Koran Burning Protests Spread to Pakistan

[Little Tich]

Source: ABC News

At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded today as protests over the burning of Korans at a NATO base escalated, with the violence spreading into neighboring Pakistan.

Thousands of angry Afghans took to the street in Khost, Herat and Nangahar chanting "death to America" and burning effigies of President Obama. Protesters In Baghland attempted to storm a U.S. military base, destroying part of a security fence before police began shooting into the air to disperse the crowd.

The fresh wave of violence comes less than a day after Obama apologized for the Koran burning, which he said was a regrettable and unintentional error, and after an assailant dressed in an Afghan National Police uniform killed two U.S. soldiers.

In an attempt to calm rising tensions, the commander of ISAF and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, made a surprise visit – and an impassioned plea – to troops at the military base where the two US servicemen were based.

Read More: http://abcnews.go.com/International/koran-burning-protests-spread-pakistan/story?id=15784427

[mdmc]

1. bring in the drones

[msongs]

2. religion - the gift that keeps on giving nt

[jpbollma]

3. I'm sorry

but these people are just nuts. It's a freaking book. Anyone who would kill someone or get violently angry about a book of fairytales is a whack job. Any neocon who thought we could remake Iraq or Afghanistan in our image clearly was on drugs.

[stockholmer]

7. Iraq and Afghanistan were never about 'remaking countries' it always was about power, profit, and

systemic control via selective destabilisation (order out of chaos). The 'freeing of the world' meme is strictly for 'dupe and rube' consumption, and is now (unfortunately) being bought hook, line, and sinker by many on the so-called left in regards to Egypt, Libya, and Syria simply because the Commander in Chief of the Empire has a 'D' behind his name.

[Marthe48]

12. But it is their book

If the occupying troops are there to spread democracy, they should have training about the citizens of the country, such as the citizens are devout in their religious practices. As devout Christians feel about the Bible, so Muslims feel about the Koran. And if we don't want our troops to die needlessly, then they should have some classes about basics in the countries they are liberating, so they can avoid violating taboos. I am numb from the useless deaths of our soldiers and their people.

On the other hand, if we are occupying these countries for some other reason, then I guess the plan is to humiliate and piss off the citizens, so we can justify killing them when they get violent.

Why oh why, can't we get out of the Middle Eastern countries, and use the resources we're wasting on death and destruction on renewable energy, so humans in general stop trying to kill each other for awhile?

[Harmony Blue]

13. I think that is not a fair take on the sitaution

Us in the west tend to be ethnocentric and can't view differing perspective without a western bias. That protest banner that says "The Quran is our Constitution" is a good way for us Westerners to begin to understand their point of view. Of the three Abrahamaic religions, Islam has clearly defined laws to structure an entire society from, and since it is the youngest it is more sophisticated in being specific to how to do so compared to Judaism, and Christianity.

[saras]

15. So bookburning is cool as long as you personally disapprove of the book. Got it.

[cbrer]

16. It's important

Not to underestimate the devoutness of the "typical" moslem adherent. Here in Kabul the calls to prayer, the observed rites, and the surrounding media all underscore an abiding faith that is being used by Taliban managers to stir up and inflame local populations. Since ISAF policy is (currently) one of assistance and security, involvement in any quelling activity is very limited.

One may, IMHO, discuss the illogic, and emotional rationale of religion forever. But when it's used as a weapon, it's true nature is (once again) exposed.

Spiritual enlightenment my ass...

[sabrina 1]

4. Invading other countries is more the problem here. Everything else is just a reaction to

having your country occupied.

We need to get out of all these countries and leave them alone. Too many people have been killed by US and NATO bombs, all it took was a spark to light this fire. The Afghans and Pakistani people have been begging, for years, demonstrating, filing lawsuits, demanding, threatening their own governments to stop the killing of their loved ones by drones, and bombs and however else they are dying. But it falls on deaf ears.

It's interesting to see how little the American people can relate to the human tragedies our invasions inflict on the people whose countries we occupy.

If it had not been this, it would have been something. Reading about the murdes, the rapes, the bombings, what has been done to the bodies, even of women, I am amazed that this doesn't happen every day.

[jpbollma]

8. I agree Sabrina

this is a reaction to our invasions and we need to get out ASAP, however, even before we were there these people were off their rockers. Groups like the Taliban make the religious right in this country look like secularists. Religious fanaticism like this is dangerous.

[sabrina 1]

11. True, but the Taliban's power came as a result of another invasion, and the use of Afghanistan

as a chessboard on which two Super Powers played their war games.

A decade of THAT war, destroyed the country. Before that, it was a country that people from Europe eg, could visit and some even spent their honeymoons there. Photos from the sixties show women in modern clothes of that era, and women were doctors, teachers etc. just like anywhere anywhere.

If any country shows the evil of war, Afghanistan is a perfect example. I have read that most Afghans now have experienced nothing but invasions and hardship, and almost everyone there has experienced the loss of a loved one, and/or has been injured themselves in some way. They are a traumatized people. The Taliban moved into the power vacuum that was left after the Russians and the US finally left, a country devastated by a decade of war, it was like Mad Max where no one felt safe, and the Taliban had an opening they would not have had in a normal society.

I wonder sometimes, how different it might have been if instead going there with bombs and guns, the Western nations had gone and rebuilt the country with the money spent to further destroy it. But I agree, it's time to leave, the problem is we are repeating what happened in the 'eighties. Another decade of war, the country is now in even worse shape than it was after the first invasion, so what hope is there for a moderate government in a country where almost everyone, who is not too traumatized to care, has been radicalized?

But we never learn. The Defense Contractors made out alright, so I guess there is that.

[stockholmer]

9. +10000

Keep fighting the good fight!

[cbrer]

17. I agree with your destination

But your path took an odd turn.

The depth of faith for Afghanis is a old and complex phenomena. It is inextricably woven into their daily life. It defintely is not in reaction to occupation. It's being subverted in order to incite violence, but that isn't new either. Or did I misunderstand?

Americans have been mostly effectively neutralized by rat race advertising that keeps us entertained, and otherwise occupied. At least half of the violence in the world is commited by American weapons systems. Financed by our tax dollars.

And violent death does happen every day. Life is nor sacred. Life is not holy in any sense. The worlds events prove the fallacy of that idealistic untruth. The priority and relevance of profit and economics has become the the real holiness. I'm speaking in a world sense. No need to flame me with your individual enlightenment.

[chknltl]

20. Thank you.

A well thought out response. Perhaps you might consider taking this further to a separate OP on the topic. Should you do so, please drop me a prompt in my inbox as I look forward to reading that OP. c.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

21. Good post, as we prepare to invade

With observation drones flying over Syria, gathering evidence to support a Libya-style invasion by NATO forces, our leaders prepare for invasion.

I'm sure the pentagon is dusting off plans to help change regimes in Syria and Iran. I'm hoping those remain just unused plans, sitting on a shelf.

[stockholmer]

5. truly stupid!!!------------> Gingrich slams Obama for Quran apology

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7399935n&tag=storyMediaBox;postSpecialReport

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said President Obama "surrendered" Thursday when he apologized to the Afghan government for the burning of several Qurans at an American military base near Kabul

-------------------------------------

Asshat comments like this are like pouring petrol on a fire, what a fucking moronic POS the thuglet Newton is.










Tis the price of empire...........and surely not worth the bill that will come one day.

[cbrer]

18. Top pic

Is ~70% Taliban.

[slackmaster]

22. I'm sure that a few copies of our Constitution have been burned over the last two centuries

And that nobody rioted or was killed as a result.



Barbarians.

[DeSwiss]

6. OUT! OUT! OUT!!! - K&R n/t

[zbdent]

10. what the cowardly media is probably too afraid to point out is

that this type of action (burning the Koran) is the type of stuff that makes Republicans/Conservatives/TeaHadists get raging h*rd-ons, and is the type of stuff that they'd likely cheer on (anybody remember that Florida preacher???) ... until it was a Dem who could be "brought down" for the actions of those "under his command".

[Vanje]

14. "That went well"

[BeHereNow]

19. In unison- can we say "CLUSTERFUCK?"

FUBAR
FUBAR
FUBAR



Bring them home- NOW.

BHN

[tclambert]

23. This just in: They didn't burn a Koran. They burned a Harry Potter book.

Oh, wait. That could be worse. Lucky they didn't burn a Justin Bieber poster.