Obama apologizes over Koran burning at U.S. base in Afghanistan

What a nice thank you from the people of Afghanistan! Time to pull out and let the country sink into the old cesspool. Tell them attack America again and face retaliation of 10 or 100 fold. The country is not worth a single American life. Bring them home Mr. President.

Obama had to apologize for this douchebag's book burning. He represents the soldiers, and it is extremely important that they make clear that they are not at war with Islam - which the Islamic extremists want to think already. This soldier who did it is a dick. Obama did the right thing.

I wish religion didn't exist , no bibles no koran, and we would never have all these stupid, differences. I guess it will never go away and 1000 years from now people, (if we still exist) will still have the same problems Pathetic...What a mess!!

...and now it's time to move on...

"But White House spokesman Jay Carney said the apology, which came in a broader three-page letter to Karzai, “was absolutely the right thing to do.”

Of course it was. Not apologizing would have incensed the Afghan extremists even more.

But it sure incensed the extremists in the U.S.! -

“It is an outrage that President Obama is the one apologizing to Afghan President Karzai on the same day two American troops were murdered and four others injured by an Afghan soldier,” Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said. “It is Hamid Karzai who owes the American people an apology, not the other way around.”

How stupid can he get?  Karzai has next to no control over his country. Does anyone NOT know this? Gingrich shows an outrageous level of ignorance by not factoring this into his outburst.

Not only that, but Gingrich probably also thinks all Afghans must be happy to have foreign invaders living in their land. How would Gingrich feel if, say, the Chinese army had 100,000 troops stationed at Chinese military bases in North America for a decade? 

Of course he and many Americans would have issues with that, just like many Afghans do with the U.S. military presence in their country.

Gingrich shows an astounding level of ignorance and stupidity here.

I must've missed the Afghan apology over the destruction of Buddha statues back in 2001. I believe one leader quipped "all we are breaking is stones." Bad behaviour or not, at least an apology was offered in the case above. Destruction ordered Feb 26, 2001 in two days the 11th anniversary @ http://www.rawa.org/statues.htm

Grouchy: I would be surprised if you are living in Japan and would equate apologizing to "bending over" for someone.

Yet they burn our flags readily and we just shake our heads.

"Finally its a disgrace that someone in Obamas position has to apologise to people for someone else burning man made books. Yes they are Books, thats all!"

Liberty: As commander-in-chief, President Obama's position is that he's responsible for the US armed forces. Whether they are just books is another arguement.

U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP the military removed Korans from a prison at Bagram because inmates were suspected of using the holy book to pass messages to each other.

The U.S instead of apology should have issued a statement that prisoners in Bagram had desecrated Koran's that were given them by writing in the Holy book personal messages defiling the pure words of the prophet.

The U.S took the appropriate action to ensure that defiled Koran's were destroyed out of respect to the culture and to keep the prophets words pure.

and the last one standing gets to rule what's left

Tried it. The Taliban got into power and were impossible for Halliburton to deal with when building pipelines.

At this stage in the conflict it wouldn't mean a damn hill of beans to these folks if Obama was to kiss their butts in Macy's Window,the bottom line is they Don't want our "Help"!

Our president bows and apologizes as good as any public figure I can think of and still these Afghnaners burn him in effigy and call him a dog. So not fair.

Smithjapan:

" And yet you think it's perfectly okay to offend these people deeply. "

But these same people have no problem offending others deeply in turn, or do you think Buddhists are happy about the demolition of the Bamiyan buddhas? Don´t you think that respect should be a mutual affair, instead of one-sided submission?

This is not ok, Obama. The free world should never be apologizing to these animals.

Religious extremists of all varieties are quick to take offense for any variety of reasons. It's a root sickness of religions. That said, respect for others' cultures, particularly when not in one's own culture, is a reasonable responsibility. That goes both ways. Non-muslims in a predominantly muslim nation should respect the host nation's culture, just as non-christians should in a predominantly christian nation. But as intolerance is a basic characteristic of most religions, the likelihood of instilling tolerance in the inherently intolerant is highly unlikely. This battle has raged through the ages.

Afghanistan has been in a state of turmoil for many years now, but the Talibans now have a reason to rally and strengthen their forces and at the same time, keep the Americans out of the picture by hunting them down outright ... all caused by either neglect or plain stupidity.

But on the other hand, all Americans in Afghanistan are now in danger of being pelted or even shot on sight, no matter if they are in the military or not, even if they work for the Afghan people or not ... this, I believe is what President Obama wants to avoid.

Pull all American civilians now, and the military soon. Let Afghanistan worry about it's own for now.

Tried it. The Taliban got into power and were impossible for Halliburton to deal with when building pipelines

Exactly - this is the whole crux of the matter.... who Halliburton, Bechtel and other multinationals can deal with - simply establishing the most stable and pliable government these companies can work with....

Liberty, if you are religious, your religion's holy book is far more than "just a book."

It's something you base your life and many of your spiritual and non-spiritual beliefs on, a cherished very valuable document that is to be respected.

@ SushiSake3

Liberty, if you are religious, your religion's holy book is far more than "just a book."

It's something you base your life and many of your spiritual and non-spiritual beliefs on, a cherished very valuable document that is to be respected.

I think killing people as retribution is going too far but I understand their anger. In a way, I respect strong beliefs as opposed to the apathy that "modern" people are experiencing. People in the West are so full of their perceived cultural superiority - take a good look at what "we" worship as a substitute to religion and who our heroes are... don't know about you but I am disgusted.

LoveNot:

" Burning of books reminds of the dark ages of witch hunting in Europe and the Nazi in Germany who burned books they thought oppose their regime including classics. Another shameful act from American military. "

They had no problem burning thousands of bibles shipped to them by well-meaning but stupid Christian groups. I recall neither riots nor Obama apolozing, nor anybody here protesting against book burning at that time, do you?

ZenStudent:

" smithinjapan, my thoughts exactly. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about Islam or Christianity or whatever, the planet is not going to go very far without mutual respect for people's beliefs. "

So where is the mutual respect from the islamic side?

If the local populace treated their women like they want their holy Quran treated (with utmost respect) perhaps I'd listen to them.

RR

It's simply obvious that a culture that riots and kills over books is inferior to one that doesn't.

Parmen, the books were available because the NATO forces try their hardest to treat their prisoners decently. Guantanamo Bay is the same. Prisoners are given Korans, prayer mats, shown the direction to Mecca, served halal meals 3 times a day, get medical/dental care, have tvs and video games, and most gain weight before they are released. I wonder how prisoners in the care of Al Qaeda are treated...

You have to walk a fine line these days to appeal to the good nature of moderate elements which is what Obama's apology is for. He's not apologizing to the people who killed others, he's extending courtesy to those in the religion who were offended. I really don't have a problem with that, and overall it's good policy given the specifics of the situation.

But I do have a problem with those who see the issue as a problem of tolerance on the part of the US, and I especially have an issue with those who seem to think a person is wrong for "inciting" another to violence while ignoring the utterly ass backwards nature of the justification of the violence. Sorry, but I'm not tolerant of other people's intolerance. It just emboldens them and ends up being counterproductive.

If the church that protests at funerals started killing gay people there isn't a single person here who wouldn't condemn them. No one would say that we should respect their views because we've evolved well beyond that. Either these things are universal or they aren't. Sometimes people use the word "tolerance" as a euphemism for "appeasement" which means they are motivated by fear, not understanding.

Zen student:

" WilliB, I have two very good friends who are muslims (one from Morocco and one from Tunisia). And we respect each other's beliefs. "

I would question if you even know "their beliefs". From your handle, I assume you are buddhist, Do you know what the treatment that the Koran prescribes for you under islamic law? Read up on it.

Of course, Japan is not a Shariah country, and your Moroccon and Tunesian friends are probably not fundamentalist believers. But Afghanistan has islamic law, and is full of fundamentalists.

So be careful about assuming that your "respect" is reciprocated. (You could start with a sightseeing trip to the Bahmyian buddhas.)

Kabul was bracing Friday for further anti-U.S. demonstrations that have seen furious Afghans attack French, Norwegian and U.S. bases after the Taliban exhorted their countrymen to kill foreign troops to avenge the incident.

You need not read or think much further than that statement. One military commander at one base makes likely a wrong decisions (although I understand why it was made to a degree) to burn some books - pieces of paper bound together to simply explain an idea (supposedly based upon enlightenment and peace) and the people freak with the Taliban calling for people to kill because of it. We cannot combat this type of thinking, and we cannot win against it. It is a base stupidity based upon backwards thinking and old world superstitions. And while many like to say 'it's only the extremists' it sure seems like it doesn't take much to make a moderate an extremist in this culture and in this religion. Fourteen people who had lives, hopes and dreams - all snuffed out because some books were burned and the idiots perpetrating the violence could not have the simple human decency and intelligence to evolve and modernize their thinking enough to realize that a belief system is in how you live and react, not in the pages of some cheaply mass produced books that have been so widely misinterpreted from what they should be over the centuries. All because people can't see and accept that religion was created out of fear, and that fear has been propagated by leaders/abusers to perpetuate fear, which equals control and power. Nothing more. Religion feeds on man's fear of non-existence, and ironically when manipulated by those who choose to do so causes converts to send their fellow human being to that world of non-existence. Life is not enough for us, there must be something more. It should be enough. It could be if we'd stop doing stupid things like killing each other over books.

The problem has existed since man glanced up in the sky and thought that the sun must be a god. And it's so ingrained now that it will likely never end. But the problem is to keep the fools from killing the rest of us.

The article said who was at fault: a US official!

I am confused as to why Islamic leaders are basically sanctioning idolizing a book instead of emphasis on the Islamic teachings of forgiveness. How can sitting silently while people die be good for Islam?

Finally its a disgrace that someone in Obamas position has to apologise to people for someone else burning man made books. Yes they are Books, thats all!

Actually Paul, they ARE just books. There is no argument about that. Man made objects of ink and paper, same as a Harry Potter novel or a porno mag. How people SEE them is different.

if you are religious, your religion's holy book is far more than "just a book."

Nah. I call myself a Christian (and not one of those phoney-baloney Jesus Christ is our lord and saviour hallelujah types) and I wouldnt care if someone burned the New Testament.

It is just an attempt to upset me and I wont allow that to happen. Burn all my books, it doesnt change who I am nor what I stand for. It just shows their ignorance and I am bigger than that.

Burning of books reminds of the dark ages of witch hunting in Europe and the Nazi in Germany who burned books they thought oppose their regime including classics. Another shameful act from American military.

For the record, burning a defiled Koran is what the Islam declares acceptable.

The term "Quran desecration" is defined as insulting the Quran by defiling or defacing copies. Intentionally insulting the Quran is regarded as a form of blasphemy.

Most traditional schools of Islamic law require wudu (ritual handwashing; also spelled wazoo) before a Muslim may touch the Quran, which is regarded as the literal word of God in its original Arabic form. Muslims must always treat the printed book with reverence, and are forbidden, for instance, to pulp, recycle, or otherwise discard worn-out copies of the text; instead, burning or burying the worn-out copies in a respectful manner is required.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_desecration

Serrano:

" "Afghanistan is a deeply religious country" I wonder if this has anything to do with all the violence... "

Ah, the bite of sarcasm :-)

Just imagine thousands of Japanese abandoning their jobs on a weekday to march in the streets to protest anything. It didn't happen with the nuclear issue in Japan. Everyone can now understand the frustration and hopeless the people in this story feel. Here is something the world needs to know. When Americans see the American flag being burn, they just shrug it off. It has no meaning, and may even make people more proud of their country. It is regretful that the holy book was burned. Just another reason to abandon the military operations in Afghanistan. Yanks need to come home, including Japan.

From what I read in the International press.

Burning is an acceptable way to dispose of the Koran. Many scholars, etc are calling for calm as the paper only carries the words but they can print way more books but the message of the koran still exists even if some copies are destroyed.

One guy even mentioned the pastor in Florida that burned Korans and said it means nothing(besides him being an idiot trying to incite hate).

Islam has rules for destroying/disposing a Koran and burning is one of them.

Just some hot-heads trying to turn it into another JIhad or similar.

On the counter how are old copies of the Bible being disposed off? It is God's Word after all.

On the counter how are old copies of the Bible being disposed off? It is God's Word after all.

Did a little research. More or less depends on the individual Religious Denomination. Though burning isn't mentioned and the bible doesn't give any guidance. Most common way that I found would be to bury it with the appropriate liturgy or prayers said. This was more or less the norm until real recycling of paper was developed in the modern age. Though now most demoninations I found also find this as an acceptable way to dispose of a Bible and I found this most interesting, it is to recycle it as any used book. Since Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross and was later resurrected in another form it makes perfect sense. I would say that the modern world does in fact on occassion mesh with the ancient one on sacred Christian religious traditions.

"Obama had to apologize for this douchebag's book burning. He represents the soldiers, and it is extremely important that they make clear that they are not at war with Islam - which the Islamic extremists want to think already. This soldier who did it is a dick. Obama did the right thing."

While I agree with your message (that Obama is doing the right thing), your use of vulgar language is disappointing....and the moderator(s) decision to not alter it suggests some serious bias on this board.

The average American on the street in Hollywood at 2 AM could not choose correctly which book is the Koran and which book is the Bible even if the title was printed in the NATIVE alphabet. The people in Afghanistan need to go work 8-10 hours a day, improve the economy, and start protesting against government corruption in their own country. However, they are right. "Yanks come home!"

U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP the military removed Korans from a prison at Bagram because inmates were suspected of using the holy book to pass messages to each other.

Just heard this from a guy at work. But I'm having some trouble with the logic. Passing messages? These guys are in a prison so they're locked up/under supervision right? So are the messages about a jail break or insurrection once they get released? Or are they about religion?

If the Koran is considered to be a holy book, isn't writing messgaes on their pages a kind of desecration?

In any case, confiscating them should be enough. Burning them is just plain stupid and is giving these guys ammunition to incite violence.

But these same people have no problem offending others deeply in turn, or do you think Buddhists are happy about the demolition of the Bamiyan buddhas? Don´t you think that respect should be a mutual affair, instead of one-sided submission?

Wrong is wrong. All people have a right to their own beliefs but should not force them on others. But I would not judge any religion on the actions of a minority. Let's not forget what the Christians have done in the past. Diffferent sects of Buddhist monks in Japan have done bad things in the past too.

From my Islamic teaching in school, the way to disposed of defiled or torn Quran is by burning it. However, I think, instead of the army doing it, they should call an imam or collect all those defiled Quran and let the local to do it. the issue is just too sensitive in a country still in war. we do not know the intention, to give them the benefit of the doubt, just say they are trying to do what is appropriate to disposed off the Qurans that were deemed as defiled.

SushiSake3, of topic perhaps but I checked out your link to the art using old books. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing!

Pruit Igoe 72: "please educate yourself about the superiority of an atheist worldview"

Would you be so kind as to 'educate' the rest of us about what is so 'superior' about believing in nothing?

smithinjapan: "You can say it's "just a book" all you want, and that's your right, but to Muslims it is an extremely important item, and you peeing on it or saying peeing on it (knowing how insulting it would be) doesn't warrant an apology is ignorance, quite frankly. If I'm in someone's home or even backyard intentionally doing something that insults them then I should apologize, plain and simple".

smithinjapan, my thoughts exactly. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about Islam or Christianity or whatever, the planet is not going to go very far without mutual respect for people's beliefs.

Obama did the right thing.

The DO, Romeo. Both are kept in bags, and only taken out when wanted.

Makes me wonder why these books were so readily available for mistreatment. I mean, I keep my waste in a waste bin and my treasure protected. This isn't the first time a holy book has been burned. And it isn't he first time an accident, or cultural insensitivity, has lead to many deaths. yet why the blood letting that in the middle ages we recorded as witch hunts. In all this we can see that the local people believe that the military are interlopers. I don't think we should interpret the US president's apology as anything less than a real desire to throw cool waters on an obvious blaze.

So where is the mutual respect from the islamic side?

WilliB, I have two very good friends who are muslims (one from Morocco and one from Tunisia). And we respect each other's beliefs.

We have never had a problem considering a) I don't burn their copy of the Koran and b) I'm not occupying their country.

As for the 'it is just a book' argument, I could apply the same logic to 'gold'. It is just a metal. Or is it? It depends on how you perceive the world.

It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about Islam or Christianity or whatever, the planet is not going to go very far without mutual respect for people's beliefs.

Mutual respect? How about going even further than that and actually show that respect backed up by actual deeds, deeds that go above and beyond what would be expected.

(CNN) -- Military personnel threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles that were printed in the two most common Afghan languages amid concern they would be used to try to convert Afghans, a Defense Department spokesman said Tuesday. The unsolicited Bibles sent by a church in the United States were confiscated about a year ago at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan because military rules forbid troops of any religion from proselytizing while deployed there, Lt. Col. Mark Wright said. Such religious outreach can endanger American troops and civilians in the devoutly Muslim nation, Wright said. "The decision was made that it was a 'force protection' measure to throw them away, because, if they did get out, it could be perceived by Afghans that the U.S. government or the U.S. military was trying to convert Muslims," Wright told CNN on Tuesday.

President Obama should have reminded President Karzai of this in his "apology".

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/

...and now it's time to move on...

Because it bears repeating.

@Serrano: Sushi meant Iraq!

Which were based on lies by Bush and how the majority of Americans dislike being there!

Too bad Obama is not Japanese. If he were, then a televised, deep bow that shows the top of his head would be enough. Is anyone ready to riot in the streets of Tokyo if the USA military personnel spit on the monks collecting money? No, the Muslims need to understand that flag burning and street protests get about 2 minutes on the western nightly news. That's it. The public doesn't care and usually looks at it as "that's the way it is there."

@Wolfpack: Obama did not ordered the burnings!

It was a soldier who did it out of "ignorance."

He is apologizing since he is the leader of the country and representing the regret that one of his country's soldiers did.

Wolfpack, did Obama ordered it? Am not sure about tht. About what Islamic teaching says about what would happened to the non believers, all I would say, I let God do the judgement. It is not up to any human being to decide who would go where in the afterlife. Even Muslims can't be certain whether they would be in heaven or rot in hell. What other Muslims did like being a suicide bomber and killing innocent lives like what happened in Bali for example, is not something written in Quran.

"Officer", I mean

How can sitting silently while people die be good for Islam?

If they kill a unbeliever, they go to Heaven. They believe something like this. They are not afraid to die either.

http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/2012/02/hypocrisy-thy-name-is-islamic-outrage.html We are encouraging this sort of behavior by not denouncing it. The Koran burning was inadvertent and not intended as any sort of slander to Islam. The reaction is over the top, hypocritical, and criminal.

What would happen if somebody is forced to format a hard disc with Koran?

It's likely the same penalty you would get if you were a woman and the victim of rape - the death penalty.

Burning a book isn't worth a presidential apology - even a religious book.

I agree with you that the reaction is a little over-the-top in terms of the book.

But how about the American soldiers urinating on the dead Afghan bodies? Now is that acceptable behavior anywhere?

Ha! President Obama apologizes for American's bad behavior AGAIN!

Can't wait to see the hardliners flip out over this.

Invade the wrong country and kill millions of innocent civilians? - OK! 

President says sorry? - not Ok!

It must be nice to have such a simple view of life. :-)

It seems there are few people for whom Obama won't bend over.

Is there anything tat won't "incense" these people, a term I use loosely. It's time to leave them to their barren sandbox. I do feel a great deal of sympathy for the minority communities and the opppressed of Afghanistan- women, gays, non-Muslims, the educated, basically anyone without a bushy beard and an AK-47. We should let those who want to leave and better their lives have the chance. Those who stay can kill each other, and the last one standing gets to rule what's left.

Nation building doesn't work when there never was a nation to build in the first place.

Wow, the censors have been busy today. My reply to Herve has been struck from the record. As has my comment that Grammefriday is answering.

To rephrase:

"Religious extremists" do exist in all religions, however they do not react in the same way. The Taliban had no trouble in destroying and desecrating the symbols of other religions. Also note that the other religions did not resort to violence and bloodshed as a result.

The fact that the US and the military would actually investigate the situation, and that it is an aberration as opposed to established policy, says a lot about which particular culture is superior.

"Afghanistan is a deeply religious country"

I wonder if this has anything to do with all the violence...

@Wurthington

Yet they burn our flags readily and we just shake our heads.

What would you think is appropiate? We start killing people too?

Then I guess you'd be okay with the Afghanistan military occupying your country to bring about stability?

Regardless what you may think of the locals, the mission is about peace and pissing them off does not help.

SuchiSaki3 I am definetely not religious in fact I hate it and wish it would go away ! however I respect those who practise there religion if they do so peacefully and need these books for guidance

I'm sorry suchisaki but it is just a book, koran, bible, whatever! you can get the same information from them on the internet.

Someone mentioned earlier that the books were burned because of ignorance or they just wanted to cause trouble. Now the president of the US is trying to fix the mess.

Sailwind is right, we are forgetting WHY the books were destroyed in the first place. It may have been smart if the military had shown the pre-defiled Korans before burning them, but who knows if it would have been believed.

Given the age of the internet I wonder if the destruction of a memory stick that had a downloaded file of the Koran would also cause similar strife....

For any religion, the words/ideas should be the key. Emphasis on trappings and talismans is primitive.

Grouchy Gaijin: "I do feel a great deal of sympathy for the minority communities and the opppressed of Afghanistan- women, gays, non-Muslims, the educated, basically anyone without a bushy beard and an AK-47."

And yet you think it's perfectly okay to offend these people deeply. You can say it's "just a book" all you want, and that's your right, but to Muslims it is an extremely important item, and you peeing on it or saying peeing on it (knowing how insulting it would be) doesn't warrant an apology is ignorance, quite frankly. If I'm in someone's home or even backyard intentionally doing something that insults them then I should apologize, plain and simple.

Obama is apologizing yet again for the actions of morons. It is bad, yes, in the sense that he HAS to apologize for the behaviour of a few bad apples, but it is GOOD that he is trying to make amends in order to improve relations, and right something he knows to be utterly wrong.

This sounds like Rick Santorum is among us

"Liberty, if you are religious, your religion's holy book is far more than "just a book." It's something you base your life and many of your spiritual and non-spiritual beliefs on, a cherished very valuable document that is to be respected."

Sushi sake 3, please educate yourself about the superiority of an atheist worldview.

Here's an idea for what to do with old books. Pretty amazing. :-) -

http://karanarora.posterous.com/insane-art-formed-by-carving-books-with-surgi

I don't see what all the fuss is about. Muslims themselves have given the okay to burn Korans if they are in bad condition, as well as bury them. Personally, I think people should remember that religious books are just that, books! They are nothing more than ink and paper, regardless of the teachings or stories in them. I'm pretty sure Yahovalla won't mind!

US invaded muslims countries and now burning their holy books and they cant do anything !!!!! History is repeating herself.

Sushi: "So invading and occupying a country for a decade is acceptable"

Oh good grief, our soldiers liberated that country from the awful Taliban, thousands of them have died/been maimed, and they continue to put their lives on the line to help these people every day. Only liberals would dispute these facts.

There are definitely two sides to this coin. Yes we should respect peoples cultures/beliefs in their own back yard. But as WilliB also wisely pointed out, it also should be a mutual thing as well. One issue though is that Islam is always looking for "validation" as "the true" religion which is why so many are so aggressive in their views and constant in the persecution of those that don't believe as they do. So its ok to apologize for what happened in Afghanistan, but its not ok if they start protesting what happens in other peoples countries if they "defile" or "blaspheme" Islam and the qur'an which they HAVE done.

Get rid of Obama and you will have lessened the problems overseas by a least 50 percent.

Just to make it clear I mean peaceful protesting, not "We will kill you!" protesting and causing violent acts.

Two US soldiers has lost their lives after Mr Obama's appeasement!

@FruitsBasketFan

He is apologizing since he is the leader of the country and representing the regret that one of his country's soldiers did.

Burning a book isn't worth a presidential apology - even a religious book. Except if Obama burned the book himself of course. An apology simply justifies the over the top outrage and the subsequent killing of Americans that followed the apology. I think the count is up to four Americans killed over an accidental burning of some korans. It is wrong to burn religious books but is in no way as big a deal as the reaction has been. So far, the president of Afghanistan hasn't apologized for the killing of Americans that were not even directly involved in the incident.

What is more serious, killing people or burning the koran? Since no one seems to be demanding an apology from Karzai, it appears that killing people is the lesser offense in this discussion.

Is it permitted to delete computer files containing Koran? What would happen if somebody is forced to format a hard disc with Koran?

More blood has been spilled in the name of God than any of us can imagine. As long as we have different religions there will always be conflict. I respect what Obama did. Sometimes we have to save each other from ourselves. That idiot soldier could have endangered Americans who are not with armed forces anywhere in the world.

Obama did what Noda should have done when Nagoya's mayor denied the Nanjing massacre.

He's not bowing down to pressure. He's being a President, a leader who keeps the interest of the people of his nation at heart. Mr. Obama is an American patriot and we are lucky to have him.

Now just remember one thing. It was an idiot that caused this situation. Most likely a young Republican.

@it's ME. It wasn't broke, hahahaha.

Typical "Ugly American" behavior. Disrespect everyone else, but demand and force respect for ourselves. It's the big fat bully syndrome. I can tell you first hand that there's a lot of morons and ignoramuses in the service. They don't care to understand foreigners or their culture. They are just there to "do their job" and no questions asked. They don't give a crap about burning anything because they don't know what the heck they are burning. Everything ethnic looks the same to them, every person is a potential terrorist including women and children. We don't understand them and translators are scares. So when orders are given out to burn what is seemingly junk, we pile up everything and burn it. Most soldiers don't know what a Koran is vs. a history book - it all looks the same.

Agree to change my mind - the Koran, Bible, etc. are just 'books', however we need to remember that this is just our opinion.

Others think differently and we should not expect them to think like we do.

We all know what big proponents the Taliban are for literacy and for education in general. I believe the literacy rate is around 42% for men and 12% for women. President O'gomene has not helped in this matter.

Infidels were infidels....with or without burning the Korans those afghans will tipping the Talibans to lay IEDs on the route of US/Nato convoys or patrols ! Mr Obama's apology was really really a big 'embrassment' with 'amusing effects'!

j4p4nFTW - "This is not ok, Obama. The free world should never be apologizing to these animals."

Talk about ignoring the elephant in the room.

So invading and occupying a country for a decade is acceptable but the locals getting p*ssed when their holy book is burnt isn't?

Totally warped thinking.....

But, but, but .... this administration said the Taliban isn't our enemy.

RR

Netninja

More blood has been spilled in the name of a God/Religion than any of us can imagine.

Here fixed it for you.

As for Obama apologising he is the CIC and thus the highest ranking military official.

I still don't understand why President Obama ordered the burning of those Korans. He really is going overboard in trying to convince everyone that he isn't a Muslim.

Remind me: Did Obama ever apologize to Catholics for the officially ordered bible burning on US bases in Afghanistan?