My apologies in advance for this long posting comprised mostly of quotes, but I wanted to handle these three stories together. For some reason, I think they just flow into each other to form a greater narrative.<\/p>\n
US details Guantanamo ‘mishandling’ of Koran<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The U.S. military for the first time on Friday detailed how jailers at Guantanamo mishandled the Koran, including a case in which a guard’s urine splashed onto the Islamic holy book and others in which it was kicked, stepped on and soaked by water.<\/p>\n U.S. Southern Command, responsible for the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, described five cases of “mishandling” of a Koran by U.S. personnel confirmed by a newly completed military inquiry, officials said in a statement.<\/p>\n In the incident involving urine, which took place this past March, Southern Command said a guard left his post and urinated near an air vent and “the wind blew his urine through the vent” and into a cell block.<\/p>\n It said a detainee told guards the urine “splashed on him and his Koran.” The statement said the detainee was given a new prison uniform and Koran, and that the guard was reprimanded and given duty in which he had no contact with prisoners.<\/p>\n Southern Command said a civilian contractor interrogator, who was later fired, apologized in July 2003 to a detainee for stepping on his Koran. In August 2003, prisoners’ Korans became wet when night-shift guards threw water balloons in a cell block, the statement said. In February 2002, guards kicked a prisoner’s Koran, it added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Note the dates there. We’re discussing isolated incidents, few and far between. I’ll be honest, though — I would like more details on the water balloon story.<\/p>\n In the fifth “confirmed incident” of mishandling a Koran, Southern Command said a prisoner in August 2003 complained that “a two-word obscenity” had been written in English in his Koran. Southern Command said it was “possible” a guard had written the words but “equally possible” the prisoner himself had done but they did not offer any explanation of his possible motive.<\/p>\n […]<\/p>\n [Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, commander of the Guantanamo prison,] Hood said there were four additional incidents of “alleged mishandling” of the Koran that “we cannot determine conclusively if they actually happened.”<\/p>\n “Mishandling a Koran at Guantanamo Bay is a rare occurrence. Mishandling of a Koran here is never condoned,” Hood said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No flushing. None. Minimal abuse of the Islamic holy text. Allegations investigated at each occurrence and action taken.<\/p>\n