Is anyone suprised at this equation:
Avetis had a diary yesterday about the reported descration of a Koran at Guantanamo bay. The reaction was a bit mixed. I'd like to use this diary to put the incident in context, and the show how volitile this situation really is.
Don't miss Eternal Hope's Diary which expands much more on the Middle East perspective and our attitude towards Islam.
The Incident
Newseek reported on May 9th that it confirmed allegations made in FBI emails about incidents of abuse at Gitmo:
Among the previously unreported cases, sources tell NEWSWEEK: interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet and led a detainee around with a collar and dog leash. An Army spokesman confirms that 10 Gitmo interrogators have already been disciplined for mistreating prisoners, including one woman who took off her top, rubbed her finger through a detainee's hair and sat on the detainee's lap.
U.S. Response
It wasn't until the protests (described below) started that the U.S. government addressed the issue---or did it?
But top U.S. military officials said they have not confirmed any such desecrations of the Islamic holy book at Guantanamo Bay. Defiling the Koran or otherwise showing disrespect for the detainees' Muslim faith is strictly against U.S. policy at the prison, military officials said.
Against U.S. policy? Really? Really? From the same article:
Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said Thursday that while an investigation found one case in which a detainee clogged a toilet with pages ripped from the Koran, as well as times when detainees were irritated when guards touched Korans, no cases of Americans putting a Koran in a toilet had been found so far.
Not U.S. policy. Read below...
Isolated Incident?
Flushing a Koran....well, it was a one time thing? Not really. As BBC News reported,
"religious torture" is part of the Gitmo package:
Terror suspects held at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are being subjected to routine religious humiliation, some detainees claim.
They say interrogators use techniques - including sexual taunts - designed to break down devout Muslims. [...]
A lawyer who helped to compile the accounts, Marc Falkoff, told the BBC there was "systematic" religious abuse.
He said his clients had been forced to wear shorts - meaning they were not properly attired for prayer - and that they reported confiscation of religious items.[...]
One method of humiliation reportedly includes non-Muslim interrogators throwing the Koran on the ground and stepping on it.
In any interrogation, you go for the suspects Achilles heel, their weak point where they are most likely to break down. For the devoutly Muslim detainees, it's their religion. Thus, while some may think "it's just a book" you have to realize that this conduct is attacking the very fiber of their being. Islam isn't just a religion--it's a lifestyle, it's an identity.
Sexually suggestive techniques violating Muslim taboos about sex and contact with women have also been used, Mr Falkoff said. [...]
[O]ne detainee said female interrogators wearing lacy lingerie rubbed themselves on him suggesting they "could have some fun" - until he head-butted one of them.
Mr Falkoff some of his clients have been threatened with rape.[...]
The Washington Post quoted Pentagon officials as saying wearing skimpy clothes or engaging in suggestive touching would be inappropriate interrogation techniques.
A beautiful women trying to seduce you? And that's torture? This is where we have to understand that our American values are not shared by Muslim detainees. Getting smeared with menstral blood (real or fake) and having a woman rubbing herself on them is anathema to their religion. And that is why the technique isbeing used. Because it's effective. The "seductive interrogator" technique isn't used in police stations in the U.S., because it's not effective. It doesn't hit the detainee at a point where it can break their spirit.
Reaction in Muslim World
While the U.S. is tossing the incident off as one of an array of incidents to be "investigated", as Avetis said yesterday, the Muslim world is "on fire".
Protests have been sparked around the Muslim world, including Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Protestors have been killed. Thousands across the world have taken to the streets, demaning an apology:
Sixteen Afghans have been killed and more than 100 hurt since Wednesday in the worst anti-U.S. protests across Afghanistan since Americans invaded in 2001 to oust the Taliban for harbouring Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network.
Afghan officials are also demanding an apology.
While the U.S. can drop bombs pre-emptively, it seems saying "we're sorry" can't be done until well after the outrage has flashed across the globe.
The Fallout
So much for improving America's reputation. The problem is, were spending millions trying to show the Muslim world we're tolerant, and then an incident like this happens.
In fact, it was Bush who started "Muslim World Outreach", a program aimed at improving U.S. - Muslim relations and promoting moderate Islam.
One way "Muslim World Outreach", which is headed by the State Department, is trying to garner Muslim support for America is by pouring money into Arab countried to "restore mosques, save ancient Korans, even build Islamic schools."
You can save as many ancient Korans as you want, but flush one down the toilet and all attempts to save face in the Muslim world go down the crapper...
Why is this incident so important? A recent GAO report shows that anti-Americanism affects not only our safety, but our economy as well:
"[R]ecent polling data show that anti-Americanism is spreading and deepening around the world."
"Such anti-American sentiments can increase foreign public support for terrorism directed at Americans, impact the cost and effectiveness of military operations, weaken the United States' ability to align with other nations in pursuit of common policy objectives, and dampen foreign publics' enthusiasm for U.S. business services and products," the report warned.
What would have been the proper response? I don't think the State Department understands the gravitas of the situation. How about addressing the issue instead of hidding behind bland promises of "investigation".
Karen Hughes was recently appointed as the State Department's image-enhancer for the Muslim world. At the announcement of her confirmation, Rice stressed that Hughes would counter the "hateful propaganda" which is hurting our image worldwide.
It looks like Hughes will have her hands full countering not just propaganda--but PR follies of our making as well. And she was so well-qualified for the post, she's sure doing an excellent job handling this situation, right?