Quran Burning: Angry Afghans Protest Outside Of U.S. Air Base In Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A military official says Muslim holy books that were burned in a pile of garbage at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan had been removed from a library at a nearby detention center because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions.

A military official with knowledge of the incident told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it appeared the Qurans and other Islamic readings were being used to fuel extremism, and that detainees apparently were leaving notes for one another inside them.

The official, who did not want his nationality disclosed, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident.

The top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says the books were inadvertently given to troops for burning.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – More than 2,000 angry Afghans protested outside an American air base on Tuesday after they learned that copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, were burned in a pile of garbage at a sprawling U.S. military base north of Kabul.

"Die, die, foreigners!" the demonstrators shouted. Some fired rifles into the air. Others threw rocks at the gate of the base and set tires ablaze.

The burning of the Quran and other religious books was unintentional, said U.S. Gen. John Allen, the top commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The incident stoked anti-foreign sentiment that already is on the rise after a decade of war in Afghanistan and fueled the arguments of Afghans who claim foreign troops are not respectful of their culture or Islamic religion.

Early Tuesday, as word of the incident spread, about 100 demonstrators gathered outside the sprawling Bagram Air Field in Parwan province. As the crowd grew, so did the outrage.

One protester, Mohammad Hakim, said if U.S. forces can't bring peace to Afghanistan, they should go home.

"They should leave Afghanistan rather than disrespecting our religion, our faith," Hakim said. "They have to leave and if next time they disrespect our religion, we will defend our holy Quran, religion and faith until the last drop of blood has left in our body."

Quran Burning: Angry Afghans Protest Disposal Of Islamic Books At U.S. Air Base In Kabul



Quran Burning: Angry Afghans Protest Disposal Of Islamic Books At U.S. Air Base In Kabul

A 23-year-old man was arrested Friday on hate-crime charges after he threw a Quran in a toilet at Pace University on two separate occasions, police said.

How Is Dunking Koran In Toilet A Muslim Hate Crime?

Crazy stuff HG.

You think anyone would ever be arrested for throwing a BIBLE in the toilet? FUCK NO... they'd call it ART.

This double standard for islam is out of fucking control. Fuck islam, fuck muslims, and fuck their filthy, blood lust, murderous, pedophile cult they call a religion.

You could put the Bible in the toilet and film yourself shitting on it, nobody will do anything.

Exactly... so why should anyone give a damn if someone does it to a quran?

Answer: We shouldn't, and I don't. It's political correctness run amok and an out of control double standard.

This really needs to be looked into, why is burning the American flag and pissing on Bibles ok but putting a Quran in the toilet is not? did I wake the fuck up in Riyadh today or something?

KABUL, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Four people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests in Afghanistan which flared for a second day on Wednesday in several cities over the burning of copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, at NATO's main base in the country.

The American Embassy said its staff were in "lockdown" and travel had been suspended as thousands of people expressed fury over the burning, a public relations disaster for U.S.-led NATO forces fighting Taliban militants ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

The U.S. government and the American commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologised after Afghan labourers found charred copies of the Koran while collecting rubbish at the sprawling Bagram Airbase about an hour's drive north of Kabul.

It failed to contain the fury. Thousands of Afghans took to the streets again, chanting anti-American slogans.

Winning the hearts and minds of Afghans is critical to efforts to defeat the Taliban. Similar incidents in the past have caused deep divisions and resentment among Afghans towards the tens of thousands of foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Seven foreign UN workers were killed during protests that raged across Afghanistan for three days in April 2011 after a U.S. pastor burned a Koran in Florida.

In Parwan province, home to the sprawling Bagram airbase where the Koran burning incident occurred, two people were shot dead by Afghan police and 13 wounded while attacking offices, provincial spokesman Roshan Khalid said.

A protester was shot dead by police in Logar province, east of the capital, the governor's spokesman, Deen Mohammad Darwish, said.

Afghan health ministry spokesman Ghulam Sakhi Kargar said one person also died in hospital in Kabul from gunshot wounds received during one of two shooting incidents at protests in at least four areas of the capital.

Shots came from the direction of a foreign military vehicle parked outside a U.S. military base, said a Reuters witness. It is not clear who opened fire. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials said they were unaware of shootings.

Later, wounded protesters along the busy Jalalabad road on the fringe of Kabul said Afghan police had fired on them.

Afghanistan: Dozens Wounded In Demonstrations Over Quran-Burning At NATO Base



Afghanistan: Dozens Wounded In Demonstrations Over Quran-Burning At NATO Base

About 10 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during days of unrest unleashed last April over the burning of a Quran by American pastor Terry Jones in Florida.

^ This is why it's better to go there and fight than allow such angry people here. Clearly so many are just unable to control themselves.

Wow thats just ridiculous, shitting on a US flag and burning it is ok but putting the Quran in a toilet is not? I don't agree with putting it in the toilet however we should not be putting people in jail for that, man I guess are living under Sharia law now.

If the Muslims got this pissed everytime one of them did a suicide bombing and killed innocent people, the radical terrorist Muslims would be cleaned up real quick.