US Soldier Used Quran For Target Practice

A soldier used the Quran -- Islam's holy book -- for target practice, forcing the chief U.S. commander in Baghdad to issue a formal apology on Saturday.

Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, apologized to leaders in Radhwaniya, in the western outskirts of Baghdad, for the staff sergeant who was a sniper section leader assigned to the headquarters of the 64th Armored Regiment. He also read a letter of apology by the shooter.

It was the first time the incident -- which tested the relationship between U.S.-backed Sunni militiamen and the military -- was made public since it was discovered May 11.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Driver125]

For punishment they sent the soldier BACK to the United States. How is that punishment, exactly....? Too funny...

[heretical_eggs]

I would like a glimpse into the mind of this poster who keeps saying "surrender monkeys." I want to see just for moment the ignorant miasma of totally incomprehensible neuron connections that make it say such things.

I'd like JUST a glimpse. I don't think i could handle more.

My point is that we must CHANGE the minds of people via education and information that there is nothing to which we should surrender in Iraq. We should have never been in Iraq in the first place.

It is my deepest wish that the still whoppingly large percentage of Americans who care enough to say "surrender monkeys" or only care enough to vote the party line could really understand what is going on.

I think if they did "get it" that they would so angry at how they have been played that the next election would be a Democratic landslide.

[MissingAmerica]

Every religion serves a purpose, just as every religious has it's sane and it's totally extreme. This is about respect, and what this man did was pathetic. The Quran is to the Muslims what the Bible is to Christians, and I can't imagine them shooting holes in the Bible.

[GZLives]

But they can blow up Mosques with people inside right? They can blow up funerals, wedding parties, they can in fact basically do whatever they want and Leftist useful idiots will defend it.

Its absolutely insane.

If they want respect then they ought to show a little for others.

[PublicusOrator]

Of course there isn't aqny problem or objection to Bill Mahr's anti religion comments, artists have every right to exhibit artistic creations such elephant dung overlayed an image of the Virgin Mary, the cross in a jar of urine, so on and so on. Please, give us a break.

[OlskoolDem]

Bla Bla Bla so what , maybe next time the soldier could wrap that Quran in a Bible and kill two birds with one clip. They should give that kid a pack of smokes and a bottle of Jack for the effort.

[newshawk14]

One incredibly stupid comment, I don't have much use for any religion, but desecrating their
symbols, doesn't speak well to your status as an aware human being.

[newshawk14]

Forgot to mention, that if his commanding officers have any brains (always a
questionable hypothesis) he should be facing a court marshal, for what he has
done. I would, very much like to hear the opinion of military vets on this.

[Ramirez]

Okay then. So what's the charge? Shooting a book in a war zone?

[radmul]

This soldier showed the superstitious the respect they deserve.

[shag11]

That's to be expected. Ya got so-called christians running the military. They think their shit is the only way to salvation, and any other religion is farcical.

[ritzywife]

This is about one of the craziest things I have ever heard. You are telling me that it is ok to go into another country and shoot and shed blood of the people whose ideals and beliefs come from this book, but it's not ok to shoot the "book".....i can almost bet that if the roles were reversed and a muslim was caught shooting at the christian's Holy Bible we would say it's their religious "right" or freedom to do as they please. Come on, that book is the reason we don't get along, but you will never hear any of our leaders say that. And for us to play up to them for what the soldier did is a disgrace......But, at least it got him back home where all of our soldiers belong ,in my opinion. And this is from someone who has a husband over there now......

[Ramirez]

Shooting the Quran? That's nothing. Check out THIS.
Palestinian claims Israelis tortured him with belly dancer:
******

"Twenty-one-year-old Ramallah resident Sultan Abdullah Sulieman was recently released from the Ofer Prison, officially known as Incarceration Facility 386. In interviews with lawyers from the Palestinian Prisoners Society, he said that he spent forty days in solitary confinement in the facility.

Sulieman said that during one interrogation session, Israeli soldiers brought an "Iraqi girl" called "Nora" into the room. "Nora" danced "seductively" in front of Suleiman, moving close to him before moving away, he said.

Sultan Sulaiman Abdullah from Ramallah that the Ofer prison warders in the new style used in the investigation, where the girl who came and entered the prisoner during interrogation, sitting semi-naked in front of the captive and begin issuing the voices and gestures for tempting him and was approaching the degree of contact with her body and then his body."
*******

Read more here, plus video:
http://patdollard.com/2008/05/palestinian-detainee-claims-israel-tortured-him-with-belly-dancers-with-video/


The horror....

[RedStateBlues]

I certainly don't condone this guy's actions, but he may have been smarter than we think.

"A military investigation found the shooter guilty and relieved him of duty; he will be redeployed to the United States for reassignment away from the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, a U.S. official said."

They're sending him home!

[rollingdivision]

Stupid, you don't hand propaganda victories to your enemies.

[Proud2BIndy]

But that's the Republican reason for being, plain and simple, and you just know this guy's a HUGE Bush boot licker.

[helonias]

Just a sample of the many other bad things to happen.

[Proud2BIndy]

I say drop him in Falujah with nothing but his wits and let the natives sort it out.

This guy is like those girls that are always doing things to get their boyfriends' asses kicked, aka a liability. But that's what we get when we let complete low-lifes represent us on the world stage.

[ThirdSection]

That's what we get when we let complete low-lifes run our country.

[Proud2BIndy]

Amen.

[Bushwillresign]

Thanksgiving Day 2009 will be Jan. 20. The complete low-lifes will not be running our country anymore. Bush will go home to his bushes.

[NorthernCross]

Bad judgment. If that soldier wanted to shoot up a Quran, then he should have waited until his tour was over, or even better, until he gets the honorable discharge. That said, let the Muslims who are mad about this first do something to end cultural and institutional dhimmitude in their countries before they whine to us about it.

[cdnnewsjunky]

You illegally invade their country, and now you want to whine about their culture. If you don't like the culture you should have stayed at home.

[wedgie]

Actually, I think we should line up all the religious books in a row and put a 30.06 right down the middle. Then piss on em.

Religious documents are killing us.

**

[eddietru]

We cannot go on destroying other peoples and cultures in order to "save them." We cannot go on exploiting our planet because "God gave it to us to do with as we wish". And unless we, as a culture and civilization, really come to grips with the fact that we have believed a pack of lies for over 2000 years, we aren't going to get out of the mess we are in.

[ThirdSection]

Amen and Hallelujah, brother!

[marthamay]

Here's another Huffy post dis on an AMERICAN SOLDIER! Get a life who cares?

[jimmyjones22]

Kissing a Koran? Any soldier that kisses a Koran just to satisfy the devote is scooping quite low, in my opinion. I mean, would you kiss a cow if you pissed off a hindu?

Just say your sorry and rebuild the school we just bombed out. Or better yet, give them something they can use - like a big stick they can use to beat their wives, or perhaps a potato sac to put over their daughter's head!

[CountryBeforeParty]

Do you ever kiss the Bible?

[helonias]

How about if your a Muslim American?

[HumeSkeptic]

"Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, apologized to leaders in Radhwaniya, ..."
----
And it's not just Huffy dissing an "AMERICAN SOLDIER", it's also that traitor called Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond.

[ThirdSection]

Millions of pissed-off Muslims?

[VivaZapata]

Religion is the dopeyness of the people.

[longnow]

OK, it's time to act aggrieved and offended, if fact, highly offended and
with large amounts of vexation added. This time the infidel has gone
TOO FAR. I cannot contain myself over this egregious act of disrespect.
My ancestors CRY OUT for justice. Blood and carnage will be visited upon your heads
and we will avenge this wanton disregard FOR OUR DELICATE FEELINGS.

[GZLives]

Are we talking about cartoons again ?

[heretical_eggs]

I'm not going to make any blanket generalizations about soldiers. However, this particular man who shot up the Muslim Qur'an was not showing a great deal of responsibility through his actions. In fact it was down right stupid of him.

One would think that enlisted personnel in the field would receive training on how to interact with the foreign culture in which they find themselves without inciting hatred. In fact, they do.

This man made a huge PR mistake. He needs to be appropriately disciplined, and a clear message should be sent out to the rest of armed American forces that we are not there to inflame hatred of the non-combative population which is just what he did.

Frankly, WE SHOULD NOT BE IN IRAQ...PERIOD. Perhaps next year we can begin the process of withdrawal. In the meantime, cretinous behavior like the wanton destruction of the holiest of Muslim texts by American soldiers needs to stop.

[ResidentChimp]

Good for them. If the surrender monkeys get in a dither about this, it's just too bad. The Terrorists have no respect for our religious feelings. Neither do the white flag waving surrender monkeys. Our bible is far more deserving of respect and the surrendeer monkeys will tell you, ad nauseum, why they should get to defecate on our symbols. Then if a military person pops a few rounds into a Koran, they're besides themselves and calling for our men to beheaded. Go tell it to the Easter Bunny.

[Hirnlego]

Americans would go ape-crazy were their own country to be occupied.
1. USA backed Saddam to power
2. USA sold WMDs to Saddam
3. USA supported Saddam's aggression against Iran killing a massive amount of people on both sides
4. USA said to Saddam that he could occupy Kuwait
5 Then made a 180 reversal and turned against Saddam, bombing important infrastructure
6 Sanctions which killed atleast half a million people, continued bombings
7 Another war which kills thousands and this time full fledged occupation, and bombed infrastructure

You can clearly see why the Iraqis love USA.

Bush: God told me to invade Iraq
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bush-god-told-me-to-invade-iraq-509925.html

[NoahVail]

You can bet your sweet buttocks that, a) The Koran was not in his TO & E, and b) There are general orders not to do things to upset the Iraqi ALLIES that we are trying to work with. This ignorant fool caused much shame to be brought upon his unit, and may ultimately cause his buddies harm.

A chimp would be smarter.

[HatingTheGame]

A chimp would be smarter.

Unless, of course, you elect him as POTUS.

LOL

[cdnnewsjunky]

If you love America, you should keep your mouth shut because your an embarrassment to your country.

[munkii]

here we go again, the Jesus talkin, evil walkin, racist bigots, we like to call "republicans" - muzzies believe in Jesus too dipshit