the apology and demanded an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from their country.

Anti-US demonstrations in the country have now entered their fifth consecutive day.

More than 35 people, including two US troops, have been killed as a result of violent clashes over the past few days.

(My question is, if Obama really killed bin Laden, as he claims - what are we doing in Afghanistan anyway? It's a waste of taxpayers money and America needs the money right now - not the bad reputation they have in the world due to their association with Is-NOT-Real)

PressTV - ?Qur?an desecration against international law, human rights?