Can you retract a retraction?

When I had first head that the upsurge of violence and “Anti-American” sentiment in the Muslim world was caused by a Newsweek article which clamed the Koran was “flushed in a toilet,” I believed it. Maybe I didn’t believe that a book of its size could actually go down the john (being a former plumber I kind of knew that one) yet I did believe that U.S. troops has it in them to commit such acts.

The Abu Grabe prison scandal is enough proof to me that the U.S. Military and Government are not above abusing one of the world’s most followed religions for interrogation, or just plain fun. While Abu Grabe was mostly acts of humiliation and inhumanity, it was mentioned that dogs had been brought into the scene. This is the case where religion came into play in the Abu Grabe prison scandal, for a dog is considered to be a filthy animal and there are strict taboos concerning dogs and Islam. I also question how much a grunt in the U.S. Army would have known about this taboo, and feel that the orders for use of them came from higher up.

It is with this knowledge, in addition to the knowledge as a U.S. Navy Vet that military people can be quite vulgar at times; that I had no doubt that such acts took place. However I was astonished to find out that Newsweek had been forced to retract their story which was printed in their international edition, due to an informant who pulled his support from the story. While I realize I will be in jeopardy of being taken for a conspiracy theorist… I make the assumption that his pulling back his statement did not come forth without extreme pressure from influential sources.

Now (bringing us up to date) we learn that the story as published by Newsweek international was correct all along. Maybe the Koran wasn’t exactly “flushed down the toilet,” however it was surely stepped on, kicked, soaked with water, and “accidentally” urinated on.

When I was in the Navy, and we were pulling into United Arab Emirates, I remember being told by my superiors that showing of one’s feet to people of Islamic faith was considered to be an insult to them. So I was warned not to sit with my feet up in U.A.E. in 1995, I am quite sure that the people that stepped on, kicked, threw water on, and urinated on a Koran, knew how this was an insult to the Islamic world.

I had always realized how poor of a reputation Americans had in Europe and the Middle East from being stationed there in the 90’s. What’s worse that a wanna be fake ass preppie cowboy president making a fool of our nation, and spurring on the same sentiment that brought down the WTC, are some dumb ass G.I.’s having a bit of fun at the expense of someone else’s faith. However, I personally don’t blame the enlisted personnel involved, just like in Abu Grabe I think this goes higher up, however will bet that who is blamed in the end (if it even comes to that) will be some low ranking G.I. who thought s/he was doing their duty.