Soldier diciplined for shooting Quran

BAGHDAD (AP) - An American soldier used a Quran, the Islamic holy book, for target practice in a predominantly Sunni area west of Baghdad, prompting an apology from the U.S. military, a spokesman said Sunday.

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Iraqi police found the bullet-riddled Quran with graffiti inside the cover on a small-arms range near a police station in Radwaniyah, a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Col. Bill Buckner said in an e-mailed response to a query.

American commanders then launched an inquiry that led to disciplinary action against the soldier, who has been removed from Iraq, Buckner said.

The Association of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni group, condemned the shooting of the Quran, calling it "a hideous act against the book of almighty God and the constitution of the nation and the source of its glory and dignity."

The incident was first reported by CNN, which broadcast a ceremony at which the top American commander in Baghdad apologized to tribal leaders in Radwaniyah. The military confirmed the details in an e-mailed response to a query.

"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond was quoted as saying. "In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and I say please forgive me and my soldiers."

The commander also read a letter of apology by the shooter, and another military official kissed a Quran and presented it to the tribal leaders, according to CNN.

"[K]issed a Quran and presented it to the tribal leaders". I may vomit.

The troops have been ordered not to desecrate Qurans or other Muslim religious artifacts so discipline was in order however there is a line between showing a decent respect for our allies beliefs and imposing dhiminitude upon our military personnel.

I thought that at least one of our goals in liberating Iraq was to help lift this nation out of the dark ages and into the 21st century. It would seem to me that helping the Iraqis understand that however offensive they might find the defacing of the Quran on a personal level that it should not be legally actionable unless the book belonged to someone other than the defacer.

In other words unless private property rights have been violated then it is not a matter for the authorities.

I know that it is a great deal to ask of Muslims to understand the fact that the best way to protect their own right to believe and worship as they please is to protect the rights of others to not only think but actually say - out loud - that they are crazy for doing so, but it should be among the least of things we ask of them in exchange for all of the blood and treasure we have poured into making and keeping them free.