Today, the American people honor those who were lost in the attack on the United Nations in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. Once again, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed, and to the people of the nations that they came from. The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry. However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity. No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonorable and deplorable act. Now is a time to draw upon the common humanity that we share, and that was so exemplified by the UN workers who lost their lives trying to help the people of Afghanistan.If "Pastor" Terry Jones wants to burn the Koran, it seems he should go to Afghanistan and burn it in front of the people who value it. What a cowardly, despicable -- and likely mentally disturbed -- man.
But this is more than one little man's burning of the Koran. The people of Afghanistan should know that most Americans don't condone burning of sacred texts and that the act of one coward doesn't represent an entire country. But Hamid Karzai's reaction to the riots shows that he clearly doesn't understand this freedom of speech thing we've got going on here:
President Hamid Karzai expressed regret for the 20 protest deaths, but he also further stoked possible anti-foreign sentiment by again demanding that the United States and United Nations bring to justice the pastor of the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, where the Quran was burned March 20. Many Afghans did not know about the Quran-burning until Karzai condemned it four days after it happened. APThe riots say it's time to get out of Afghanistan and chalk up all of our losses there -- and there are many. We failed big time. We need to get out and accept the consequences, whatever they may be.
Petraeus on the Koran burning:
