Qur’an
Desecration: Far Worse than Abu Ghraib
By Dr M. A. Muqtedar
Khan
Director of International Studies
Chair, Political Science Department
Adrian College
& Non-Resident Fellow, Brookings Institution
Washington, DC
The reports in the media that
Americans at Guantanamo facility allegedly desecrated
the Qur’an to torture prisoners has unleashed
an intense wave of anti-Americanism in the Muslim
world, which has already caused 16 deaths. This
is worse than Abu Ghraib; Abu Ghraib represents
the physical and psychological torture of a few
Muslims, Qur’an desecration represents a
spiritual, emotional and psychological torture
of all Muslims. Even if it turns out that the
Newsweek report was false, most people will see
it as a cover-up and another American attempt
to eschew accountability.
For Muslims the Qur’an is the literal word
of God, it is the living and eternal miracle of
Prophet Muhammad, it is their direct link to the
divine, it is the source of their faith, their
values, their identity and it is without doubt
the most important symbol of their religion. Americans,
who have a rather cavalier attitude towards things
religious, may not understand this, but for Muslims
things that are sacred are indeed sacred.
The US government has allocated hundreds of millions
of dollars to improve the US image in the Islamic
world, commissioning initiatives that include
radio programs, satellite TV, youth magazines
and civil society empowerment programs. But all
the gains from these expensive initiatives are
dramatically undermined by a periodic display
of civilizational insensitivity that reeks of
acute disregard for Muslim sentiments.
The use of the word “crusades” by
President Bush to describe his war on terror,
the continuous revelations about the torture and
abuse of Muslim prisoners in Abu Ghraib, Iraq
and Guantanamo, Cuba, the reluctance to punish
General Boykin for his Islamophobic bigotry are
examples of how periodically the US government
seeks to remind Muslims of its callous attitudes
towards their rights and their religion.
The thing that hurts the most is that while there
is verbal recognition of these problems there
is no accountability. In a testimony to the Senate
and House Armed Services Committee on May 7, 2004,
Secretary Rumsfeld said that he took “full
responsibility” for what happened in Abu
Ghraib. One would have thought that a resignation
letter would follow. Nothing happened. It is still
a mystery as to what Secretary Rumsfeld meant
by “full responsibility”. I have since
met several leaders from the Muslim world and
media persons who have remarked that Rumsfeld’s
words are just indicative of how empty and meaningless
are the current administrations respect for religion,
law and human rights.
To many Muslims the Qur’an desecration episode,
regardless of Newsweek’s retraction which
lacks much credibility in the Muslim world, is
another deeply aggravating example of how the
US has made Islam and Muslim religiosity a target
in its so called war on terror. It is now being
revealed that several prisoners, both in Iraq
and in Guantanamo, have made allegations of Qur’an
desecration. To many Muslims the allegations of
Qur’an desecration is consistent with their
image of the US as an anti-Islam force. It will
take more than a retraction and another empty
“Pentagon enquiry” to ameliorate the
anger, the hatred and the disgust towards the
US that is now felt widely in the Muslim World.
It is amazing that the editors at the Newsweek
magazine expressed surprise at the reactions from
the Muslim world. Their ignorance about the religiosity
of a people they report on frequently is amazing.
Don’t they have Muslims on their staff that
they could consult? The level of ignorance extant
combined with unwillingness to develop deeper
understanding of Muslim cultures and Islam by
many US officials and those in the media who cover
the Muslim world is reaching criminal proportions.
The ramifications of mistakes such as this one,
even if it is proven that ultimately the report
was a false one, will take a long time to rectify.
Perhaps Newsweek should dedicate a special issue
to celebrate the Qur’an and the deep devotion
that Muslims hold for it. Their reckless reporting
has already caused 16 deaths and may cause more
in the future.
This is a very serious issue and it is important
that American leadership, the media and the civil
society react with sensitivity. Secretary Rice
has set the right tone when she expressed that
“disrespect for the Holy Qur’an is
something that the United States will never tolerate.”
Condemnations for Qur’an desecration and
expressions of respect for Islam and Muslims must
come from all sections of the society. Perhaps
it is time for President Bush to step up to the
plate and acknowledge that he has been soft on
Islamophobes in his military. His refusal to take
stern and firm actions against innumerable violations
by the Pentagon has in a way encouraged a culture
of insensitivity and even malice towards Islam
and Muslims in some sections of the Defense Department.
To blame Newsweek alone will not remedy the damage
done to US-Muslim relations and to the US image
in the rest of the world.
(Dr Muqtedar Khan is a Non-resident Fellow at
the Brookings Institution and teaches at Adrian
College. He is the author of American Muslims:
Bridging Faith and Freedom (www.ijtihad.org).
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