Afgnan Quran Burning Protests

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Remember: Politically and socially, Afghanistan is effectively in the middle ages for the most part. If you went around Bible burning in medieval Europe, I don't think you would last very long. Heck, even in parts of modern America if I went around burning Bibles my life would end rather quickly.
Also, I would be hesitant in assigning the cause of the protests solely to the Quran burning. I mean, we are occupying their country and killing their fellow countrymen. That certainly cannot be fostering good relations. It is more or less the same thing the Russians had to deal with.
Afghanistan isn't in the Middle Ages, it's currently in a tribal society so we are looking pre-civilisation basically
 
To answer the thread, yeah I do think there's at least someone else who finds that ironic.

I don't however.
I do... if they care about the book, maybe learn to read it? Instead of it just being a symbol where some guy who says he reads it tells you what it means...

Anyway, yes, it's an overreaction to start riots over burnt books. But after 10 years in this country, we really should know better not to burn Qurans in the first place.
And we should know better than to still be there!

If you were an Afghan, no doubt such a thing would be an outrage.
What?
You know, making blanket statements from the left is still making blanket statements.
Thank you...

Time to get out of that place and stop dumping money and lives on this waste.
Absolutely. Let's just admit it, it isn't worth the effort.

Afghanistan isn't in the Middle Ages, it's currently in a tribal society so we are looking pre-civilisation basically
When I was there, outside of the major cities, the place looked like it did probably 2,000 years ago. No infrastructure whatsoever, just mud huts with high mud walls (to keep out invaders AND to keep male eyes from peering in at the various females trapped within the compound).
Total hole.
The major cities... not much better.
 
You know, making blanket statements from the left is still making blanket statements.

It wasn't meant as a generalization, but I did write it while tired so you probably took it the wrong way.

To state it another way
If you put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel about it?
 
It wasn't mean as a generalization, but I did write it while tired so you probably took it the wrong way.

To state it another way
If you put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel about it?
Not like I need to kill someone over a book burning.
You? You think you'd need to kill?

The funny thing is, odds are, those who actually can read it are most likely not the ones rioting.
 
Not like I need to kill someone over a book burning.
You? You think you'd need to kill?

The funny thing is, odds are, those who actually can read it are most likely not the ones rioting.

Of course not, but I'm not an afghan who's country has been invaded and its holy book defiled by said invaders.

If some foreign country invaded America, then proceeded to start burning the things we think of as sacred, how do you think we would react?

I think it's way past time to get out of there.
 
It is surprising that the US officers who are running the prison where these 17 (approx) copies of the Koran were taken off the prisoners were not trained in its religious significance.

From BBC

More than 20 people have been killed since the unrest began, including two US soldiers who died on Thursday.

President Barack Obama has apologised for the Koran-burning incident.

In a letter to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, Mr Obama said the books had been "unintentionally mishandled".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17152705
 
I'm not a Muslim. In fact, I'm an atheist. I see no reason why I should be expected to know and respect the traditions of a religion I don't practice.
I'm an atheist too, but I know that you don't need to know every little intricacy of a religion to understand basic respect.

In short: You don't deface/destroy a society's holy books/artifacts.
 
What about the fact that the books were already defaced? Not by the Soldiers but by the "Muslims" if you can even call those people who don't follow their own religion "Muslim"
 
In short: You don't deface/destroy a society's holy books/artifacts.
Not to hurt them, sure, but if it is just about getting rid of garbage of which an old "holy" books happens to be part? So when it is just about practicality? Then I think your argument becomes a little shallow, unless you think there should be special old-bible-books-collection centers in Canada.
Saying, I think what you really mean is that you don't destroy a societies "holy" books to hurt feelings and you don't to so under any circumstances when this society responds in a very undesired fashion. Like violence.
 
What about the fact that the books were already defaced? Not by the Soldiers but by the "Muslims" if you can even call those people who don't follow their own religion "Muslim"

Would they regard it as being defaced.
Do people who write in their family bible regarded it as defacing it.
 
One thing I question here (meaning I ask about it) is how wide spread are these protests?
given the little information we get they could be really localised and/or involve a very small number of fanatics.
If that's the case there is no reason to make a huge fuss about it.

However if the violent reaction is more wide-spread then it is a symptom of an underlying hostility against the Americans (and maybe western in general).

The books were evidently burned my mistake and in any decent country with an half decent relation between groups, the case would not lead to violence but only to investigation on the problem.
However it looks like the Afghans (or specific groups of them) use any excuse to take pitchforks and torches against any nearby western.
 
One thing I question here (meaning I ask about it) is how wide spread are these protests?
given the little information we get they could be really localised and/or involve a very small number of fanatics.
.

There is a map in the BBC link I posted above.

It will die down in a few days but it is just another source of long term resentment.
 
Oh, Whiggism, yay. :rolleyes:
I'm not saying they are inherently uncivilised, Afghanistan was on a good track until 1978. Increasing economic prosperity and freedom was putting them in a good position. Tribes aren't incompatible with a modern state, but they can be a hindrance. If the infrastructure is rebuilt, the education levels rise and economic prosperity comes then they will recover.
 
I'm not saying they are inherently uncivilised, Afghanistan was on a good track until 1978. Increasing economic prosperity and freedom was putting them in a good position. Tribes aren't incompatible with a modern state, but they can be a hindrance. If the infrastructure is rebuilt, the education levels rise and economic prosperity comes then they will recover.
Correction, they were on a good path until that government that was ruling in 1978 took charge (years earlier), starting Fing up, leading to decline... which lead to the USSR coming in to "help".
 
I don't recall Penn and Teller getting a lot of death threats when they drilled a hole through a Bible on their TV show.

I'd be very surprised if they haven't. Obama gets a lot of death threats from those who swear he isn't Christian, insist he is Kenyan, etc.

Senator Barney Frank, who is Jewish and gay, has had death threats that have made it into the media.

I've not only had death threats, as a bisexual atheist, but when my neighbors in Texas put two and two together about my boyfriend and I at the time, despite not flaunting nor advertising our relationship in any way, they shot at me. As in a gun.

Anyone who believes there is no violent bigotry among Christian supremacists in the U.S. is badly deluded and contributing the problem.
 
Anyone who believes there is no violent bigotry among Christian supremacists in the U.S. is badly deluded and contributing the problem.
Oh! A new term, now linking Christians to the Nazis/Skinheads/etc
Talk about bigotry?
 
I do... if they care about the book, maybe learn to read it? Instead of it just being a symbol where some guy who says he reads it tells you what it means...
When you say "learn to read it" you must go through the process "learn to read" first. Do you see the problem with learning to read in Afghanistan at the moment?

This is all beside the point, since nothing what you said explains why this

a country that's 72% illiterate gets so crazy about book burning.

is ironic.

edit: Almost forgot, appreciate the support for my statement :hatsoff:
 
When you say "learn to read it" you must go through the process "learn to read" first. Do you see the problem with learning to read in Afghanistan at the moment?

This is all beside the point, since nothing what you said explains why this

a country that's 72% illiterate gets so crazy about book burning.

is ironic.

edit: Almost forgot, appreciate the support for my statement :hatsoff:
Of course I understand the difficulties in learning to read there... the instability of the area is insane.
However, your cleric should be willing to teach you to read even if a school can't... and we know the clerics are around...
Of course, that would undermine some cleric's abilities to manipulate people with "it's in the koran, dude".

I still think it is ironic, therefore...

If you are sooooo fired up about your religion as to murder people over your book being burned, couldn't that passionate intensity be channeled into seeking some way to learn to read it?
 
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