BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's most powerful Sunni Arab political party on Monday said a U.S. soldier's desecration of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, requires the "severest of punishments," not just an apology and a military reassignment.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, the movement of Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, condemned what it said was a "blatant assault on the sanctities of Muslims all over the world."

An American staff sergeant who was a sniper section leader used a Quran for target practice on May 9.

The U.S. commander in Baghdad on Saturday issued a formal apology and read a letter of apology from the shooter.

The sergeant has been relieved of duty as a section leader "with prejudice," officially reprimanded by his commanding general, dismissed from his regiment and redeployed -- reassigned to the United States.

But the Iraqi Islamic Party -- which said it reacted to the news "with deep resentment and indignation" -- wants the "severest of punishments" for the action.

"What truly concerns us is the repetition of these crimes that have happened in the past when mosques were destroyed and pages of the Holy Quran were torn and used for disgraceful acts by U.S. soldiers," al-Hashimi said.

"I have asked that first this apology be officially documented; second a guarantee from the U.S. military to inflict the maximum possible punishment on this soldier so it would be a deterrent for the rest of the soldiers in the future."

A tribal leader said "the criminal act by U.S. forces" took place at a shooting range at the Radhwaniya police station on Baghdad's western outskirts. After the shooters left, an Iraqi policeman found a target marked in the middle of the bullet-riddled Quran.
Read how the soldier could have provoked a crisis

Copies of the pictures of the Quran obtained by CNN show multiple bullet holes and an expletive scrawled on one of its pages.

On Saturday, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, appeared at an apology ceremony flanked by leaders from Radhwaniya. Video Watch as the U.S. formally apologizes »

"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Hammond said to tribal leaders and others gathered. "In the most humble manner, I look in your eyes today, and I say please forgive me and my soldiers."

Another military official kissed a Quran and presented it as "a humble gift" to the tribal leaders.

Hammond also read from the shooter's letter: "I sincerely hope that my actions have not diminished the partnership that our two nations have developed together. ... My actions were shortsighted, very reckless and irresponsible, but in my heart [the actions] were not malicious."

Hammond said, "The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior. I've come to this land to protect you, to support you -- not to harm you -- and the behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong and unacceptable."

The soldier reportedly claimed he wasn't aware the book was the Quran, but U.S. officials rejected his assertion.

Tribal leaders, dignitaries and local security officials attended the ceremony, while residents carried banners and chanted slogans, including, "Yes, yes to the Quran" and "America out, out." Video Watch as villagers pro-*test*-('") the Quran incident »

Sheikh Hamadi al-Qirtani, in a speech on behalf of all tribal sheikhs of Radhwaniya, called the shooting "aggression against the entire Islamic world."
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The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq also condemned the shooter's actions and the U.S. military's belated acknowledgment of what happened.

"As the Association of Muslim Scholars condemns this heinous crime against God's holy book, the constitution of this nation, a source of pride and dignity," the group's statement said, "they condemned the silence by all those who are part of the occupation's agenda and holds the occupation and the current government fully responsible for this violation and reminds everyone that God preserves his book and he [God] is a great avenger."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/19/...html#cnnSTCText





Why the hell is this man (who had nothing to do with incident) kissing a fucking book?

When will the world learn to stop pandering to these "people."

Talk about overreacting: "blatant assault on the sanctities of Muslims all over the world" "The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior" "aggression against the entire Islamic world"

You'd think from only reading the reactions that the soldier napalm'd the Dome of the Rock.

Hammond and co. are pussies. He should show respect to the people he is supposed to "free" of course, but what measure of respect will they have for him, or indeed the US or the west, if they witness a christian military leader kissng a quran? I mean, imagine one of the Iraqi leaders occupying the US and kissing a bible. It's just odd. There are other ways of showing good will without you having to humiliate yourself completely.


I wonder if there is a rational reason why muslims tend to react so aggressively when they are faced with any form of anti-islamism. Is the radicalization process so fundamentally effective that it completely alters human beings to act more violently? I've always been sceptical about the idea of radicalization; I've heard it spoken about in the media like it was somekind of disease, and when it gets hold of you your entire personality changes and you are suddenly capable of doing all kinds of narly shit. You have to ask yourself if there couldn't be other possible answers. The idea that a meme transfer from one mind to the other can be so extensive and allconsuming is kind of unrealistic to me.

It can't be the faith itself since there isn't a billion or so terrorists wandering about the streets overreacting and screaming for beheadings. Ignorance perhaps? If you know nothing else and all you've seen in your life is death and violence, perhaps that is how you define the world around you. That to me is the best answer, lack of education. Proper education civilizes the mind, it makes it sceptical, makes it question everything. If the mind doesn't question, there is no point in holding back. But then again, in cities like London there are educated radicals that are violent in nature. Which then begs the question; what really is the reason behind this so called radical aggressiveness?

I think that all this militant radicalism is more a cultural/political reaction than a religious phenomenon

A feeling of humiliation among muslim countries fueled by the colonialism, modern wars and low development. I'm not in Huntington theories, but if you look at all great civilisations (in term of time, influence, demography and space) still existing, the arabo-islamic civilisation is the weakest one today, what is to be compared with its strong past, when for instance the Umayyad caliphate reached the Atlantic and defeated the Chinese in central Asia. Among all the remaining "great" civilisations in the world Islam is the only one which fails to restore its might.

Look at China, India. They are becoming superpowers again, owning leader global companies and sending man or satellites into space. The public opinion is very resentful of Europeans and very eager to avenge their former subordination, and their governments are gradually achieving this goal in a (until now) pacific manner.

Would be dumb to compare nations like China and India and the Muslim World, but the inferiority complex is the same with this grandeur and decadence feeling, and when I see angered and violent radical muslims I can't help seeing this chinese/indian public opinion^10

Politic and religion have always been intricated in Islam, and it can't be different since political advices can be found everywhere in its holy texts and hadiths...

If we add the jihhad mentality that helped its spread in the world, and the "we don't like life we like death" thing they uttered if I remember well during their early attempt to conquer Constantinople, I think the background is clear enough to understand what help radicalism to grow

Great post. Really shed some light on the subject. What do you think is the reason why the Islamic World hasn't grown out of this inferiority complex? Is it the superpowers exploiting and interfering with them for the oil or what it is? What's keeping the muslim world locked in this "decadence" as you call it?