Afghan riots over Quran-burning: 2 days, 20 dead

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press


KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghans rioted for a second day Saturday to protest the burning of a Quran in Florida, killing nine people in Kandahar and injuring more than 80 in a wave of violence that underscored rising anti-foreign sentiment after nearly a decade of war.

The desecration at a small U.S. church has outraged Muslims worldwide, and in Afghanistan it further strained ties with the West. On Friday, 11 people were killed, including seven foreign U.N. employees, in a protest in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

The protests come at a critical juncture as the U.S.-led coalition gears up for an insurgent spring offensive and a summer withdrawal of some troops, and with Afghanistan's mercurial president increasingly questioning international motives and NATO's military strategy.

Two suicide attackers disguised as women blew themselves up and a third was gunned down Saturday when they used force to try to enter a NATO base on the outskirts of Kabul, NATO and Afghan police said. Earlier in the week, six U.S. soldiers died during an operation against insurgents in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan, where the Taliban retain safe havens.

President Hamid Karzai expressed regret for the 20 protest deaths, but he also further stoked possible anti-foreign sentiment by again demanding that the United States and United Nations bring to justice the pastor of the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, where the Quran was burned March 20. Many Afghans did not know about the Quran-burning until Karzai condemned it four days after it happened.

The pastor, the Rev. Terry Jones, had threatened to destroy a copy of Islam's holy book last year but initially backed down. On Friday he said Islam and its followers were responsible for the killings.

In the southern city of Kandahar, the cradle of the Taliban, hundreds of Afghans holding copies of the Quran over their heads marched in protest of the burning. Security forces shot in the air to disperse the crowd, but it was unclear how the protesters were slain, said Zalmai Ayubi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

The Kandahar governor's office said nine protesters were killed and 81 others were injured in the demonstration that turned into a riot. Seventeen people, including seven armed men, have been arrested, the statement said.

The protests began Friday in Kabul, Herat in western Afghanistan and Mazar-i-Sharif, where thousands flooded the streets.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghan demonstrators stormed a U.N. compound, shooting and killing four Nepalese guards, a Norwegian, a Romanian and a Swede. Afghan authorities suspect insurgents melded into the mob; they announced the arrest of more than 20 people, including a militant they suspect was the ringleader of the assault.

The top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, said the organization was temporarily redeploying 11 staff members from Mazar-i-Sharif to Kabul.

"This is not an evacuation, it is a temporary redeployment because the office is not functioning. We will be ready to go back as soon as we can establish an office that is secure enough," he told reporters.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, known as UNAMA, has some 1,500 staff — about 80 percent Afghans — operating in 18 regional and provincial offices across the country and in liaison offices in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

In late 2009, the U.N. sent about 600 foreign staff out of the country or into secure compounds after three gunmen stormed a Kabul guest house used by U.N. staff and killed 11 people, including five U.N. workers.

Karzai has in recent months increasingly criticized both the international community and U.S.-led foreign forces — the first for being ineffectual and unaccountable, the second for causing unnecessary civilian casualties in its campaign against insurgents.

Some Western diplomats privately say Karzai stoked some of the tension in recent days by making speeches about issues that had not gained much attention in the country, including the Quran burning.

De Mistura, however, said he drew no connection between the riots and Karzai's earlier condemnation of the Quran-burning. He said it takes "two to three weeks for information to percolate. It's not like in the West. Then it goes through the mosque and then through the Friday prayers."

"I don't think we should be blaming any Afghan. We should be blaming the person who produced the news — the one who burned the Quran," he said.

Although the Taliban are responsible for the vast majority of killings in Afghanistan, civilian casualties from coalition operations are a major source of strain in the country's relationship with the United States. The deaths tend to generate widespread outrage and Karzai has said they will no longer be tolerated.

The politicking could be part of an effort to reach out to the Taliban as Karzai tries to build bridges with the insurgents as part of a peace and reconciliation process. He and his advisers no longer refer to the Taliban as insurgents. They are often referred to as armed opposition groups.

The Taliban themselves have no such qualms and openly call for the overthrow of Karzai's government. Last week about 300 Taliban fighters overran the tiny capital of a remote mountainous district in northeast Nuristan province and raised their flag over city hall.

[Godfather]

We could sit and shake our heads at the Afghans acting like savages... totally irrational, 14th century reactions to a trivial 'trial' 3000 miles away....

But you know what's fucked up? At this point I think less of the fucking 'church' that pulled this stunt


It's like when you have people over and someone leaves their plate of food on the floor and the dog eats it... you're not mad at the dog, he's just a fucking dog: Kinda dumb, never gunna change, and totally predictable. It's the moron who left it there you shake your head at.


This clown burned the Quran knowing it would cause uproar. Knowing these people, when pissed, vent their rage at any white person they can find. And he went and did it with a big dumb grin on his face.

What an ass

[RBP]

Not sure I would classify the Afghans as dumb animals like that, but I know you were just making an analogy.

But given the fact that almost all of us think they guy is Florida is a moron, I also blame the imam who got that shit started with a ridiculous call to action.

[Godfather]

I agree.... the analogy was a tad harsh :lol:

But yeah, my point remains... they're hot blooded to put it kindly.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Afghan Quran-burning protests enter third day
By RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press


http://i.imgur.com/0sZCm.jpg

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan protests against the burning of a Quran in Florida entered a third day with a demonstrations in the south and east Sunday, while the Taliban called on people to rise up, blaming government forces for any violence.

The desecration at a small U.S. church has outraged Muslims worldwide, and in Afghanistan many of the demonstrations have turned into deadly riots. Protests in the north and south in recent days have killed 20 people.

In southern Kandahar city on Sunday, hundreds took to the streets for the second day in a row, and hospital officials said 20 people were hurt in skirmishes between police and demonstrators. On Saturday, nine people were killed and 80 injured when a protest turned into a riot.

At least two wounded police officers and 18 civilians had been brought into city hospitals, said Qayum Pokhla the provincial health director.

A morning protest in Jalalabad city was peaceful, with hundreds of people blocking a main highway for three hours, shouting for U.S. troops to leave and burning an effigy of President Barack Obama before dispersing, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene.

A similar protest in eastern Parwan province blocked a main highway with burning tires for about an hour, with more than 1,000 people protesting against the desecration of the Quran, said provincial police chief Sher Ahmad Maladani. He said there was no violence.

The violence started Friday when demonstrators stormed a U.N. compound in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing 11 people including seven foreign U.N. employees.

The Taliban said in a statement emailed to media outlets that the U.S. and other Western countries have wrongly excused the burning a Quran by the pastor of a Florida church on March 20 as freedom of speech and that Afghans "cannot accept this un-Islamic act."

NATO officials re-iterated their condemnation of the Quran burning in an apparent attempt to quell the rising anger.

"We condemn, in particular, the action of an individual in the United States who recently burned the Holy Quran," said the statement issued by military commander Gen. David Petraeus and the top NATO civilian representative in Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill.

"We further hope the Afghan people understand that the actions of a small number of individuals, who have been extremely disrespectful to the Holy Quran, are not representative of any of the countries of the international community who are in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people," the statement said.

On Saturday, U.S. President Barack Obama extended his condolences to the families of those killed by the protesters and said desecration of the Quran "is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry." But he said that does not justify attacking and killing innocent people, calling it "outrageous and an affront to human decency and dignity."

The Taliban statement said that those killed during the protests were unarmed demonstrators.

"Afghan forces under the order of the foreign forces attacked unarmed people during the protests, killing them and arresting some, saying there were armed people among these protesters, which was not true," the statement said.

Sher Jan Durani, a spokesman for the government of northern Balkh province, where the first riots occurred, said there were multiple armed men among the more than 20 arrested. Afghan authorities suspect insurgents infiltrated the mob.

In Kandahar, officials said 17 people, including seven armed men, have been arrested.

The protests come at a critical juncture as the U.S.-led coalition gears up for an insurgent spring offensive and a summer withdrawal of some troops, and with Afghanistan's mercurial president increasingly questioning international motives and NATO's military strategy.

[lost in melb.]

I agree.... the analogy was a tad harsh :lol:

But yeah, my point remains... they're hot blooded to put it kindly.

I call them hornets in a hornet nest. When you think about it that's lower in the animal kingdom :-k

[Loser]

Drop ship that asshole from florida directly into downtown angry mob....

End of fkin' story.

[DemonGeminiX]

I threatened to burn a Martha Stewart book in front of a bunch of old ladies once. It almost ended up like this.

8-[






[/humor]

[Loser]

Dont fuck with martha, that brawds hard core...shes been in prison... :lol:

[AntZ]

Today's excuse is a Koran burning?? Yesterday it was a cartoon in a magazine! Before that, it was Americans in the land of Mecca!

Soon, they will forget about this guy in Florida and get back to the tried and true reason to commit mass murder, THE JEWS in ISRAEL! :rolleyes:


This pig pile on this media whore from Florida is senseless! This religion of "Peace" would have just found another reason out of their asses to commit murder somewhere! Like the attacks on Christians last week!

Funny, I didn't hear any comments from the U.N. or Obama about that?? :-k


________________________________

Thousands of Christians Displaced in Ethiopia After Muslim Extremists Torch Churches, Homes

By Diane Macedo

Published March 24, 2011

| FoxNews.com





Thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes in Western Ethiopia after Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes.

At least one Christian has been killed, many more have been injured and anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 have been displaced in the attacks that began March 2 after a Christian in the community of Asendabo was accused of desecrating the Koran.

The violence escalated to the point that federal police forces sent to the area two weeks ago were initially overwhelmed by the mobs. Government spokesman Shimelis Kemal told Voice of America police reinforcements had since restored order and 130 suspects had been arrested and charged with instigating religious hatred and violence.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the Islamist group Kawarja is believed to have incited the violence.

"We believe there are elements of the Kawarja sect and other extremists who have been preaching religious intolerance in the area,” he said at a Saturday press conference. “In previous times, we have cracked down on Kawarja because they were involved in violence. Since then they have changed their tactics and they have been able to camouflage their activities through legal channels."

The string of attacks comes on the heels of several reports of growing anti-Christian tension and violence around the country where Muslims make up roughly one-third of the total population but more than 90 percent of the population in certain areas, 2007 Census data shows.

One of those areas is Besheno where, on November 9, all the Christians in the city woke up to find notes on their doors warning them to convert to Islam, leave the city or face death, a Christian from Besheno told FoxNews.com on condition of anonymity.

“Under the Ethiopian constitution we are supposed to have freedom of religion, but Muslim leaders in our town don’t allow us that right,” the source said.

Later that month three Christians in Besheno were assaulted in religiously-motivated attacks and three others were forced to flee the city after being told that Muslim leaders had commissioned hit men to kill them, one of the exiled Christians told FoxNews.com.

“We were told by some Muslims that live in the city that there was already a plan to kill us and that the people who were assigned to kill us had already come from another city to do it.”

A witness to the three attacks was then assaulted in January after testifying about them in court, International Christian Concern (ICC), an organization that aims to fight Christian persecution, reported.

In the southern town of Moyale, a Christian was sentenced to three years in prison in November for allegedly writing "Jesus is the Lord" in a copy of the Koran, Compass Direct News reported. Christians from the area told the website he had actually written the phrase on a piece of cloth.

Sources also told Compass authorities had offered to release the man, Tamirat Woldegorgis, if he would convert to Islam, but he refused.

Additionally, two of his friends were fined for visiting him in prison and taking him food, Compass Direct reported.

And in Oma Village on February 26 a Muslim mob with rocks and rods assaulted and wounded 17 Christian college students who were distributing Bibles during a mission trip, ICC reported.

The mob overwhelmed government security forces that attempted to protect the students, but the students eventually fled, the ICC website said.

"The violence against Christians in Ethiopia is alarming because Ethiopian Muslims and Christians used to live together peacefully. Besides, it’s extremely disconcerting that in Ethiopia, where Christians are the majority, they are also the victims of persecution," Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager of Africa and South Asia, told FoxNews.com.

Meles said that the government is doing everything it can to stop religious violence.

"We knew that they were peddling this ideology of intolerance, but it was not possible for us to stop them administratively because they are within their rights," he said. "If we can find some association between what they are doing by way of preaching and what happened by way of violence, then of course we can take them to court."

Racho, originally from Ethiopia, said the fact that the government waited a full week before sending troops to Asendabo shows that it’s not doing enough. Going forward, he said he hopes the government "will take measures to ensure that such attacks will not happen in the future," including bringing all responsible parties to justice to show this will not be tolerated.

"The Ethiopian government has arrested around 130 of the perpetrators, and we hope they will be prosecuted according to the law."

[Southern Belle]

We could sit and shake our heads at the Afghans acting like savages... totally irrational, 14th century reactions to a trivial 'trial' 3000 miles away....

But you know what's fucked up? At this point I think less of the fucking 'church' that pulled this stunt


It's like when you have people over and someone leaves their plate of food on the floor and the dog eats it... you're not mad at the dog, he's just a fucking dog: Kinda dumb, never gunna change, and totally predictable. It's the moron who left it there you shake your head at.


This clown burned the Quran knowing it would cause uproar. Knowing these people, when pissed, vent their rage at any white person they can find. And he went and did it with a big dumb grin on his face.

What an ass

agreed. so non Christian. He just lowered himself and his church to their standards.

[Southern Belle]

Today's excuse is a Koran burning?? Yesterday it was a cartoon in a magazine! Before that, it was Americans in the land of Mecca!

Soon, they will forget about this guy in Florida and get back to the tried and true reason to commit mass murder, THE JEWS in ISRAEL! :rolleyes:


This pig pile on this media whore from Florida is senseless! This religion of "Peace" would have just found another reason out of their asses to commit murder somewhere! Like the attacks on Christians last week!

Funny, I didn't hear any comments from the U.N. or Obama about that?? :-k


________________________________

Thousands of Christians Displaced in Ethiopia After Muslim Extremists Torch Churches, Homes

By Diane Macedo

Published March 24, 2011

| FoxNews.com





Thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes in Western Ethiopia after Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes.

At least one Christian has been killed, many more have been injured and anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 have been displaced in the attacks that began March 2 after a Christian in the community of Asendabo was accused of desecrating the Koran.

The violence escalated to the point that federal police forces sent to the area two weeks ago were initially overwhelmed by the mobs. Government spokesman Shimelis Kemal told Voice of America police reinforcements had since restored order and 130 suspects had been arrested and charged with instigating religious hatred and violence.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the Islamist group Kawarja is believed to have incited the violence.

"We believe there are elements of the Kawarja sect and other extremists who have been preaching religious intolerance in the area,” he said at a Saturday press conference. “In previous times, we have cracked down on Kawarja because they were involved in violence. Since then they have changed their tactics and they have been able to camouflage their activities through legal channels."

The string of attacks comes on the heels of several reports of growing anti-Christian tension and violence around the country where Muslims make up roughly one-third of the total population but more than 90 percent of the population in certain areas, 2007 Census data shows.

One of those areas is Besheno where, on November 9, all the Christians in the city woke up to find notes on their doors warning them to convert to Islam, leave the city or face death, a Christian from Besheno told FoxNews.com on condition of anonymity.

“Under the Ethiopian constitution we are supposed to have freedom of religion, but Muslim leaders in our town don’t allow us that right,” the source said.

Later that month three Christians in Besheno were assaulted in religiously-motivated attacks and three others were forced to flee the city after being told that Muslim leaders had commissioned hit men to kill them, one of the exiled Christians told FoxNews.com.

“We were told by some Muslims that live in the city that there was already a plan to kill us and that the people who were assigned to kill us had already come from another city to do it.”

A witness to the three attacks was then assaulted in January after testifying about them in court, International Christian Concern (ICC), an organization that aims to fight Christian persecution, reported.

In the southern town of Moyale, a Christian was sentenced to three years in prison in November for allegedly writing "Jesus is the Lord" in a copy of the Koran, Compass Direct News reported. Christians from the area told the website he had actually written the phrase on a piece of cloth.

Sources also told Compass authorities had offered to release the man, Tamirat Woldegorgis, if he would convert to Islam, but he refused.

Additionally, two of his friends were fined for visiting him in prison and taking him food, Compass Direct reported.

And in Oma Village on February 26 a Muslim mob with rocks and rods assaulted and wounded 17 Christian college students who were distributing Bibles during a mission trip, ICC reported.

The mob overwhelmed government security forces that attempted to protect the students, but the students eventually fled, the ICC website said.

"The violence against Christians in Ethiopia is alarming because Ethiopian Muslims and Christians used to live together peacefully. Besides, it’s extremely disconcerting that in Ethiopia, where Christians are the majority, they are also the victims of persecution," Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager of Africa and South Asia, told FoxNews.com.

Meles said that the government is doing everything it can to stop religious violence.

"We knew that they were peddling this ideology of intolerance, but it was not possible for us to stop them administratively because they are within their rights," he said. "If we can find some association between what they are doing by way of preaching and what happened by way of violence, then of course we can take them to court."

Racho, originally from Ethiopia, said the fact that the government waited a full week before sending troops to Asendabo shows that it’s not doing enough. Going forward, he said he hopes the government "will take measures to ensure that such attacks will not happen in the future," including bringing all responsible parties to justice to show this will not be tolerated.

"The Ethiopian government has arrested around 130 of the perpetrators, and we hope they will be prosecuted according to the law."

Yet when they come here, they DEMAND that we tolerate them.

[Binky]

Why are the Israelis more entitled to the land? For religious reasons? When religion takes over, all reason goes out the window...
Lets say the Indians who lived in North America before Europe took it over, anyway, these Indians decided they want their land, and you had to go. They made you leave your homes (This is a bad analogy, but I can't think of a better one at the moment), if you wouldn't go willingly, they make you go at gunpoint, sometimes killing your families anyway, if you refuse to go, they kill you, or they kill your family in front of you, or say, drop white phosphorus (http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/israeloccupied-palestinian-territories-israel039s-use-white-phosphorus-a)bombs in the areas your family and you live... Anyway, you're forced to leave your home and forced to live in a "refugee" camp, they were called something else during some other war, you'd be pretty pissed off too. of course killing is wrong, we all know that, something that should concern people, other than than a lunatic burning something to get people killed(so long as the whore gets his attention), is that a lot of information is disappearing. Heaven forbid people know the truth... what an ugly mess, and it looks so one sided, doesn't it? It doesn't matter what religion a person is, whether you believe in a god or not, genocide is fucking evil.

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/images2/fallujahanim4sn.gif

sorry to use pictures, but words don't get the words across quite as well

Where do you think they get their weapons from? And who's funding it?

Why is this left out of the news?

[beowulf]

just more proof that ALL religions are evil :meh:

[AntZ]

Why are the Israelis more entitled to the land? For religious reasons? When religion takes over, all reason goes out the window...
Lets say the Indians who lived in North America before Europe took it over, anyway, these Indians decided they want their land, and you had to go. They made you leave your homes (This is a bad analogy, but I can't think of a better one at the moment), if you wouldn't go willingly, they make you go at gunpoint, sometimes killing your families anyway, if you refuse to go, they kill you, or they kill your family in front of you, or say, drop white phosphorus (http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/israeloccupied-palestinian-territories-israel039s-use-white-phosphorus-a)bombs in the areas your family and you live... Anyway, you're forced to leave your home and forced to live in a "refugee" camp, they were called something else during some other war, you'd be pretty pissed off too. of course killing is wrong, we all know that, something that should concern people, other than than a lunatic burning something to get people killed(so long as the whore gets his attention), is that a lot of information is disappearing. Heaven forbid people know the truth... what an ugly mess, and it looks so one sided, doesn't it? It doesn't matter what religion a person is, whether you believe in a god or not, genocide is fucking evil.



First of all, this isn't a thread debating that if Israel has a right to exist as a nation!

Second, there is a rule (though vague) about posting sick pictures in the open forum!

Third, you might want to actually read some history about the creation of the modern state of Israel! Your characterizations are factually inaccurate!

I'm just curious, when you were looking at your pro-Palestinian sites, did they also happen to include pictures of all their glorious victories of bombings in restaurants, buses, or other public places? Or how about all the people murdered, including Americans, by P.L.O. terrorist attacks and hijackings dating back into the 1960's?

I don't seem to recall if Leon Klinghoffer, the retired wheelchair bound American, ever threw white phosphorus at anyone?? I guess he must have done something wrong, when celebrating his wedding anniversary on a cruise ship, to deserve being shot by the P.L.O. and then thrown overboard and eaten by sharks!

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

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Second, there is a rule (though vague) about posting sick pictures in the open forum!

You are quite right....offending pix have been removed. We will not tolerate pix posted just for 'shock value' here, so please refrain from doing it. If anyone feels the need to have to resort to using shock value items, then maybe you need to rethink your side of the debate.

[Binky]

Today's excuse is a Koran burning?? Yesterday it was a cartoon in a magazine! Before that, it was Americans in the land of Mecca!

Soon, they will forget about this guy in Florida and get back to the tried and true reason to commit mass murder, THE JEWS in ISRAEL! :rolleyes:


First of all, this isn't a thread debating that if Israel has a right to exist as a nation!


Sorry, I saw this first post and thought... never mind that.

[Joebob034]

I'm not supporting this Jones guy in any way but those people are ridiculous. How many times do we see on TV the burning of American flags and Bibles, and do we take to the streets and kill a bunch of Muslims? But one asshole here burns a Quran and they go nuts. Such a hypocritical culture.