One reason we're having problems making friends in Iraq:

[Theophylact]

Here's an ugly little story from riverbend's blog, Baghdad Burning:

Ever since the occupation, employees of the Ministry of Oil are being searched by troops- and lately, dogs. The employees have been fed up… the ministry itself is a virtual fortress now with concrete, barbed wire and troops. The employees stand around for hours at a time, waiting to be checked and let inside. Iraqis have gotten accustomed to the 'security checks'. The checks are worse on the females than they are on the males because we have to watch our handbags rummaged through and sometimes personal items pulled out and examined while dozens of people stand by, watching.

Today, one of the women who work at the ministry, Amal, objected when the troops brought forward a dog to sniff her bag. She was carrying a Quran inside of it and to even handle a Quran, a Muslim has to be 'clean' or under 'widhu'. 'Widhu' is the process of cleansing oneself for prayer or to read from the Quran. We simply wash the face, neck, arms up to the elbows and feet with clean water and say a few brief 'prayers'. Muslims carry around small Qurans for protection and we've been doing it more often since the war- it gives many people a sense of security. It doesn't not mean the person is a 'fundamentalist' or 'extremist'.

As soon as Amal protested about letting the dog sniff her bag because of the Quran inside, the soldier grabbed the Quran, threw it out of the bag and proceeded to check it. The lady was horrified and the dozens of employees who were waiting to be checked moved forward in a rage at having the Quran thrown to the ground. Amal was put in hand-cuffs and taken away and the raging mob was greeted with the butts of rifles.

The Iraqi Police arrived to try to intervene, and found the mob had increased in number because it had turned from a security check into a demonstration. One of the stations showed police officers tearing off their "IP" badge- a black arm badge to identify them as Iraqi Police and shouting at the camera, "We don't want the badge- we signed up to help the people, not see our Quran thrown to the ground…"

Some journalists say that journalists' cameras were confiscated by the troops…

This is horrible. It made my blood boil just hearing about it- I can't imagine what the people who were witnessing it felt. You do not touch the Quran. Why is it so hard to understand that some things are sacred to people?!

How would the troops feel if Iraqis began flinging around Holy Bibles or Torahs and burning crosses?! They would be horrified and angry because you do not touch a person's faith…

But that's where the difference is: the majority of Iraqis have a deep respect for other cultures and religions… and that's what civilization is. It's not mobile phones, computers, skyscrapers and McDonalds; It's having enough security in your own faith and culture to allow people the sanctity of theirs…

In a way, it doesn't even matter if this story is true.

[Epidemic]

Why would you say it does not matter if it was true?

[J-Excel]

It doesn't matter if it is true or not because it is being circulated regardless, and inciting people to hate the US, which is the purpose of the article. Regardless of whether or not it's true, it is serving its purpose.

[osprey4]

They would be horrified and angry because you do not touch a person's faith...

I believe in being respectful of other human beings and their faith and culture, so I'm disappointed that our service men and women would be so disrespectful. Not surprised (with all the suicide freaks running around), but disappointed.

But on the other hand, you could grab my Bible and burn it and I would not consider that to be a threat to my faith. You can't "touch" my faith by stealing my Bible, nor does burning a book destory the Bible.

[Theophylact]

That's because the Bible doesn't have the same meaning to a Christian that the Quran has to a Muslim. If it did, the soldier would have known. And that's the point.

[shahani]

Who are the peeps searching the women???

[M_Six]

I can't say if this story it true or not. And even if it is, I wasn't there. So I cannot judge the actions of those involved. But as a general policy, I cannot see letting something the size of a book, even a small one, pass through security unscrutinized because it is considered sacred. Terrorists (or rebels or freedom fighters or whatever you want to call them) would have no qualms about stuffing a Quran full of C-4 and using it to blow people to smithereens. If they can use their own sacred books and buildings in such a blasphemous manner, who's to condemn the soldiers for being cautious or even aggressive? If they let a clean Quran slip through without checking it, they make a "good impression". If they let a booby-trapped Quran slip through, people die. Sounds like a simple choice from a security standpoint.

This episode sounds suspiciously like an intentional setup for propaganda purposes. These people were being searched every day and knew what would happen. If you don't want your Quran touched or sniffed by a dog, don't bring it to work. Or, once it's inside, leave it there.

[shahani]

Well, something to be said for both sides. Handling the situation with a degree of sensitivity would be good.

Not all Arabs are bad. Just like not all soldiers are bad.

Its just a few bad apples.

[J-Excel]

I have an ebook version of the Quran. Do the same rules apply? Should I be washing my feet before I read it?

[RADAR1797]

J-Ecxel,

Wash your e-book. The fact that it will short out does not matter to the extremists...logic is not an issue; only the their interpretation of the law.

-RADAR