[Mb-civic] CBC News - QUR'AN ABUSE ALLEGATIONS DATE BACK YEARS: RED CROSS

Fri May 20 17:35:45 PDT 2005

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QUR'AN ABUSE ALLEGATIONS DATE BACK YEARS: RED CROSS
WebPosted Fri May 20 10:45:37 2005

geneva---The international Red Cross says it raised the issue of alleged
Qur'an abuse at Guantanamo Bay with American officials on numerous
occasions and as early as 2002.

Delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) didn't
witness any mistreatment of Islam's holy book, but heard reports from a
number of detainees, said spokesman Simon Schorno on Friday.

 FROM MAY 13, 2005: 8 die in Afghan protests over Qur'an allegations

At least 15 people died in violent protests in Afghanistan last week
after a Newsweek article reported American interrogators at the U.S.
military base flushed a Qur'an down a toilet. The magazine later
retracted the story, saying it had doubts about the source.

ICRC members have visited the base on the eastern tip of Cuba since the
detainees arrived in January 2002.

Schorno told the Chicago Tribune newspaper on Thursday that Red Cross
delegates compiled the complaints they received from various detainees
and reported them to Guantanamo commanders and Pentagon officials on
several occasions.

The Red Cross spokesperson said he believes the U.S. has taken corrective
measures and has heard no more complaints from detainees.

In January 2003, after the ICRC reports, the Pentagon released guidelines
on how to handle the Qur'an. The three-page document advised handling the
book like a "fragile piece of delicate art" that shouldn't be placed near
toilets, sinks, feet or dirty or wet areas.

The Pentagon didn't specify what the ICRC complaints were, except to say
they matched previously acknowledged complaints such as the Qur'an
accidentally falling to the floor.