U.S. SOLDIERS FLUSHED HOLY QURAN OF GOD DOWN THE TOILET Pakistan Justice Movement Condemns Desecration of Allah's Sacred Quran at Guantanamo Bay Prison http://www.insaf.org.pk
by SYED ADEEB (InformationTimes.com) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Justice Movement) Chairman Imran Khan and PTI Vice President Dr. Arif Alvi have very strongly condemned the sadistic desecration of the holy Quran of God (Allah), which is a barbaric crime and evil sin reportedly committed by some American soldiers or criminal barbarians masquerading as American interrogators at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) Naval Base prison. Gitmo is the U.S. military's Island of Hell where hundreds of Pakistanis, Afghans, Arabs, Muslims and other humans were locked up in cages like zoo animals. They were never charged with any crime and never prosecuted in any just, fair, or independent court of law under U.S. or international laws. Gitmo prisoners of war, hostages, or "enemy combatants" and millions of other innocent victims of war - including Americans, Europeans, Pakistanis, Afghans, Palestinians, Iraqis, Arabs and Muslims - are protesting and asking that for how long will they continue to suffer from the barbarous atrocities of bloody racist crusades illegally launched by certain infamous Christian, Jewish and Zionist rulers of the uncivilized, oil-hungry Wild West against all Arabs, all Muslims and Islam. What ever happened to the noble concepts of Multiculturalism, Pluralism, tolerance, peace and love among all humans of the whole world? The illegal act of flushing or stuffing a holy Quran down a toilet at the unlawful U.S. Gitmo prison is a blasphemous crime against Allah (God), divine Quran (sacred Islamic Book), Prophet Muhammad, all Muslims and Islam, which was reported in the U.S.-based Newsweek magazine's issue of 9 May 2005 and the Chicago Tribune edition of 5 August 2004. Newsweek reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry wrote: GITMO: SouthCom Showdown http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7693014/site/newsweek GUANTANAMO: A Scandal Spreads http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7693889/site/newsweek NEWSWEEK (Periscope), May 9 2005 issue - "Investigators probing interrogation abuses at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay have confirmed some infractions alleged in internal FBI e-mails that surfaced late last year. Among the previously unreported cases, sources tell NEWSWEEK: [U.S. military] interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Quran down a toilet and led a detainee around with a collar and dog leash. An Army spokesman confirms that 10 Gitmo interrogators have already been disciplined for mistreating prisoners, including one woman who took off her top, rubbed her finger through a detainee's hair and sat on the detainee's lap. (New details of sexual abuse - including an instance in which a female interrogator allegedly wiped her red-stained hand on a detainee's face, telling him it was her menstrual blood - are also in a new book to be published this week by a former Gitmo translator.) "These findings, expected in an upcoming report by the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, could put former Gitmo commander Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller in the hot seat. Two months ago a more senior general, Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Schmidt, was placed in charge of the SouthCom probe, in part, so Miller could be questioned. The FBI e-mails indicate that FBI agents quarreled repeatedly with military commanders, including Miller and his predecessor, retired Gen. Michael Dunleavy, over the military's more aggressive techniques. 'Both agreed the bureau has their way of doing business and DOD has their marching orders from the SecDef,' one e-mail stated, referring to [U.S.] Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Sources familiar with the SouthCom probe say investigators didn't find that Miller authorized abusive treatment. But given the complaints that were being raised, sources say, the report will provoke questions about whether Miller should have known what was happening - and acted to try to prevent it. An Army spokesman declined to comment." [Copyright 2005 Newsweek, Inc. (C) 2005 MSNBC.com] The Chicago Tribune Staff Reporter E.A. Torriero wrote: "The allegations - the most detailed from former Guantanamo detainees - claim that guards harassed and beat detainees and routinely tossed inmates' Korans [holy Qurans of Allah (God)] into prison toilets. The three former detainees, who were released last spring, also alleged coerced confessions - some at gunpoint - and of living among snakes and scorpions in the cells." Read the Chicago Tribune article, "Ex-Inmates Allege Guantanamo Abuse - 3 Britons claim brutal treatment by U.S. guards at detention site in Cuba", published on 5 August 2004, which is attached below with this Information Times Special Report. In the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Justice Movement) press release issued on 5 May 2005, PTI Vice President Dr. Arif Alvi wrote: "In the 'war on terrorism', there has been rampant brutalization of the people in Iraq by U.S. forces. Thousands of incidents have been reported in the press on the callous attitude of the Occupation Army. Innocent people have been killed by trigger- happy and nervous troops with no recrimination or inquiry. Statistics have shown, as reported by JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association], that at least 100,000 civilians have been killed as the direct result of [Iraq] war without taking into consideration Fallujah [Iraq], which has been wiped out. The figures could be much higher if indirect effects of this war are also calculated. The abuses at [Iraq's] Abu Ghraib [prison] only came out because they were photographed [and videotaped] and those photos [and videotapes] were leaked. Had they not seen the light of day the world would not have known about them. "This incident of the desecration of the holy Quran at Guantanamo Bay prison speaks volumes about the prejudices, which are harbored behind closed doors by U.S. troops and their right-wing leaders, and has hurt the feelings of the entire Muslim world. "The Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf in its urgently called meeting on this issue with PTI Vice President Dr. Arif Alvi in the Chair passed a resolution stating that 'PTI condemns the desecration of the holy Quran by U.S. soldiers in Guantanamo Bay, and not only wants a public apology by the U.S. Government, but demands an immediate withdrawal of [all] U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to end the rampant killing of innocent Muslims in this region'." The two recent statements of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Justice Movement) Chairman Imran Khan are as follows: IMRAN KHAN DEMANDS U.S. APOLOGY FOR HOLY QURAN DESECRATION http://insaf.org.pk/press/2003Jan/press_release_2005may6.htm http://www.insaf.org.pk Islamabad, Pakistan, 6 May 2005 (PTI): [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Justice Movement) Chairman] Imran Khan has demanded an unconditional apology from the U.S. Government for the desecration of the holy Quran by the U.S. Army at Guantanamo Bay. He made the demand during an emergency press conference at the PTI's Central Secretariat in Islamabad on Friday. Akbar S. Babar, Central Information Secretary of the [political] party was also present during the press conference. The PTI Chief stated that he had moved an adjournment motion in the National Assembly so that this grave issue could be discussed and a resolution could be passed to condemn the desecration of the holy Quran. He revealed that in the latest [9 May 2005] issue of the Newsweek magazine, a news item has been published narrating the despicable ways in which the inmates at Guantanamo Bay have been tortured and humiliated by the U.S. Army. According to the news item, interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, placed Qurans on toilets and, in at least one case, flushed the holy Book down the toilet. Demanding urgent debate in the National Assembly, the PTI Chief stated in the adjournment motion that the desecration of the holy Quran is a matter of utmost importance that has grievously injured the feelings of [all] the Muslims. Imran Khan condemned the extreme physical and emotional torture of inmates and termed it as a gross violation of all international human rights standards. Humiliating prisoners for their religious beliefs shows the depth of the degradation and moral decay, and reminds us of the dark ages when people were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Such acts would only breed anger, hatred and more violence against the U.S. and completely run counter to the stated goals of the "war on terror". Imran Khan urged all segments of society - media, civil society organizations, political parties, irrespective of their political leanings -- to protest against these barbaric acts, as we are duty bound to protect and respect our faith [Islam] as well as that of other people. He said Islam today is under increasing attack in the name of the "war on terror". He urged the [Pakistan Army-Military] Government to demand an apology from the U.S. as the [Tyrant Pervez Musharraf-Dictor Shaukat Aziz] Government is acting as a frontline state in the U.S. led "war on terror". IMRAN ASKS GENERAL MUSHARRAF TO STOP LECTURING THE NATION IN THE WAKE OF CONTINUING U.S. HUMILIATIONS http://insaf.org.pk/press/2003Jan/press_release_2005may7.htm http://www.insaf.org.pk Islamabad, Pakistan, 7 May 2005 (PTI): The PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf] Chief, Imran Khan, has expressed his extreme distress over an insulting and humiliating cartoon published in The Washington Times. The cartoon was published in a [daily dogmatic] newspaper widely believed to be the mouthpiece of the ruling Neo-Conservatives [Neo- Cons]. The PTI Chief said that on the one hand the [Musharraf-Aziz] Government does not stop from boasting about its services to the U.S. in its "war on terror" and claims to be champions of moderation. In return, the U.S. Army tortures Muslim inmates at Guantanamo Bay by desecration of the holy Quran. Imran Khan warned the [U.S. and Pakistan] rulers to stop humiliating the [Pakistani] nation as their patience is running out. He reiterated his demand of an unconditional apology from the U.S. He said he would raise the continuing insult of our nation and [Islamic] faith in the National Assembly. The PTI Chief said that the recent series of humiliating episodes are a direct consequence of General Musharraf's usurpation of power who has coined the doctrine of "Enlightened Moderation" only to fool people. He called on General Musharraf to stop lecturing the [Pakistani] nation about oderation. He said the [Musharraf-Aziz] Government proudly boasts about its role as a "frontline state" in the "war on terror" telling the nation about the respect in which Pakistan is held in the "West". Whereas, the reality is quite different as is evident from the disgraceful desecration of the holy Quran and showing Pakistan [corrupt military dictator General Pervez Musharraf] as a U.S. puppy [dog] in search of "Al-Qaeda" suspects. Imran Khan expressed his determination to make Pakistan a free and sovereign nation whose citizens can live in dignity and enjoy the fruits of economic progress. ARSHAD MALIK Press Secretary Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Justice Movement) http://www.insaf.org.pk Lahore, Pakistan [SYED ADEEB is America's investigative journalist based in the Washington DC area, U.S.A. He is Chief Editor of the Information Times, Adeeb Press and Free Press Network (FPN). Mr. Adeeb is also an Information Technology consultant, social scientist, educator, human rights defender and a noted psychological disinformation warfare analyst. -> E-Mail your comments, suggestions, or questions to: freepressnet(a)hotmail.com ==================== EX-INMATES ALLEGE GUANTANAMO ABUSE 3 Britons Claim Brutal Treatment by U.S. Guards at Detention Site in Cuba Publisher: Chicago Tribune - Chicago, Illinois, USA Date of Publication: August 5, 2004. Page: 1.14 by E.A. TORRIERO Tribune Staff Reporter Tribune news services contributed to the report. Three freed British terrorist suspects alleged Wednesday that they endured brutal treatment and sexual sadism from guards at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Detainees at Guantanamo were kept naked while being forced to watch videotapes of prisoners who had been ordered to sodomize one another, according to a 115-page report released Wednesday by the men's attorneys in New York and London. The lawyers characterized the abuse as "systematic." The allegations - the most detailed from former Guantanamo detainees - claim that guards harassed and beat detainees and routinely tossed inmates' Korans [holy Qurans of Allah (God)] into prison toilets. The three former detainees, who were released last spring, also alleged coerced confessions - some at gunpoint - and of living among snakes and scorpions in the cells. "What we see time and time again is not a few rogue soldiers but a deliberate decision by high-ranking people in the administration to push as far as they could and well beyond the limits of what is acceptable treatment," Jamie Fellner, a Human Rights Watch lawyer, said at a New York news conference. The military has repeatedly denied allegations of abuse at Guantanamo, saying that offenses like those photographed in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison never happened at Guantanamo. On Wednesday, the Pentagon said it was studying the report but refused to comment on its specifics. Maj. Michael Shavers, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington, said the U.S. does not abuse prisoners at Guantanamo. "The U.S. operates a humane and professional detention operation at Guantanamo that is providing valuable information on the war on terror," he said. The allegations come as the U.S. military is stepping up hearings for nearly 600 prisoners at the detention center to decide their fate as "enemy combatants." Human-rights lawyers have characterized the process as "a kangaroo court" because, among other things, the inmates are not represented by outside counsel. Military officials started the hearings as the first step toward compliance with a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Guantanamo inmates can challenge their detentions in court. Each suspect has a U.S. military officer as a "personal representative" at his hearing. The hearings, which began last week, have gone on outside public view. Six have been completed, the military said. But four of those six detainees refused to cooperate, a military spokesman said. On Thursday, a handful of reporters in Guantanamo will be able to view the hearings but are under military restrictions to keep the names of suspects private. Certain parts of the testimony also will be classified. The three Britons released last spring - known as the "Tipton Three" because they hailed from that town in England's West Midlands- -wrote the report with their British attorney, Gareth Peirce. Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Ruhal Ahmed said they were detained in northern Afghanistan in November 2001. They were never charged with a crime and now are free in Britain. Their lawyers would not reveal the conditions under which they were captured. In more than two years of detention in Afghanistan and Cuba, the men claim they were injected with drugs, deprived of sleep and subjected to various forms of humiliation. At Guantanamo, conditions worsened after Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller took charge, the men said in the report. Miller was later sent to run Abu Ghraib prison, where abuses allegedly took place under his watch. According to the report, Rasul said he was kept in isolation "for months and months and months." "I could heard dogs barking nearby and soldiers shouting 'Get 'em, boy,"' he said. The account also asserts that guards forced detainees to race in short shackles and beat anyone who fell. The Britons said they were forced to confess to being seen in a video with Osama bin Laden and Mohamed Atta, one of the Sept. 11 hijackers. The confession is discredited, the report says, because Rasul was working in Britain at an electronics store at the time the video allegedly was made. "The idea that these three people were kept in this prison, this gulag, and forced to make false confessions is amazing," said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a non- profit organization based in New York. [Illustration - PHOTO Caption: Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights http://www.ccr-ny.org , holds a copy of ex-inmates' claims about Guantanamo. Getty/AFP photo by Timothy A. Clary. - Copyright 2004 Chicago Tribune] [Source/Copyright 1990-2005: Information Times Publisher: Information Times - Chief Editor: SYED ADEEB Independent Free Media - USA http://www.InformationTimes.com http://www.AdeebPress.com http://www.AdeebMedia.com http://www.adeebpress.blogspot.com http://lists.topica.com/lists/freepress http://lists.topica.com/lists/infotimes http://lists.topica.com/lists/adeebpress Date of Publication: Friday, 13 May 2005 CONTACT E-MAIL: freepressnet(a)hotmail.com SUBSCRIBE AND DONATE TO THE INFORMATION TIMES ================================================== ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Would you Help a Child in need? It is easier than you think. 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