Somali Muslims protest over Koran report

xeeryaqaan · May 21, 2005

20 May 2005 15:11:43 GMT

Source: Reuters

MOGADISHU, May 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of Somali Muslims and militiamen marched through the streets of the capital Mogadishu on Friday to protest at a report that Americans desecrated the Koran.

Newsweek magazine issued an apology and retraction of its report that the Muslim holy book had been desecrated by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

The report in the magazine's May 9 issue sparked protests across the Muslim world, from Afghanistan, where 16 people were killed and more than 100 injured, to Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Gaza.

In Mogadishu, Muslim leaders spoke on loud speakers mounted on vans to condemn the United States. Witnesses said the demonstrations were peaceful with no burning of the U.S. flags as reported in other countries.

"On behalf of the Islamic community, I condemn America and its government, because of how they mistreat prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and our people in Afghanistan and Iraq," said Shiek Nur Barud, who represented the Islamic umbrella body.

"Evil Bush will go soon but Islam will remain forever," the cleric said as the crowd shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest).

Protesters pinned slogans to the wall saying: "Those who use our Koran as toilet paper are our first enemy", "We have to fight those who violate our Koranic verses".

Despite Newsweek's retraction, anger over the report still simmers in parts of the Muslim world.

The White House this week called on Newsweek to help repair the damage done to America's image by explaining what happened and how it got the article wrong.

Many Somalis remember the U.S. military involvement in Somalia, which ended in humiliation in 1993 when 18 U.S. personnel in a U.N. peace force called UNOSOM were killed in a battle in Mogadishu as recalled in the 2001 Hollywood film "Black Hawk Down".

Somalia descended into anarchy after warlords ousted then military ruler Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991.

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