Middle East Studies

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/17/iraq.quran/index.html

This article is about a recent apology issued by the United States Military for the actions of an American soldier. The soldier was witnessed using a Quran as a target for shooting practice in Radhwaniya, causing an upset among Iraqi citizens who are deeply offended by the event. On Saturday, Major General Jeffery Hammond issued a public apology for the behavior of the soldier. The event took place on May 9 and was officially confirmed by investigators on May 11. The soldier’s name has not been released, but he wrote a letter of apology that Major General Hammond read to the public. The soldier has been removed from operations in Iraq. The event has sparked new much controversy not only in Iraq but also among Muslims around the world. They are upset by both the disrespect shown to their holy book and by the length of time it took the military to recognize that the event occurred and apologize for it. Although the military refused to back claims that the soldier did not realize that he was shooting the Quran, Islamic leaders throughout Iraq, especially the tribal leaders of Radhwaniya, are still extremely upset by what they have called a “heinous crime.”

This event carries many implications for the United States, Iraq, and the entire world. This instance of disrespect by the military towards the religion of Islam has already greatly increased the tension between the United States military and the military leaders of Iraq that the United States is supposedly working with to bring stability to the region. Relations with the Sunni militiamen that are backed by the United States have especially been hurt and tested by this event; our offensive actions will make it that much harder to successfully work with Iraqi forces and to gain trust from the Iraqi people. It is very damaging to our efforts in Iraq for irresponsible soldiers to cause a new uproar among the Iraqi people, who are now protesting American presence even more. The situation in Iraq is one that affects not only the United States and Iraq but also the entire world, and this new event has added to the instability of the entire Middle East and to our foreign relations with all Islamic nations.

Filed under: Uncategorized