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Afghans Protest Fla. Church's Plan to Burn Quran
Hundreds of Afghans railed against the United States and called for President Barack Obama's death at a rally in the capital Monday to denounce a Florida church's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on 9/11.
The crowd in Kabul, numbering as many as 500, chanted "Long live Islam" and "Death to America" as they listened to fiery speeches from members of parliament, provincial council deputies, and Islamic clerics who criticized the U.S. and demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.
Some threw rocks when a U.S. military convoy passed, but speakers shouted at them to stop and told police to arrest anyone who disobeyed.
The Gainesville, Fla.-based Dove World Outreach Center announced plans to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but . The church, which made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil," has vowed to proceed with the burning.
"We know this is not just the decision of a church. It is the decision of the president and the entire United States," said Abdul Shakoor, an 18-year-old high school student who said he joined the protest after hearing neighborhood gossip about the Quran burning.
Complete Coverage: 9/11 Nine Years Later
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a statement condemning Dove World Outreach Center's plans, saying Washington was "deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups."
Protesters, who gathered in front of western Kabul's Milad ul-Nabi mosque, raised placards and flags emblazoned with slogans calling for the death of President Obama, while police looked on. They also held up a cardboard effigy of Dove World Outreach Center's pastor Terry Jones.
Muslims consider the Quran to be the word of God and demand that it, along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad, be treated with the utmost respect. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Quran is considered deeply offensive.
In 2005, 15 people died and scores were wounded in riots in Afghanistan sparked by a story in Newsweek magazine alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Quran in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Newsweek later retracted the story.
Also Monday, NATO said an American service member was killed in fighting in the country's turbulent east on Sunday.
No other details were given in accordance with standard procedure. The death was the fifth among U.S. troops in Afghanistan in September, following the deaths of more than 220 American troops over the past three months.
This year is already the bloodiest for American forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, with at least 321 killed so far.
Violence is increasing with the infusion of 30,000 additional U.S. troops that brings the total number of foreign forces in Afghanistan to more than 140,000. Stepped-up operations ahead of next week's parliamentary elections and an ongoing campaign to drive the Taliban from its southern strongholds are also boosting the numbers of dead and wounded.
Taliban insurgents on Sunday vowed to attack polling places during the Sept. 18 vote and warned Afghans not to participate in what it called a sham election. The insurgency aims to topple the government in Kabul and drive foreign troops from the country, and has boycotted or tried to sabotage all aspects of the political process.
Taliban threats and intimidation drove down voter turnout in last year's fraud-marred presidential election, especially in rural areas where security is harder to ensure, and many Afghans this time say they won't vote for fear of attacks.
By Associated Press Writer Rahim Faiez
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The crowd in Kabul, numbering as many as 500, chanted "Long live Islam" and "Death to America" as they listened to fiery speeches from members of parliament, provincial council deputies, and Islamic clerics who criticized the U.S. and demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.
Some threw rocks when a U.S. military convoy passed, but speakers shouted at them to stop and told police to arrest anyone who disobeyed.
The Gainesville, Fla.-based Dove World Outreach Center announced plans to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but . The church, which made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil," has vowed to proceed with the burning.
"We know this is not just the decision of a church. It is the decision of the president and the entire United States," said Abdul Shakoor, an 18-year-old high school student who said he joined the protest after hearing neighborhood gossip about the Quran burning.
Complete Coverage: 9/11 Nine Years Later
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a statement condemning Dove World Outreach Center's plans, saying Washington was "deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups."
Protesters, who gathered in front of western Kabul's Milad ul-Nabi mosque, raised placards and flags emblazoned with slogans calling for the death of President Obama, while police looked on. They also held up a cardboard effigy of Dove World Outreach Center's pastor Terry Jones.
Muslims consider the Quran to be the word of God and demand that it, along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad, be treated with the utmost respect. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Quran is considered deeply offensive.
In 2005, 15 people died and scores were wounded in riots in Afghanistan sparked by a story in Newsweek magazine alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Quran in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Newsweek later retracted the story.
Also Monday, NATO said an American service member was killed in fighting in the country's turbulent east on Sunday.
No other details were given in accordance with standard procedure. The death was the fifth among U.S. troops in Afghanistan in September, following the deaths of more than 220 American troops over the past three months.
This year is already the bloodiest for American forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, with at least 321 killed so far.
Violence is increasing with the infusion of 30,000 additional U.S. troops that brings the total number of foreign forces in Afghanistan to more than 140,000. Stepped-up operations ahead of next week's parliamentary elections and an ongoing campaign to drive the Taliban from its southern strongholds are also boosting the numbers of dead and wounded.
Taliban insurgents on Sunday vowed to attack polling places during the Sept. 18 vote and warned Afghans not to participate in what it called a sham election. The insurgency aims to topple the government in Kabul and drive foreign troops from the country, and has boycotted or tried to sabotage all aspects of the political process.
Taliban threats and intimidation drove down voter turnout in last year's fraud-marred presidential election, especially in rural areas where security is harder to ensure, and many Afghans this time say they won't vote for fear of attacks.
By Associated Press Writer Rahim Faiez
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The fact that the Gainesville church wants to do this koran burning is stupid but it is within their right to do so in THIS country.
If the believers of Islam had their way they would put a sword to the throat of all to "offend" their religion. Therein lies one of many major differences between Christians and Muslims. You don't see Christians rioting around the world and demanding the blood of those who, by some act do things that Christians find offensive.
To those who dredge up the crusades as an example of Christian conduct, you are reaching into to past for an example of a behavior long since ended and denounced by all Christian faiths. Unfortunately this to is another difference in the behavior of Christians and Muslims. Wars are still be started and fought over offenses from years past committed by others against one muslim sect bot another or by 'non-believers.' In the muslim faith it is appropriate to seek the blood of the descendants of those who offended your ancestors - an example the twisted logic practiced in Islamic world
You can't reach out to people of the world without acceptance and understanding. Do they even know that the book they intend to burn also references the same important Christian figures of the Bible?
I know, it's 'dogma' again. The same thing that divides many of the Christian faith. Someone picks up on a sentence or phrase, and creates a whole other denomination. On Judgment Day, everyone will be surprised to see who gets in, and who does not.
As for being a center, a center of extremists in the 'center' of their own little world.
No surprise that they'd think one church represents all of America. It's just like the idiots here who think that the 9/11 hijackers represent American Muslims.
.
These people are nuts, what does Obama have to do with any of this??? this is some lunatic fringe, renagade cult church with at best 50 members grandstanding for publicity, go burn their church down and behead them, but leave Obama and the rest of us out of their lunacy.
I don't think this church is out to offend anyone. They see the koran for what it is and protest against it. Anyone who prides themself on being "peaceful" and "tolerant" should have NO problem with that.
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YOU put the MORON in MoronGelical christian.