I like the way American pundits have been discussing the issue of the desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. They first blamed Newsweek, the magazine which conveyed the news to the population, and later discovered the impossibility of a copy of the Koran being flushed down a toilet because of its weight. So Newsweek retracted its report and many Americans felt relief that no desecration of the Koran had ever taken place. I hope they can now sleep well at night.

If it is of any assistance, I would like to remind readers that the abuse of Muslim detainees at Gitmo is a well-documented reality, and many abuses take the shape of desecration of "the sacred" to humiliate its holders. Though I myself hesitated to believe that the guards could go to those extremes, there are witness accounts that the Koran was desecrated to deliver a message to detainees that they could have no comfort until they confess.

Copies of the Koran, the most precious of texts in Muslim eyes, can be obtained as a hardback as well as in miniature form, and even a section of it is considered as holy as the whole. If anybody with a malevolent mind wished to humiliate a Muslim detainee, he could easily conduct his sacrilegious act by flushing the Koran down the toilet. This is physically downright possible.

Of course I have no evidence as to the actuality of these desecration claims and no reason to challenge the retraction made by a newsmagazine as prestigious as Newsweek. Furthermore I would like the impact of this heinous action to fade away as soon as possible, since as a Muslim, I too feel humiliated.

I hope Washington doesn't take the issue lightly, since it has all the ingredients for growing into a monster if it is not dealt with delicately.

What makes this issue scandalous for Muslims is twofold. On the one hand there is Guantanamo Bay, an American military base in Cuba housing Muslim detainees of different ethnic backgrounds. They are deprived of basic human rights and are meant to be kept there for an indefinite period of time. Detainees have rights stemming from the Geneva Convention, and their religious sensitivities as well as their body and mind are under its protection. The pictures of hooded and handcuffed detainees and the news of the treatment they receive at Gitmo are not up to the standards envisaged by the Geneva Convention. Not only those close to the detainees but also people who do not condone their actions are unhappy with this reality.

On the other hand there is sanctity of the Koran. The Koran, even to most secularist-minded Muslim, is a sacred text. The Koran's meaning is sacred and beyond reproach, and a copy comprising some 600 pages is sacrosanct to an ordinary Muslim. In Turkey for instance, "The Book" is held reverently and never placed below body level. Many homes have at least one copy under wraps hung high in the parent's room.

The detainees' bad treatment and humiliation is fuel enough for the Muslim psyche to become angry, and the news that the Koran is not treated respectfully is more than a Muslim can handle. Some are out protesting, some keeping their rage to themselves.

Retraction or no retraction, as seen from my vantage point, the Muslim world has become convinced that the U.S. is torturing and mistreating Muslims at Gitmo over their religion, and the Newsweek story has added insult to injury. That is all.

A question now arises: While there are protests occurring in countries as far away as Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Palestine, Egypt etc., with Muslim minorities in some Western countries making their uneasiness apparent over the Newsweek story, why on earth have people in Turkey not taken to the streets to make their rage apparent?

I believe this is a fair question. It is, first of all, a direct refutation of the charge that rampant anti-Americanism exists in Turkey. The Turks are not antagonistic towards the Americans, but they have reservations about the policies of the U.S. government.

Secondly, Turks today seem to hold their silence on matters related to religion for the reason that the leading figures of the Justice and Development (AK) Party are religiously sensitive people and they trust them. The Turks, at least the ones that I know, are as furious as the next person but are suitably experienced in such matters to be able to keep their feelings under control.

The issue of the torturing of inmates and the desecration of the Koran is highly delicate and its reverberations will be heard everywhere. Something has to be done before its negative effects upset the newly emerging status quo in Iraq, as well as the fragile balance that exists in Afghanistan.

The U.S. has disappointed me greatly with their ineptitude and incomprehension of topics related to the Islamic world, and I truly doubt that they can be successful in turning the scales in their favor. If I were in President George W. Bush's shoes, I would place greatest importance on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's visit which is scheduled for early June. Turkey holds the key to the U.S.' salvation and their ability to clean their hands of a region whose inhabitants have become restless and furious towards Mr. Bush's policies.

I have no idea why Prime Minister Erdogan has taken the trouble of organizing a visit to Washington to see Mr. Bush, but I hope he will take a comprehensive plan of action which would aid the U.S in their attempts to salvage their already-deteriorating reputation.

From The New Anatolian, May 24, 2005

 

If only we had dialogue - May 17, 2005 From Cairo with love - May 10, 2005 Eyeless in Gaza - May 3, 2005 A partner is still needed in Cyprus - April 26, 2005 'My name is State, Deep State' - April 19, 2005 Greed kills - April 12, 2005 From the observation deck - April 5, 2005 The mirror has cracked - March 29, 2005 Remembering things past - March 22, 2005 I invite you to use your imagination - March 15, 2005 A time for encouragement - March 8, 2005 The proof in the pudding - March 1, 2005 Hail to the Columnist! - February 22, 2005 It is in our blood, we do not waver - February 15, 2005 Excuse my question - February 8, 2005 A friend in need - February 01, 2005

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