Afghans Protesting Florida Koran Burning Kill 7 UN Workers

Afghans protesting the burning of a Koran in Florida last week stormed a United Nations compound in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif and killed four Nepalese security guards and three other workers from Norway, Romania and Sweden, the UN said.

The crowd emerged from the city’s main mosque after Friday prayers and marched on the UN office where they attacked the guards with knives, seized their weapons and entered the compound, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a spokesman for the northern region’s police force, said by phone.

The Nepalese guards were shot or stabbed to death and a man and a woman on the UN staff were beheaded, the spokesman said. Police opened fire on the crowd and 12 people were injured, he said.

“It is cowardly attack which cannot be justified under any circumstances,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, according to his press office in New York. The UN press office revised an earlier estimate that there had been eight casualties.

U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement condemning the attack “in the strongest possible terms.” The UN’s work “is essential to building a stronger Afghanistan,” Obama said. “We stress the importance of calm and urge all parties to reject violence and resolve differences through dialogue.”
Koran Burned

Florida Pastor Terry Jones oversaw the burning of a Koran at his church in Gainesville, Florida, on March 20, USA Today reported. The burning was done by Wayne Sapp, a colleague of Jones, the newspaper said. Jones threatened last year to burn a copy of the sacred book of Islam on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.

“Such actions cannot be condoned by any religion,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said. “They contradict the efforts of the United Nations and many people around the world to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions.”

Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, released a statement calling the attack a “very tragic and criminal action” that is “highly unacceptable” for the U.S. government.

“The United States government and the United Nations itself must take immediate action,” Jones said. “We must hold these countries and people accountable for what they have done as well as for any excuses they may use to promote their terrorist activities. The time has come to hold Islam accountable.”
Radical Element

The Obama administration should “take a close, realistic look at the radical element Islam,” Jones said. “Islam is not a religion of peace.”

UN member nations should takes steps to prevent “Muslim- dominated countries” from spreading “their hate against Christians and minorities,” Jones said. “They must alter the laws that govern their countries to allow for individual freedoms and rights, such as the right to worship, free speech and to move freely without fear of being attacked or killed.”

About 100 protesters also gathered today at a traffic circle near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the Associated Press reported. One carried a sign that said “We want these bloody bastard Americans with all their forces to leave Afghanistan,” the AP said.
Crime Against Religion

Afghan President Hamid Karzai last week issued a statement calling the burning a “crime against a religion,” AP said. He said it was a “disrespectful and abhorrent act” and called on the U.S. and UN to prosecute those who burned the Koran, according to the wire service.

Mazar-e-Sharif is the capital of the northern Balkh province, bordering Uzbekistan.

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, issued a statement saying he was “saddened and angered” by the UN workers’ deaths.

“We and the Afghan people owe a debt of gratitude to the people who risk their lives to make Afghanistan a better place,” Kerry said. “Instead, an angry mob took out its rage on selfless public servants and innocent bystanders who had no connection to the desecration of a Koran by a radical figure in Florida.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-01/afghans-protesting-florida-koran-burnin...

That's hardly news. They didn't kill any Australians, did they.

Afghan Muslims are busy flexing their democratic right to peacefully protest:


9 killed, 73 injured in Quran burning protest in south Afghan city


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 2 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and over 70 others injured as thousands of people staged a protest demonstration in Kandahar city Saturday to condemn the reported burning of Muslim holy book Quran in the United States recently, a statement released by Kandahar's provincial administration said.

"In today's demonstration which turned to violence nine people were killed and 73 others sustained injuries," the statement asserted.

The victims, according to doctors in local hospitals, had been hit by stone or suffered bullet injuries, as protestors hurled stone towards police and police opened fire to disperse the mob.

It also blamed the vested interests group, who set on fire public and private properties including shops and vehicles and turned the procession into violence.

Several classrooms of a girl school were also set ablaze by the vested interests group during the demonstration, the statement said.

A priest of a Church in Florida of America, according to media reports, burned Muslim holy book Quran recently and the act has drawn condemnation.

Personnel of law enforcing agencies have arrested 16 people from among the demonstrators seven of them armed with weapons, the statement of Kandahar's provincial administration asserted.

Similar demonstration also broke out in the Taliqan city, the capital of northeast Takhar province on Saturday and the demonstrators after condemning the reported burning of Quran dispersed peacefully.

Such demonstrations in the capital city Kabul and western city Herat have happened and the demonstrators condemned burning Quran by U.S. priest.

Thousands of protestors in a similar demonstration held in Afghanistan's northern Mazar-e-Sharif city on Friday went violence and stormed UN compound, during which 11 people had been killed 23 others were injured.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/02/c_13810848.htm

Soren wrote on Apr 9^th, 2011 at 5:54pm:


Yes, it's a bit hard these days. Many members of the Muslim race pretend to be white, or yellow, or black. God forbid - some of them even look tinted!

I think this is why they wear those little white hats.

Some bloke who seems to be a religious nutjob in his own right burns a book and muslims on the other side of the world go apeshite and kill people, their own included.  What sort of mindless primitves are they?

What is this stupid reflex that you and the other impeccably postmodern drones seem to have?

WHenever something really god-awful is done by your pet tribe, you immediately think of some excuse, a way to downplay it, a way to shift to some other topic. It is as if you were sheltering them from being as fully responsible for what they do as anyone else.

In defence of your pet barbarians, you unintentionally reinforce the perception of their lesser humanity. You always look for a way to save them for responsibility, from full accountability for their actions like other adults.

Jibreel wrote on Apr 9^th, 2011 at 10:35pm:


My frien, they are put on burner because they go against the law of Gud. All defilers should be put to death in this way   it is law yes?

Karnal wrote on Apr 9^th, 2011 at 10:43pm:


If you say so.

On another note, this essay posted on Gates of Vienna makes a parallel between some of the arguments used to put the blame for all those needless deaths onto the Qur'an burner and the reasoning of wife-beaters.

Quote:


http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/04/psychopaths-argument-free-speech-kills.html