Newsweek retracts Koran abuse story

[Reba]

Newsweek Retracts Koran Abuse Story
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
NEW YORK -- Newsweek magazine, under fire for a publishing story that led to deadly protests in Afghanistan, said Monday it was retracting its report that a military probe had found evidence of desecration of the Quran by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.
Earlier Monday, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan had criticized Newsweek's initial response to the incident, saying it was "puzzling."

Newsweek had reported in its issue dated May 9 that U.S. military investigators had found evidence that interrogators placed copies of Islam's holy book in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk.

Newsweek acknowledged problems with the story and its editor, Mark Whitaker, apologized in an editor's note in this week's edition. The accusations spawned protests in Afghanistan that left 15 dead and scores injured.

Whitaker wrote in an editor's note that "We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst."

But after the White House criticized Newsweek's response to the story, Whitaker released a statement later Monday through a spokesman saying the magazine was retracting the story.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Whitaker said.

© 2005 The Associated Press

 

[Vance]

Yes! Someone finally created this topic! Time for me to provide the evidences that White House are using Newsweek as scapegoat for their failures and their cruelities (tortures). Let me post these beautiful evidences:

The Miami Herald March 9, 2005.

Yet recently declassified court documents allege that, as far back as 2002, some of Guantanamo's staff cursed Allah, threw Korans into toilets, mocked prisoners during prayers and deliberately took away prisoners' pants knowing that Muslims can't pray unless covered. Imagine a U.S. prisoner of war who is a devout Christian having his Bible tossed into the toilet or his rosary taken away. The U.S. government would rightly denounce such offenses as human-rights violations.

The Miami Herald March 6, 2005

Captives at the Guantanamo Bay prison are alleging that guards kicked and stomped on Korans and cursed Allah, and that interrogators punished them by taking away their pants, knowing that would prevent them from praying.

Three Kuwaiti captives -- Fawzi al Odah, 27, Fouad al Rabiah, 45, and Khalid al Mutairi, 29 -- separately complained to their lawyer that military police threw their Korans into the toilet, according to the notes of Kristine Huskey, a Washington attorney.

Guards also mocked captives at prayer and censored Islamic books, the captives allege. And in one incident, they say, a prison barber cut a cross-shaped patch of hair on an inmate's head. Most of the complaints come from the recently declassified notes of defense lawyers' interviews with prisoners, which Guantanamo officials initially stamped ''secret.'' Under a federal court procedure for due-process appeals by about 100 inmates, portions are now being declassified.

Philadelphia Inquirer January 20, 2005

Twelve Kuwaitis held for about three years at the detention center at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been physically and psychologically abused, their attorneys said yesterday after their first visit with the detainees. The men were "all very thin, almost emaciated," and most were being held in isolation, with 45 minutes of exercise a week, only the Koran to read, and no medical treatment, said Tom Wilner, who visited his clients last week.

Some detainees complained of religious humiliation, saying guards had defaced their copies of the Koran and, in one case, had thrown it in a toilet, said Kristine Huskey, who interviewed clients late last month. Others said that pills were hidden in their food and that people came to their cells claiming to be their attorneys, to gain information. "All have been physically abused, and, however you define the term, the treatment of these men crossed the line," Wilner said.

Hartford Courant (Connecticut) January 16, 2005
Book review of GUANTANAMO: AMERICA'S WAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS by David Rose

In March, the government released five British men from Guantanamo after holding them nearly three years. They had been captured in Afghanistan, where they had gone to offer humanitarian aid. Rose interviewed them the same month, two months before allegations of abuse at Abu Ghraib in Iraq first surfaced, and they described captivity that seems eerily similar. They said they were punched, slapped, denied sleep, had seen other prisoners sexually humiliated, had been hooded, and were forced to watch copies of the Koran being flushed down toilets. Eventually the pressure proved too much -- they gave false confessions that the British intelligence service later showed to be untrue. On their return to the United Kingdom, they were released by Scotland Yard without being charged.

Prisoners alleged the same thing happened at the jail in Kandahar in Afganistan:

BBC Monitoring International Reports December 30, 2004, Text of report by Khadija Ali Moussa entitled "Abdallah Tabarak, the former Guantanamo prisoner, gives Attajdid details of his ordeal from Kandahar to Guantanamo" and published by Moroccan Islamic movement Tawhid wal Islah daily newspaper Attajdid on 28 December.

Question: What were the detention conditions like out there?

Answer: The jail in Kandahar was like a stable surrounded by barbed wire and it had a wooden roof. It was located in a barren land where it was terribly cold. The American soldiers used to order us to lie down on our stomachs and they would start hitting our backs with rifle butts and trampling our bodies underfoot. They would place our heads in dirty bags, and when we went to sleep, lying down on our bellies, they would suddenly wake us up at about three o'clock at night. It was forbidden for us to talk, and anyone who said a single word was punished. The punishment was standing on one foot for long hours. All their treatment was violent, and every three days the tragedy recurs: burns with live electric wires all over the body and other forms of torture.

There are other forms of torture: they watched you each time you went to the toilet; the American soldiers used to tear up copies of the Koran and to throw them in the toilet; and when we were thirsty and asked for water, they would bring us one and a half litres each and they would order us to drink the whole lot up, and anyone who disobeyed was tortured. Then, after we drank all the water, we were forbidden to go and urinate. Sometimes the 60 prisoners of us used to stand up in a queue, each of us waiting for his turn to go to the toilet, and the Americans used to enjoy such a sight very much. More still: even moaning after torture sessions was prohibited.

Then, there's the Tipton Three and a lawsuit filed by released British detainees.

DAILY MAIL (London), October 28, 2004

The Tipton men have already submitted a 115-page dossier alleging they were beaten, stripped, shackled and deprived of sleep during their detention. They say guards threw prisoners' Korans into toilets and tried to force them to give up their faith.

There were claims that detainees were forcibly injected with unidentified drugs and intimidated with military dogs. The men claim they eventually gave false confessions that they appeared in a video with Osama Bin Laden and Mohammed Atta, one of the September 11 hijackers, despite the fact that they could prove they were in Britain when it was made. After they were freed, the men were questioned by British police but quickly released without charge.

Detroit Free Press October 28, 2004

Four British citizens released from Guantanamo Bay filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the United States, seeking $10 million each in damages for abuse they say they suffered at the U.S. military outpost in Cuba, attorneys said Wednesday.

Shafiq Rasul, 26; Asif Iqbal, 22; Rhuhel Ahmed, 22, and Jamal Al-Harith, 37, were released to British authorities in March. They were detained in Afghanistan on Nov. 28, 2001, by the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance.

The lawsuit alleges that the four were chained to the floor while strobe lights and loud music were played in a room chilled by air-conditioners set at maximum levels. The men say they were subjected to the conditions for up to 14 hours at a time. They say they were also beaten while their heads were covered with hoods. The men, who were never charged while in U.S. detention, also allege that some of the guards threw the prisoners' Korans into toilets. The Pentagon denied the allegations.

The Observer, March 14, 2004, (also about Rasul, one of those who filed a lawsuit)

As Muslims, they were shocked when in repeated 'shakedown' searches of the sleeping tents, copies of the Koran would be trampled on by soldiers and, on one occasion, thrown into a toilet bucket. Throughout their stay at Kandahar the guards carried out head-counts every hour at night to keep the prisoners awake.

Source

Many more... What more is that Newsweek used the FBI's source and printed... yet White House howled and blamed Newsweek for their own failures and cruelities.

I read several arab blogs... good thing that they have enough sense to not believe White House's crap and they don't care about Newsweek at all, they want the White House to apology about these cruelities and such, not Newsweek or their apology.

Newsweek didn't do wrong, their facts are completely correct but only that White House cannot stand the reality that they are the ones who caused these angers.

 

[Reba]

...Time for me to provide the evidences that White House are using Newsweek as scapegoat for their failures and their cruelities (tortures). Let me post these beautiful evidences:

You call that evidence? Prisoners allege and claim these things happened. That is not proof. That is the reason Newsweek had to retract the story. They had no proof.

... I read several arab blogs... good thing that they have enough sense to not believe White House's crap...

It's a good thing that I have enough sense not to believe arab blog crap.

...and they don't care about Newsweek at all, they want the White House to apology about these cruelities and such, not Newsweek or their apology.

No, they want any excuse to riot and kill people.

Newsweek didn't do wrong, their facts are completely correct ...

They did wrong, they know they did wrong, and they finally confessed that they did wrong.

...but only that White House cannot stand the reality that they are the ones who caused these angers.

Maybe you cannot stand the reality that Newsweek's writer is the one who caused these angers.

 

[Vance]

They did wrong, they know they did wrong, and they finally confessed that they did wrong.

:roll: Reba, Reba... Flash News for you: Newsweek used the FBI's source. They did not confess that they did wrong. They were pressured by White House to "admit" to save White House's image. Actually, USA's image are already damaged by no WMD, tortures, lies, etc etc...

No, they want any excuse to riot and kill people.

Uhhh... who invaded Iraq? Hello? The violence started before Newsweek's article. It is somewhat clear that someone have been glued to Fraud News (Foxnews)... do something different by researching, researching and researching. Based on your comment, Bush and Americanized conservatives want any excuse to kill arabs too *nods*

It's a good thing that I have enough sense not to believe arab blog crap

It is a good thing that 80% of the world and I have enough sense not to believe Americanized conservatives' crap.

Maybe you cannot stand the reality that Newsweek's writer is the one who caused these angers.

:roll: No, you and White House are the ones who cannot stand the reality that Iraq don't have the fuckin' WMD AT ALL. Beside that, I have to repeat: The violence started before Newsweek's article. Due to America's cruelities (tortures & humiliations) and no WMD. Many arabs are angry because of no WMD.

Now to your first statement:

You call that evidence? Prisoners allege and claim these things happened. That is not proof. That is the reason Newsweek had to retract the story. They had no proof.

Ahhh, White House don't have the proof either about WMD. My dear, you are contradicted yourself. Newsweek didn't plan to retract the story, White House used them as scapegoat for their failures and cruelities. Plus to that, White House pressured on Newsweek only because they cannot stand the reality. Where's the WMD, dear? In Bush's pants, perhaps? Or in his brain?

I think someone need to research much more...

I want to quote the wonderful statement ever in American history:

"The more compelling our journalism, the angrier the radical right of the Republican Party gets," he explained. "That's because the one thing they loathe more than liberals is the truth. And the quickest way to be damned by them as liberal is to tell the truth."

Indeed. Have fun.

Edit: Reba, it is just come out. I want to post this beautiful statement for you:

Newsweek magazine's now-retracted story that a military guard at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet has sparked angry denunciations by the White House and the Pentagon, which have linked the article to Muslim riots and deaths abroad.

But American and international media have widely reported similar allegations from detainees and others of desecration of the Muslim holy book for more than two years.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/17/AR2005051701315.html

2 years as in two years. Ok, let's do the math: 24 months. 730 days. So why now? Why Newsweek? Only because the violence erupted when they found out that there is no WMD and lots of tortures plus humiliations. White House needs the scapegoat to pin and they picked Newsweek. Think. Think. Ok, I am done with this topic for good.

 

[Reba]

Can we discuss the Newsweek story without insulting each other?

:roll: Reba, Reba... Flash News for you: Newsweek used the FBI's source. They did not confess that they did wrong. They were pressured by White House. Don't kid yourself for sake.

When a publication makes an official retraction that means they were wrong.

Uhhh... who invaded Iraq? Hello?

That has nothing to do with the Newsweek story.

The violence started before Newsweek's article.

I was talking about the riots that resulted after the Newsweek story about the Koran.

... Based on your comment, Bush and Americanized conservatives want any excuse to kill arabs too *nods*

Absolutely not.

[quote}:roll: No, you and White House are the ones who cannot stand the reality that Iraq don't have the fuckin' WMD AT ALL. [/quote]
What does that have to do with the story?

Now to your first statement:Ahhh, White House don't have the proof either about WMD.

What does that have to do with the story?

My dear, you are contradicted yourself.

What contradiction?

Newsweek didn't plan to retract the story, White House used them as scapegoat for their failures and cruelities. Plus to that, White House pressured on Newsweek only because they cannot stand the reality.

How could the White House "pressure" Newsweek to make a retraction? If the Newsweek story was true then why would the editor retract it? Since when does Newsweek give in to "White House pressure"? Never. Newsweek retracted and apologized because they knew they were wrong and couldn't support their story.

Where's the WMD, dear? In Bush's pants, perhaps? Or in his brain?

What does that have to do with the story? (BTW, the "pants" remark is rather juvenile, don't you think?)

 

[Reba]

I think someone need to research much more...

Edit: Reba, it is just come out. I want to post this beautiful statement for you:

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/17/AR2005051701315.html

2 years as in two years. Ok, let's do the math: 24 months. 730 days. So why now? Why Newsweek? Only because the violence erupted when they found out that there is no WMD and lots of tortures plus humiliations. White House needs the scapegoat to pin and they picked Newsweek. Think. Think. Ok, I am done with this topic for good.

OK, I read your link.

Here are some more statements from your link:

"Erik Saar, a former Army translator at Guantanamo Bay who has written a book about mistreatment of detainees at the military prison, said in interviews and in his book that he never saw a Koran flushed in a toilet ..."

"Yesterday, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence T. Di Rita said previous detainee allegations have not been considered credible.

"'I'm not aware that we've ever had any specific, credible allegations to investigate.'"

"When Newsweek's report was reprinted in the Arab media, it sparked public protests and riots in Afghanistan and other countries that left 16 people dead."

 

[Vance]

I am not entirely interesting in this 'discussion' with you right after Washington Post's latest article but I am here to post several more facts.

One such incident (during which the Koran was thrown into a pile and stepped on) prompted a hunger strike among Guantanamo detainees in March 2002. Regarding this, the New York Times in a 1 May 2005 article interviewed a former detainee, Nasser Nijer Naser al-Mutairi, who said the protest ended with a senior officer delivering an apology to the entire camp. And the Times reports: "A former interrogator at Guantanamo, in an interview with The Times, confirmed the accounts of the hunger strikes, including the public expression of regret over the treatment of the Korans." (Neil A. Lewis and Eric Schmitt, "Inquiry Finds Abuses at Guantanamo Bay," New York Times, 1 May 2005, p. 35.)

The hunger strike and apology story is also confirmed by another former detainee, Shafiq Rasul, interviewed by the UK Guardian in 2003 (James Meek, "The people the law forgot," The Guardian, 3 December 2003, p. 1.) It was also confirmed by former prisoner Jamal al-Harith in an interview with the Daily Mirror (Rosa Prince and Gary Jones, "My Hell in Camp X-ray World Exclusive," Daily Mirror, 12 March 2004).

Also citing the toilet incident is testimony by Asif Iqbal, a former Guatanamo detainee who was released to British custody in March 2004 and subsequently freed without charge:
"The behaviour of the guards towards our religious practices as well as the Koran was also, in my view, designed to cause us as much distress as possible. They would kick the Koran, throw it into the toilet and generally disrespect it." (Center for Constitution Rights, Detention in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, (4 August 2004, deposition available at ccr-ny.org)

"Lawyers allege abuse of 12 at Guantanamo," The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 20, 2005: Some detainees complained of religious humiliation, saying guards had defaced their copies of the Koran and, in one case, had thrown it in a toilet, said Kristine Huskey [an attorney in Washington, D.C.], who interviewed clients late last month. Others said that pills were hidden in their food and that people came to their cells claiming to be their attorneys, to gain information.

They were never given prayer mats and initially they didn't get a Koran. When the Korans were provided, they were kicked and thrown about by the guards and on occasion thrown in the buckets used for the toilets. This kept happening. When it happened it was always said to be an accident but it was a recurrent theme

Source: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/gitmo1004/gitmo1004.pdf

Asif says that `it was impossible to pray because initially we did not know the direction to pray, but also given that we couldn't move and the harassment from the guards, it was simply not feasible. The behaviour of the guards towards our religious practices as well as the Koran was also, in my view, designed to cause us as much distress as possible. They would kick the Koran, throw it into the toilet and generally disrespect it. It is clear to me that the conditions in our cells and our general treatment were designed by the officers in charge of the interrogation process to "soften us up"'.

Source: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/gitmo1004/gitmo1004.pdf

Statement of Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed, "Detention in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay," released publicly on August 4, 2004, para. 72, 74, available online at:
http://www.ccr- ny.org/v2/reports/docs/
Gitmo=compositestatementFINAL23july04.pdf,
accessed on August 19, 2004. The disrespect of the Koran by guards at Camp X-Ray was one of the factors prompting a hunger strike. Ibid., para. 111-117.

Source: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/gitmo1004/gitmo1004.pdf

A Newsweek journalist familiar with the reporting on the story agreed with his editor's regrets Monday, but said it appeared the administration was seizing on the error to minimize the abuse allegations.
"The issue of how prisoners are treated at Guantanamo has not gone away," said the journalist, who asked not to be named. "Now they want to deflect that by talking about how irresponsible Newsweek magazine was."

[......................]

The Newsweek editor noted that earlier news accounts reported desecration of the Quran, as well. "For some reason," he added, "at this particular time, ours was the match that lit a fire."

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...7may17,0,3909502.story?coll=la-home-headlines

On various occasions, Plaintiffs' efforts to pray were banned or interrupted. Plaintiffs were never given prayer mats and did not initially receive copies of the Koran. Korans were provided to them after approximately a month. On one occasion, a guard in Plaintiff Ahmed's cellblock noticed a copy of the Koran on the floor and kicked it. On another occasion, a guard threw a copy of the Koran in a toilet bucket. Detainees, including Plaintiffs, were also at times prevented from calling out the call to prayer, with American soldiers either silencing the person who was issuing the prayer call or playing loud music to drown out the call to prayer. This was part of a continuing pattern of disrespect and contempt for Plaintiffs religious beliefs and practices.

Source: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:...October_26octfinal.pdf+his-koran+toilet&hl=en


More reasons why arabs are so angry and the violence erupted in these areas. Everyone, reread Washington Post's article about "two years" comment. I will post more facts whenever it comes up.

Reba, more than two years. Take it into account. Also read this: "but said it appeared the administration was seizing on the error to minimize the abuse allegations. "The issue of how prisoners are treated at Guantanamo has not gone away,"

Then...

The Newsweek editor noted that earlier news accounts reported desecration of the Quran, as well. "For some reason," he added, "at this particular time, ours was the match that lit a fire."

It appears that arabs are ALREADY angry at Bush & America for their cruelities. Newsweek's article [with FBI's source] just add another fire to already fire in these areas. In other words, it was White House's fault for allowing these tortures, not Newsweek's article. Their angers are just building up and up until Newsweek's article comes out. Look beyond that and research on why arabs are very angry. More than two years.

 

[Reba]

...In other words, it was White House's fault for allowing these tortures, not Newsweek's hard fact.

That's the problem; Newsweek didn't have "hard fact".

 

[Vance]

Ohh, another blogger pointed it out what I missed. Here it is:

One problem for the government, and for the United States, is that the Newsweek article was not the first to report allegations that the Koran had been desecrated at the Guantanamo facility. In March 2003, for example, Afghan men who had been freed from the prison told reporters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, that American soldiers had taunted them by sitting on the Koran or dumping it into a toilet.

Imran Khan, the Pakistani cricket-star-turned-politician, cited those earlier reports in a telephone interview Tuesday.

"Newsweek was not the only source to report the desecration of the Koran and Islamic faith," said Khan, who, according to Newsweek, sparked the protests by brandishing a copy of the magazine at a May 6 news conference. "Scores of eyewitnesses accounts have been reported."

"For its own deeds the U.S. government is now facing a public diplomacy disaster," he added. "The cat is now out of the bag."

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/17/AR2005051700583_2.html

Indeed. What goes around come around. White House allowed the tortures and they have to expect the consequences. To reality, thank you.

 

[Vance]

To backup what I said about White House pressured Newsweek to "retract" the story:

Following criticisms yesterday from the White House and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, Newsweek made a full retraction of the story.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Qur'an abuse at Guantanamo Bay," the editor, Mark Whitaker, said in a statement.

And then:

"We will not be deceived by this [retraction]," said Mullah Sadullah Abu Aman, one of a group of clerics who threatened on Sunday to wage a holy war against the US for the alleged abuse.

"This [decision] comes because of American pressure. Even an ordinary illiterate peasant understands that and won't accept it," he told Reuters.

Anti-American militants, who gained political capital from the protests, also rejected the mea culpa. "Newsweek is changing its story because of pressure from the US government," said a Taliban spokesman, Abdul Latif Hakimi.

Indeed. But here's an excerpt:

But Newsweek also insisted that the abuse claim was true in substance, citing several former Guantánamo detainees who say US officials repeatedly dishonoured the Qur'an.

Although the Pentagon insists the story is untrue, the US military in Afghanistan said it would continue a full investigation into the claims.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1485424,00.html

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if they 'alter' the allegations like they did with their policies. After all, they lied about WMD and timetable.


Wait, there is few more:


Yorkshire Post, November 1, 2004 | Tipton Three turn on the trauma for £22m... injected with "unknown substances", and had their Korans thrown into the toilets.



DAILY MAIL (London), October 28, 2004, ED_3RD; Pg. 1; Pg. 2, TIPTON THREE SUE FOR Pounds 22M, DUNCAN GARDHAM... guards threw prisoners' Korans into toilets



The Express, October 28, 2004, U.K. 3rd Edition; NEWS; Pg. 4, GUANTANAMO BRITONS WILL SUE US FOR £22M, By Lianne Kolirin... guards threw prisoners' Korans into toilets



Irish News, October 28, 2004, Pg. 26, British men detained at Guantanamo sue US government for rights abuses;... guards threw prisoners' Korans into toilets



Press Association, October 27, 2004, Wednesday, HOME NEWS, GUANTANAMO BRITONS SUE US GOVERNMENT, Mark Sage, PA News, in New York... guards threw prisoners' Korans into toilets



Belfast Telegraph, August 5, 2004, Father demands release of his British son after claims of torture at Guantanamo Bay, By Andrew Buncombe in Washington... allegedly threw prisoners' Korans into toilets, while others were injected with ...



Birmingham Post, August 5, 2004, Thursday, First Edition; NEWS; Pg. 2, TIPTON TRIO CLAIM THEY WERE TORTURED BY ALLIES, EMMA PINCH A detainee is led by military police to be interrogated by military officials at Camp X-Ray at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Asif Iqbal, Rhuhel Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul... Guards would throw prisoners' Korans into the toilet 'as part of their clear policy to ...



Federal News Service, August 5, 2004 Thursday, PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT - RELEASED GUANTANAMO DETAINEES ALLEGE ABUSE (ABC RADIO, AUSTRALIA, 08:25 (GMT+11) AUGUST 05, 2004)... guards would throw detainees' Korans down the toilet and shave them, to try to get them to ...



IPR Strategic Business Information Database, June 28, 2004, THEY ALLEGE ABUSE BY U.S. CAPTORS... at Guantanamo. "They tore the Koran to pieces in front of us, threw it into the toilet," Vakhitov said.



BBC Monitoring International Reports, June 26, 2004, RUSSIAN TV INTERVIEWS FREED GUANTANAMO PRISONERS... bucket instead of a toilet. People were in cells, ... ... floor. (Vahitov) They tore the Koran to pieces in front of us, threw it into the toilet.



The Observer, March 14, 2004, Observer News Pages, Pg. 5, 5420 words, World Exclusive: Inside Guantanamo: How we survived jail hell: For two years the Tipton Three have been silent prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Now, in this remarkable interview with David Rose, they describe for the first time the extraordinary story of their journey from the West Midlands to Camp Delta, David Rose... ... sleeping tents, copies of the Koran would be trampled on by ... ... occasion, thrown into a toilet bucket.

 

[Vance]

I decided to look for the information and found this incredibly beautiful statements. This statements have published by your lovely government, not "liberals" or "anti-Bush" sites. It is the US government site. Yessir. Here it is:

Afghan Riots Not Tied to Report on Quran Handling, General Says
Army investigating allegations of mishandling at Guantanamo Bay facility

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says a report from Afghanistan suggests that rioting in Jalalabad on May 11 was not necessarily connected to press reports that the Quran might have been desecrated in the presence of Muslim prisoners held in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Air Force General Richard Myers told reporters at the Pentagon May 12 that he has been told that the Jalalabad, Afghanistan, rioting was related more to the ongoing political reconciliation process in Afghanistan than anything else.

According to initial reports, the situation in Jalalabad began on May 10 with peaceful student protests reacting to a report in Newsweek magazine that U.S. military interrogators questioning Muslim detainees at the Guantanamo detention center “had placed Quran s on toilets, and in at least one case flushed a holy book.” By the following day the protests in the city had turned violent with reports of several individuals killed, dozens wounded, and widespread looting of government, diplomatic and nongovernmental assets.

However, Myers said an after-action report provided by U.S. Army Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, commander of the Combined Forces in Afghanistan, indicated that the political violence was not, in fact, connected to the magazine report.

Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/is/Archive/2005/May/13-299433.html


Your own US force has spoken. The case of so-called link between Newsweek's article and violence eruption is fake. Researching does pay off... I think someone needs to find a new excuse and I also guess someone may have hard time with reality from now. I want to post an excerpt from same statement by US government above:

Meanwhile, Myers said the U.S. military has assigned Army General Bantz Craddock to investigate allegations about the handling of the Quran at Guantanamo. Craddock brings the full weight of his responsibility as commander of the U.S. Southern Command to this effort.

Myers said the International Committee of the Red Cross has approved the edition of the Quran that has been distributed to Muslim detainees in Guantanamo. Craddock has been investigating the claim that proper respect was not given to the Koran. There are now some 550 enemy combatants at the military installation, which is designed to isolate individuals whom the military has identified as likely to have valuable intelligence about international terrorism.

Craddock and his team have examined the prisoner interrogation logs and Myers said “they cannot confirm yet” that there ever was a case of a U.S. interrogator flushing a Quran down the toilet. He did say there is another unconfirmed log reference to a guard report that a detainee tore pages from the Quran and flushed them in an attempt to flood the holding area as a form of protest.

Myers answered questions about the alleged Quran incident on the same day that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addressed the issue during an appearance before the House International Relations Committee.

She said disrespect for the Quran will never be tolerated by the United States and such disrespect “is abhorrent to us all.” Pakistan has voiced its concerns about the alleged incident, and Rice said the United States understands and shares the concerns of its Muslim friends. She went on to voice this request: “I am asking that all our friends around the world reject incitement to violence by those who would mischaracterize our intentions.”

I guess we will find out soon or later about these allegations which has been repeatedly for more than two years. However I am still wondering if they will alter the allegations like what they did with WMD and timetable or not though... Only the time will tell. However I must admit that I am preparing for these Bush Admin to alter this report or whatever to make them look good in any time. It is, in fact, predictable.

Have a nice night. To quote Bush: "this is hard work". Later!

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Reba and Magastu

I love to read your debate posts.

 

[Reba]

Reba and Magastu

I love to read your debate posts.

Thanks.

 

[Reba]

Ohh, another blogger pointed it out what I missed...
Indeed. What goes around come around. White House allowed the tortures and they have to expect the consequences. To reality, thank you.

I never said that Newsweek was the only source of these stories. But the violent reaction did happen after the Newsweek story was published. The wording and distribution of the Newsweek story had the most influence on the Muslim world.

 

[Reba]

To backup what I said about White House pressured Newsweek to "retract" the story:

...Wait, there is few more:
....

What's your point? You just keep listing more sources of the same, same claims and allegations. Nothing new.

Since the first prison was built in time past, prisoners all over the world have always cried, "I am innocent", and "the guards were mean." Most of the prisoners in federal pens say, "I am not guilty", "the guards mistreat me", "I don't have my rights." So what else is new?

How come no one says, "Wow, it is amazing that the prisoners are provided free Korans and prayer rugs." Except for the prisoners who go on hunger strikes, most of them are gaining weight. How frequently did they shower and get clean clothes while they were in Afghanistan and Iraq? Prisoners at Gitmo actually have toilets? Wow!

When a Christian is imprisoned in a Muslim country, are they given a Bible? Ha!

Why do Americans and Europeans get more upset about what maybe happens to a Koran than what actually happens to the Ten Commandments or the Holy Bible? People mock, insult, mistreat Holy Bibles around the world every day. If anyone complains, they are called crazy fundamentalists. Huh?

 

[Reba]

I decided to look for the information and found this incredibly beautiful statements. This statements have published by your lovely government, not "liberals" or "anti-Bush" sites. It is the US government site. Yessir. Here it is:
Quote:
Afghan Riots Not Tied to Report on Quran Handling, General Says
Army investigating allegations of mishandling at Guantanamo Bay facility

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says a report from Afghanistan suggests that rioting in Jalalabad on May 11 was not necessarily connected to press reports that the Quran might have been desecrated in the presence of Muslim prisoners held in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Notice "not necessarily connected"; that doesn't mean absolutely not connected. It certainly added fuel to the fire.

...Meanwhile, Myers said the U.S. military has assigned Army General Bantz Craddock to investigate allegations about the handling of the Quran at Guantanamo. .. Craddock has been investigating the claim that proper respect was not given to the Koran. . .Craddock and his team have examined the prisoner interrogation logs and Myers said “they cannot confirm yet” that there ever was a case of a U.S. interrogator flushing a Quran down the toilet. He did say there is another unconfirmed log reference to a guard report that a detainee tore pages from the Quran and flushed them in an attempt to flood the holding area as a form of protest.

So far, no proof that a military guard flushed a Koran. The only person doing that was a Muslim prisoner himself. I guess he didn't have much respect for his own Koran.

...She [Rice] said disrespect for the Quran will never be tolerated by the United States and such disrespect “is abhorrent to us all.” Pakistan has voiced its concerns about the alleged incident, and Rice said the United States understands and shares the concerns of its Muslim friends. ..

When will our leaders say, "Disrespect for the Bible will never be tolerated by the United States and such disrespect 'is abhorent to us all'"? Or when will they say, "The United States understands and shares the concerns of its Christian and Jewish friends"?

 

[Reba]

from the Associated Press:

Afghanistan, Pakistan Seeks Quran Probe Despite Retraction
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's government said Tuesday that Newsweek should be held responsible for damages caused by deadly anti-American demonstrations after the magazine alleged U.S. desecration of the Quran, and it suggested that foreign forces may have helped turn protests violent.
Pakistan joined the international criticism of the magazine's article and said Newsweek's apology and retraction were "not enough."

Apparently, other countries still believe the Newsweek article was responsible for inciting violence.

The article sparked protests in several other Muslim countries.

Afghan presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said Newsweek's retraction Monday was a "positive step" toward clearing up concern about the report.

"But at the same time, we feel angered at the way this story has been handled," Ludin told a news conference Tuesday. "It's only fair to say at this stage that Newsweek can be held responsible for the damages caused by their story."

Following the article, violent anti-American demonstrations erupted in several Afghan cities, and about 15 people were killed in clashes with security forces. A string of government and relief organization offices were ransacked before police and troops restored order.

Ludin said the government suspected that "elements from within and outside Afghanistan" had helped turn peaceful protests violent...Pakistani officials also expressed anger that the magazine got its story wrong.

"Just an apology is not enough. They should think 101 times before publishing news that hurts hearts," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in Islamabad.

That is the opinion from the Muslim countries.

 

[Vance]

Here's another latest beautiful article:

Newsweek used as a source a "senior government official," normally a Cabinet secretary or someone fairly close to that rank, who had previously been a reliable source. It then showed the report to two Pentagon officials before publication. One declined comment and one corrected another aspect of the story. Neither challenged the Qur'an-in-the-toilet statement.

Only after the report had been printed did the original source back away from his assertion that he had seen the confirmation in a military report on abuse at Guantanamo. On reflection, he thought perhaps he saw it in other reports or drafts; but he did see it.

As for this short Newsweek item causing the rioting and deaths in Afghanistan, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan told Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers that the violence was "not at all" tied to Newsweek, but was an insurgency seeking to prevent the national reconciliation that President Hamid Karzai is trying to promote. Before the Newsweek item was even published, both the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse reported a new surge of Taliban-led violence.

Indeed. So why does White House and "certain" people hate the reality so much that they have to babble the bullshits toward Newsweek? No matter how many years, I will never figure out why they hate the reality.. anyway, back to this topic.

Besides, the White House itself committed much more egregious errors in the way it so casually used dubious intelligence to make a case for going to war in Iraq. As the blog Daily Kos pointed out Tuesday, McClellan seems to have a double standard. In his discussion with reporters on July 17, 2003, he was asked: Bush is "president of the United States. This thing he told the country on the verge of taking the nation to war has turned out to be, by your own account, not reliable. That's his fault, isn't it?"

McClellan responded: "No."

You should have seen that coming, no?

The accusations concerning Qur'ans in toilets have been published repeatedly over the past three years in a number of media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, a number of other American newspapers, the BBC and a Moroccan Islamic newspaper. The only thing Newsweek added was a claim of "official confirmation." While not a small thing, that supposed confirmation did not break this story; it is old news. And one source's faulty memory over where he saw information about it does not prove that the accusations of Qur'an abuse are untrue. Indeed, they still deserve further investigation.

The White House response fits a pattern of trying to intimidate the press from exploring issues the administration doesn't want explored. Compare it, for example, to the Dan Rather report on President Bush's military service. To this day, we don't know if what Rather reported was accurate or not, or to what degree it may have been accurate. Nor do we know whether the documents he cited were genuine. All we know is that CBS can't verify that they were genuine.

Yet the hullabaloo caused by that incident appears to have intimidated other journalists from trying to pin down the full truth about Bush's military service. And now there will probably be less enterprise reporting on prisoner abuse or anything else that might embarrass this administration. It also fits neatly in with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's effort to muzzle public television and radio. This behavior seems so Nixonian, except that the current crew is much better at the press-intimidation game than William Safire and Vice President Spiro Agnew were.

And...

For Newsweek and other media that come in for this treatment, we have one word: Resist.

Exactly. Here's popular quote: "The truth will set you free". In other words, we shall resist for the truth's sake.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5409054.html