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| Afghanistan |
| UN Blames Florida Pastor for Violence in Mazar-e-Sharif |
| 2011-04-04 |
| [Tolo News] The UN Chief's envoy to Afghanistan, Staffan De Mistura, strongly criticised the Florida pastor for burning a copy of the Koran which sparked violent demonstrations in Afghanistan. On Friday, hundreds erupted into the streets in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif to protest at the Koran burning in a Florida church. Some protesters who were reportedly armed killed 7 foreign workers of the UN, that followed strong condemnation by the Afghan government, the UN Secretary General and the US President. Mr Staffan De Mistura blamed the violence on the Florida pastor, describing the burning of the holy Koran as "insane and totally deprecable gesture by one person". I don't think we should be blaming any Afghans, we should blame the one who burnt the Koran, he said addressing a news conference in Kabul on Saturday. Freedom of speech does not mean to offend culture, religion and traditions, he added. Mr De Mistura reiterated the UN's commitment to continue its assistance to the Afghan people despite the attack on its Mazar office. "The Secretary General is of the opinion and I am of the same opinion that this should not deter UN presence and activities in this delicate and particularly crucial period, said Mr De Mistura addressing a news conference in Kabul. The UN has temporarily shifted its staff to Kabul until the office building in Mazar is repaired. Meanwhile, ...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher put forth his proposition... the US commander of Coalition forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus and Mark Sedwill Nato's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan have also condemned the burning of the holy Koran in Florida. "I have just released a statement on behalf of Nato and Isaf forces in Afghanistan. In that statement we condemn the action of individual in the United States who burnt a holy Koran, That action was hateful, it was intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful. And again we condemn it in the strongest manner possible," General Petraeus told TOLOnews on Sunday. Mr Petraeus urged the Afghans to demonstrate calm and do the opposite of what the pastor in the United States has done. Nato's Senior Civilian Representative Mark Sedwill reinforced what General Petraeus said. "This was an act of disrespect to the Mohammedan faith, and to all peoples of faith. It does not present the views of peoples or governments of the alliance, we condemn it, our condolences of course goes out to all those who have been hurt in the demonstrations over the past few days," Mr Sedwill said. Mr Sedwill called on the Afghan people to remember that it was the act of an isolated individual, and the peoples and the governments of the alliance both respect and defend the Mohammedan faith and are in Afghanistan to support a peaceful future for the Afghan people. Pastor Wayne Sapp burnt a copy of the Koran in Florida on 20 March, under the supervision of Pastor Terry Jones who had last year planned and cancelled a Koran burning ceremony. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #22 I think Petraeus sees the writing on the wall. He is on his way out and he is trying to make it easier for his boys and girls on the ground to ride things out until they are pulled out. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2011-04-04 18:53 |
| #21 The problem is that 'going native' is the official policy in Afghanistan sanctioned by the military and political elites in pretty much all western nations. COIN implies that western troops and western nations in Afghanistan have entered a contest where the competitor is the Taliban the judge is the native population and the prize is the native population's goodwill. We, the West are literally submitting, ourselves to the judgment of the Afghan people. Thus we are in effect accepting their dominance. The problem is that by and large the Afghans are adherents of a political ideology that is hostile to western values, and also aggressive and expansionist. They want Danegeld (reconstruction aid) and ideological submission in the West. The military is in a conundrum. So far they've resorted to telling polite lies to the Afghans. But these lies are exposed by the likes of Jones, Wilders, South Park etc. To make COIN if Afghanistan succeed the West must submit to Sharia in earnest, and that implies that COIN if Afghanistan is a certain failure. All of this started well before Obama (see this for example), IMO the rot set in when "Infinite Justice" was turned into "Enduring Freedom." Bush clung to a post-modern pacifistic worldview when confronted with an act of total war. That didn't make him a bad person, but it was dangerously naive. |
| Posted by: Cluns Unavirong6767 2011-04-04 15:55 |
| #20 I do not believe Petraeus has gone native on us. He's just playing to mob that surrounds him. I would have preferred the old line "this is not helpful" but these nuts don't get subtlety. |
| Posted by: regular joe 2011-04-04 14:29 |
| #19 Very disappointing comment from Petraeus. Very disappointing. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2011-04-04 13:44 |
| #18 Of course the UN does. It's a feeble superfluous organisation that folds at the first sign of bullying. The people to blame? That's the people who killed, not the person they said inspired them. If we're going to be consistent why isn't their normal actions always blamed on the Koran Hate-manual, as they themselves say they are following his words? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-04-04 13:27 |
| #17 How dispiriting to see, once again, the footage of theocratic rage in Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif. The same old dreary formula: self-righteous frenzy married to a neurotic need to take offense; the easy resort to indiscriminate violence and cruelty; the promulgation of makeshift fatwas by mullahs on the make; those writhing mustaches framing crude slogans of piety and hatred, and yelling for death as if on first-name terms with the Almighty. The spilling of blood and the spoliation of property—all for nothing, and ostensibly "provoked" by the corny, brainless antics of a devout American nonentity, notice of whose mere existence is beneath the dignity of any thinking person. From Christopher Hitchens @ Slate.com |
| Posted by: regular joe 2011-04-04 13:22 |
| #16 Mazar-e-Sharif is a Pashtun enclave in Tajik/Uzbek territory. I did wonder if this is a Pashtun or Afghan phenomenon, Frozen Al. Could that be why the Swedish and German bases were left strictly alone, or is that because they might actually defend themselves? Ordering Ghurka guards not to shoot the attackers, forsooth! I hope they take a firm position on that, going forward. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-04-04 13:20 |
| #15 The burning story almost got no play in the press. It was stupid ass Karzai that decided to make a stink of it - inflamed the nutters to kill all those people over it. |
| Posted by: newc 2011-04-04 11:20 |
| #14 Just a bit of background info: Mazar-e-Sharif is a Pashtun enclave in Tajik/Uzbek territory. It was also a Taliban stronghold before the 2001 campaign. I am sure the Taliban were involved in the riots and yes, I am sure the burning was just an excuse for the riots. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2011-04-04 11:16 |
| #13 So (to borrow from a comment in a different thread) acording to the U.N. we should Nuke Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, etc... After all they burn probably hundreds of confiscated bibles every day. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-04-04 09:52 |
| #12 Mr Staffan De Mistura blamed the violence on the Florida pastor, describing the burning of the holy Koran as "insane and totally deprecable gesture by one person". B.S. Unless we are going to get serious about the war in Afghanistan, we should get out. Getting serious to me means something like Sherman's march to the sea or the campaign through the Pacific islands or Truman's decision to use the bomb during WWII. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-04-04 09:49 |
| #11 I think it's hilarious that Pastor Jones is next planning to put Mohammed on trial for all sorts of crimes. The interesting part will be the sentencing. Personally, I think that Jones should wax poetic: "In the name of the peoples with one God, who follow the covenant with Adam, Mohammed is condemned to Hell. And in the name of the peoples with one God, who follow the covenant with Noah, Mohammed is condemned to Hell. And in the name of the peoples with one God, who follow the covenant with Abraham, Mohammed is condemned to Hell. "Let all who kneel in Sajdah and pray to God know that because of Mohammed, their prayers instead go to Hell and the mouth of the unclean one. Let them know that because of this, the Muslim is cursed to live a life of misery, poverty, failure, and despair, because they do not worship God, but evil and death. "That all those who worship God, and even the atheist, may trod on the backs of the Muslim who follows Mohammed, because their prayers are not heard in Heaven. That even the unclean beast is more beloved in Heaven than the Muslim who follows Mohammed. "As evidence of this, the Muslim that takes up arms will always fail, and remain in the pit of despair and damnation. But the Muslim who forgets Mohammed, and prays only to God, living in peace with all mankind, enjoys the blessing of heaven and prospers. "Yet for diverting the belief in God of Muslims from Heaven to Hell, Mohammed lives in the arms of Satan, forever damned and in agony, despised of God, in darkness. And once again his sentence is affirmed by men. "Those that protest this sentence, and commit further acts of violence and hate, let them know that they do not worship God, but instead worship the damned Mohammed, death and Satan in Hell, where they seek to cast their own souls." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-04-04 09:49 |
| #10 Lord Garth, Whiskey Mike's sentiments represent mine. I think Afghanistan is a waste of blood and treasure for us. Does someone out there think that our mission in Afghanistan will succeed and is worth the tremendous effort? If so, please speak up or post a link. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2011-04-04 08:45 |
| #9 But, see - they're not barbarians because it's not just any old religion Pastor Jones offended. Those are Allen's words, dictated to Moe in arabic, not written years after Moe's passing and translated from some dead language and then changed again into King James, RSV, New Life, New Hope, New Dope, etc. It's the only religion. Just like all the others. Why would an all-powerful God present himself in only one form? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2011-04-04 06:36 |
| #8 A Death Fatwa is a given, but I'm concerned about the tone of the statements by Western military and political leaders (Petraeus, the NATO ambassador, Reid & Graham.) One could get the impression that they're declaring Jones an 'enemy' and that attacks on him would not lead to a serious punitive reaction by the US as he is 'fair game.' All of this is done with a 'Wink and Nod' and plausible deniability, of course. Hopefully these leaders don't actually mean to convey this message but they might be misunderstood. Words mean something, "strongest possible manner" means something. When leaders in certain islamofascistic hellholes speak about their subjects in this manner said subjects are marked for death. |
| Posted by: Cluns Unavirong6767 2011-04-04 06:24 |
| #7 Whiskey Mike probably represents a lot of Americans now. This latest atrocity will probably drive the poll numbers of the 'time to leave Afghanistan' opinion into the 60s. |
| Posted by: Lord Garth 2011-04-04 06:16 |
| #6 So, who to believe; the UN (ptui), Karzai's brother, or Petraeus. I believe none of the above. I DO believe that Afghanistan is the cesspool of 'nations' and should be left to 'work it out among themselves'. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2011-04-04 04:19 |
| #5 Hopefully this won't be seen as a green light for attacks on Jones and/or his congregation by islamofascists inclined to resort to such a response. Apparently there is a death fatwa with a (if I recall correctly) US$2.5 million reward on his head, Cluns Unavirong6767. He has a small police guard as a result. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-04-04 03:34 |
| #4 Yesterday, the Afghan Police loyal to President Karzai rolled through a nearby city Thank you for reporting for the area, Besoeker. Stay safe and have fun! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-04-04 03:24 |
| #3 Listening to Petraeus' message one could get the impression that he views Jones, an American residing in the US, as an enemy because he exercised his constitutional rights. Is there any reason why Jones' constitutional rights and freedoms should not be fully protected by the US gov? Hopefully this won't be seen as a green light for attacks on Jones and/or his congregation by islamofascists inclined to resort to such a response. BTW, has Petraeus ever condemned the hateful and murderous intolerance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan "in the strongest manner possible?" |
| Posted by: Cluns Unavirong6767 2011-04-04 01:19 |
| #2 "I have just released a statement on behalf of Nato and Isaf forces in Afghanistan. In that statement we condemn the action of individual in the United States who burnt a holy Koran, That action was hateful, it was intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful. And again we condemn it in the strongest manner possible," General Petraeus told TOLOnews on Sunday. Mr Petraeus urged the Afghans to demonstrate calm and do the opposite of what the pastor in the United States has done. Urged Afghans to "demonstrate calm"....stopping just short of urging them to refrain from killing one another and UN personnel, which of course a lesser concern than that of Koranm burning, which is much, much, much, more serious than constitutionally protected US flag burning. Yesterday, the Afghan Police loyal to President Karzai rolled through a nearby city informing everyone via loudspeakers mounted on their Ford Rangers that "rioters would be immediately shot!" (meaning shot or arrested and disappeared within 48 hours) Sort of put a damper on demonstractions in this sector. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-04-04 01:01 |
| #1 Americans have too many freedoms! Just ask Mohammed. |
| Posted by: Ulimp Lover of the Jutes7874 2011-04-04 00:31 |