Koran abuses, that is. Apparently after a thorough Pentagon investigation there were three times as many instances of Koran-abuse/mishandling by the prisoners themselves than by the military personnel at Guantanamo. Even totaling them together there's an underwhelming number.
There were a total of 5 instances by the American military, 15 by the prisoners themselves. Only three of ours could be considered intentional, possibly only two. The worst offences, flushing one in the toilet and urinating on a Koran, were done by the prisoners.
Hood also said his investigation found 15 cases of detainees mishandling their own Korans. "These included using a Koran as a pillow, ripping pages out of the Koran, attempting to flush a Koran down the toilet and urinating on the Koran," Hood's report said. It offered no possible explanation for the detainees' motives.
In the most recent of those 15 cases, a detainee on Feb. 18 allegedly ripped up his Koran and handed it to a guard, stating that he had given up on being a Muslim. Several guards witnessed this, Hood reported.
Last week, Hood disclosed he had confirmed five cases of mishandling of the Koran, but he refused to provide details. Allegations of Koran desecration at Guantanamo Bay have led to anti-American passions in many Muslim nations, although Pentagon officials have insisted that the problems were relatively minor and that U.S. commanders have gone to great lengths to enable detainees to practice their religion in captivity.
Hood said last week he found no credible evidence that a Koran was ever flushed down a toilet. He said a prisoner who was reported to have complained to an FBI agent in 2002 that a military guard threw a Koran in the toilet has since told Hood's investigators that he never witnessed any form of Koran desecration.
I don't think there's much of a story here, considering that in Saudi Arabia Bibles are routinely destroyed. The only story is that in the final reporting the only Koran flushing was actually done by a prisoner. Thank you, Newsweek.
Michelle Malkin notes the emphasis misplaced in the headlines, and Captain Ed also thinks we should perhaps be hearing the last of this tempest in a teapot.
UPDATE: Jay Tea has a little different angle, arguing that these Korans are the property of the US government anyway. Although that's certainly the case, flagrant and repetitive misuse would still be disrespectful of the religious beliefs of the prisoners and a bad way to "turn" them. Of course, you'd still have to demonstrate flagrant and repetitive misuse, which hasn't been demonstrated. Maybe if the ratio were 5:1 the other way...
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