MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

According to senior Afghan clerics, the burning of these Qur’ans can never be forgiven. But now that a probe into the matter has concluded that troops involved had no malicious intent, can it be forgotten? …

By Kristina Wong – “The Pentagon said Tuesday that a joint NATO-Afghan investigation into the burning of Korans at Bagram Air Field has been completed.

The investigation found that the ‘disposal process’ of the Korans was improper but was not a malicious act intended to show disrespect for Afghans or Islam.

The probe was conducted by the International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

‘It did find that there were some U.S. personnel who did improperly treat these religious texts, including some of their supervisory personnel,’ said Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. ‘And it recommended that they be reviewed for potential disciplinary action.’

The Korans ended up in an incinerator after Afghan prisoners were found using the holy books to pass messages to one another.” Read more.

Flashback: Afghan investigator: US burning of Qurans was intentional – “The burning of copies of the Quran at an American base in Afghanistan was intentional, said a member of the team investigating the incident that triggered widespread and deadly anti-Western protests. ‘We believe it is intentional,’ Maulavi Khaliqdad, a member of the panel established by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Monday. ‘If they burnt one or two copies, then we could have said it could have been a mistake. But they took hundreds of such books to burn. Everyone knew those were religious books.’” Read more.

Flashback: Senior Afghan Clerics to Obama Over Qur’an Burnings: Your Apology for this ‘Inhumane, Savage’ Act Can ‘Never Be Accepted’ – “Senior Afghan clerics said on Friday the burning of Korans at a NATO base last month was an ‘evil act’ that must be punished, a demand that could deepen widespread public anger over the incident. ‘The council strongly condemns this crime and inhumane, savage act by American troops by desecrating holy Korans,’ members of a council of clerics said after meeting President Hamid Karzai, according to a statement issued by his office. ‘The council emphasized that the apology for this evil act can never be accepted. Those who committed this crime must be publicly tried and punished.’” Read more.