Quran burning incites deadly riots in Afghanistan

Thursday, February 23, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Clashes between Afghan troops and protesters angry over the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. military base left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded Wednesday as anger spread despite U.S. apologies over what it said was a mistake.

The demonstrations across four eastern provinces illustrated the intensity of Afghans’ anger at what they saw as foreign forces flouting their laws and insulting their culture.

The violence was also a reminder of how easily Afghan-U.S. relations can deteriorate as the two countries work to forge a long-term partnership ahead of the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2014.

The unrest started Tuesday when Afghan workers at the main American military base, Bagram Air Field, saw soldiers dumping books in a pit where garbage is burned and noticed Qurans and other religious material among the trash.

The top U.S. and NATO commander, Gen. John Allen, quickly issued an apology and telephoned President Hamid Karzai and major news organizations to explain that a collection of religious materials, including Qurans, had been mistakenly sent to be incinerated. As soon as someone realized what they were burning, they stopped and retrieved what was left, Allen said.

Four copies of the Quran were burned before the incineration was halted, according to initial Afghan government reports.

Anger about the burning spread overnight. A single demonstration outside the Bagram base on Tuesday gave way to three protests in the capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, along with demonstrations in the major eastern city of Jalalabad and in Logar and Parwan province, where Bagram is located.

In Kabul, about 2,000 people massed outside a heavily guarded housing complex for foreigners, chanting “Death to America!” as they hurled rocks at the compound’s reinforced walls and set a fuel truck ablaze. The complex — known as “green village” because it boasts security equal to a military base — houses foreign contractors, police and some coalition military forces.

The demonstrations prompted the U.S. to lock down its embassy and bar its staff from traveling.

By nightfall, seven people had been killed — four in Parwan province and one each in Kabul, Jalalabad and Logar province, and dozens were wounded, the Interior Ministry said. In some cases, security guards or police were accused of shooting protesters, while in others, officials said the shooting started from within the mob of demonstrators.

More like this story

wyriontair 1 year, 3 months ago

These people burn Bibles, any book or magazine that does not conform to their "warped" ideology, kill and torture our own, have never released some of our own they have captured (where's the president on that???), maime, rape and kill women and children, dismember their own people if they do something against "sharia" and will never move themselves into the 21st century. They are satisified with their lives of enslaving women to a life in hell and sending young children and young men into crowds with bombs slapped on them all in the name of their "religion" in hopes the get into paradise. Instead of trying to appease the Taliban and Karzai, get our captured soldiers and root them out.

xhepera 1 year, 3 months ago

Extremist Muslims commit many heinous acts. But you are incorrect in stating that they burn the Bible as a matter of course. It is against the tenets of Islam to desecrate the scriptures of any of what they call the "People of the Book;" i.e., Muslims, Jews and Christians. That means the Quran, the Torah and the Bible. That is an area where any Muslim calling him or her self devout should tread fearfully. Of course, the extremists aren't devout. They're insane. A Muslim who burns a Bible is no more practicing the beliefs of Islam than some of our own who call themselves Christian yet sexually abuse children.

wyriontair 1 year, 2 months ago

I don't believe they went into any churches or mosque's where Imam's were trying to send a moderate message and removed the holy books before they burned them down.

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Why don't we get out of that sewer pit and leave them be? What is the use of us staying over there and putting up with this stuff for trying to help them? They don't want our help. All they want is our money and for us to die.

When will we ever learn?

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