Afghan clerics threaten Muslim holy war over Koran

Yahoo! News reported A group of Afghan Muslim clerics threatened on Sunday to call for a holy war against the United States in three days unless it hands over military interrogators reported to have desecrated the Koran. The warning came after 16 Afghans were killed and more than 100 hurt last week in the worst anti-U.S. protests across the country since U.S. forces invaded in 2001 to oust the Taliban for sheltering Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network. The clerics in the northeastern province of Badakhshan said they wanted President Bush to handle the matter honestly "and hand the culprits over to an Islamic country for punishment."

"If that does not happen within three days, we will launch a jihad against America," said a statement issued by about 300 clerics, referring to Muslim holy war, after meeting in the main mosque in the provincial capital, Faizabad. The statement was read out by Abdul Fatah Fayeq, the top judicial official in the mountainous, conservative province near the borders of Tajikistan and China. Muslim clerics have traditionally been teachers and leaders in Afghan society and throughout its history they have rallied public opinion and sometimes led uprisings against unpopular rulers and foreign occupiers.

Why don't we give them Michael Isikoff, John Barry, and Mark Whitaker of NewsWeak



Charles Johnson blogged Hey, wait a minute. I thought jihad meant a peaceful internal struggle for self-improvement?

condor commented I'd also like an official apology (akin to the one Condi Rice gave to the Muslim world) for the NEA's support of "Piss Christ", in which a crucifix was dumped in a jar of "urine".

And I'd like to see the US government affirm that it respects the symbols of the Christian faith, as it also respects Christians and eagerly accepts their participation in US democracy.

Otherwise, let the riots begin!

(sarcasm/off)

ROA commented We should send teams of ACLU members to all Muslim countries to defend the practice of religious symbol desecration as an essential part of American free speech. They could take pictures of Andre Serrano’s “Piss Christ” and the “Holy Virgin Mary” (Dung Covered Madonna) by Chris Ofili as examples of desecration the ACLU has supported in the name of free speech. They could then describe how they were planning to ask the NEA to sponsor a performance art piece that would feature an American soldier throwing a Koran into the toilet in front of a Muslim prisoner to show the ACLU’s sympathy with Muslims. The piece would be performed nightly and would feature actual Korans to insure authenticity. To show solidarity with peace loving Muslims the ACLU members could burn an American flag and shout “down with George Bush.”

The Grand Mufti of Palestine commented For the last time, "jihad" is a peaceful internal struggle within oneself over whether or not one wishes to carve the heads off infidels.

Free Speech Is Only For über-Libs commented I've made this point before- but since leftists are on a morally relativist conquest to vilify Christianity - can anyone imagine a modern day Christian behaving this way after finding out a stack of Bibles were flushed down some toilet? Oh and the left are deliriously pissed over our detention of precious Muslims/enemy combatants in Guantanomo. Leftists display the very same reaction when a serial rapist/murderer is put to death. Leftists have the deepest feelings for the twisted, demented and the worst humanity has to offer - but they stand by and say nothing over genocide/murder of innocents in other countries.