Taliban sparks tantrum over Koran target practice

Guardian:

Two Afghans and a Nato soldier were killed yesterday during a violent protest in western Afghanistan against a US soldier who used the Qur'an for target practice.

A 1,000-strong crowd gathered outside a military base in remote Ghor province, throwing rocks and setting tents on fire, a Nato spokesman said.

The protesters were enraged by reports that a US sniper used the Islamic holy book for target practice on a shooting range outside Baghdad earlier this month. Afghan police opened fire on the crowd, killing two and wounding at least seven. A soldier from Lithuania was also killed, although it remains unclear who fired the shot.

The Ghor police chief, Shah Jahan Noori, said Taliban militants mingled among the protesters. "Among these people were rebels, who opened fire," he said, adding that 10 officers were also wounded.

The incident highlighted the incendiary power of perceived slights against Islam's holy book combined with rising frustration at the western military presence. Ahmad Khan Rahimi, a local politician who was among the protesters, told the Associated Press they had chanted "Death to America" and "America is against Islam".

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It appears that there are still some Muslims who are emotionally immature enough to go into a tantrum over a perceived insult to Islam. By doing so they lower respect for the religion they claim to defend. It is too bad they lack the intelligence and maturity to figure that out.