Protests follow US troops allegedly burning Qurans, Obama apologizes but violence rages on with 25 dead
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By Graig Graziosi Contributing writer for End the Lie Allegations that US troops stationed at Bagram airbase in Kabul, Afghanistan burned Qurans sparked widespread protests earlier this week (please scroll down for updates). Between 800-1,000 Afghan protestors rallied near the base, firing rocks from slingshots and tossing petrol bombs while chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and “Die foreigners, die”. There were no reported NATO injuries during the unrest, though a base gate was reported to have caught fire from an exploding petrol bomb. Guards at the base responded by firing rubber bullets into the crowd. The incident centers on the possibility that during routine garbage burning on the airbase, a large number of religious materials, including Qurans, were among the refuse to be burned. Before all the books were destroyed, Afghans working at the burn pit recognized the books as religious material and worked to save it from the fire. Ahmad Zaki Zahed, the Afghan provincial chief in Kabul, was allowed to tour the site and inspect the recovered religious material. Speaking to the Associated Press, Zahed was unable to confirm how many Qurans had been burned, as many books had been fully destroyed by the fires. In response to the incident, General John Allen, US commander in Afghanistan, issued an investigation into the event and offered an apology to the Afghan people, stating "We are thoroughly investigating the incident and are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again. I assure you, I promise you, this was not intentional in any way." Gen. Allen continued, “I offer my sincere apologies for any offence this may have caused, to the president of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan.” The apology did little to quell protests around the base and the capital city of Kabul. In response to the growing unrest, Afghan Army Gen. Abdul Jalil Rahimi and other officers attempted to meet with clerics and protestors to calm the riot, but saw little result. Speaking to the Associated Press, Gen. Rahimi said “The protesters were very angry and didn't want to end their protest.” As details about the incident emerge, conflicting reports began to emerge from various news agencies concerning the purpose of the burnings and whether or not Qurans were actually burned. An anonymous source, speaking to the Associated Press, claims the texts were scheduled to be destroyed because they contained extremist inscriptions and were being used by detainees as a way of passing messages. Al-Jazeera correspondent Bernard Smith, working in Afghanistan, stated, “We don't know if the religious literature was burned, but we know that it was due to be burned because waste at the base is burned generally.” Speaking further on the possibility of Qurans being burned, NATO spokesman Carsten Jacobson reported that the results of a preliminary investigation suggest no Qurans were actually burned in the event. While the Associated Press reports suggest Qurans were burned, Al-Jazeera reports suggest they were not. What is clear, however, is that Qurans were among the garbage intended to be burned. For many devout Muslims, this alone is reason to protest. There is a distinct difference between the way Muslims view the Quran and Western societies (culturally associating with Christianity) view their holy text, the Bible. While Christian teachings hold that the Bible is the inspired word of God (that is, God inspired the writers, but the words themselves are from men), Islamic teaching holds that the Quran’s writings are actually the verbatim word of God. It is this distinction that is often misunderstood by Western observers. In some Muslim societies it is a grave offense to place a Quran on the ground, or to store it in “unclean” areas. For devout Afghans, even the knowledge that US troops placed the Qurans amongst refuse and intended to burn them is insult to what they consider direct revelation from God to the Prophet Mohammed. The content of the apologies and damage control from US officials suggests a lack of cultural understanding concerning the incredible regard Muslims give to the Quran. The response at Bagram is not unlike the response of the Muslim community following the Florida pastor Terry Jones’ burning of a Quran last April. Those protests eventually turned violent, resulting in the deaths of ten people in Afghanistan. This is not the first time Bagram airbase has been the focal point of criticism concerning the burning of religious text. In May 2009, Army officials confiscated Bibles, translated to Dari and Pashto, the majority languages in the area, over fears soldiers may use them for evangelical purposes. The Bible were burned, sparking controversy and criticism from Christian groups in the United States and abroad. Edited by Madison Ruppert Notes and updates from Madison Ruppert: This piece was originally written on February 21 and the situation has progressed somewhat since then. Now Obama has officially apologized for the incident, although this has not caused the protests to die down one bit. In fact, it was reported that twelve people were killed today during protests in Afghanistan, according to officials via MSNBC . President Obama's written apology seems to have had no bearing on the situation as seven people were killed and an additional 50 wounded in Herat and two more were killed in Khost. Three people were killed previously during the demonstrations. This comes the day after two American soldiers were killed during a protest by a man dressed in the uniform of an Afghan soldier, leaving the total death toll since Tuesday at 25. The military now claims that the Qurans were sent to a garbage pit on February 19 by mistake, adding that the investigation is still ongoing, with General John Allen saying, "Working together with the Afghan leadership is the only way for us to correct this major error and ensure that it never happens again," adding that Afghans should "exercise patience and restraint as we continue to gather the facts." The Taliban was quick to jump on the incident, encouraging Afghans to kill foreigners over the burnings. In addition to Obama's official apology, Peter Lavoy, the acting assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs at the Pentagon also offered an apology to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society. "I come here today to apologize on behalf of the Department of Defense for the incident that took place in Afghanistan this week," Lavoy said, adding that the burnings occurred " unknowingly and improperly." It is unclear if Lavoy was implying that there could be a proper way to burn the Quran. Unsurprisingly, this is already being jumped on by politicians and exploited to their benefit with Newt Gingrich heatedly criticizing Obama for the apology . Violent protests in Kabul following US troops allegedly burning Qurans, Obama apologizes