Afghans protest after Quran burnings

Thousands of Afghans started a riot and protested outside of a U.S. military base on Tuesday after the reports of American troops burning copies of the Quran which is Islam’s holy book and other religious items. The U.S. military coalition says the Muslim holy books were sent by mistake on Feb. 19 to a garbage burn pit at Bagram Air Field which is located close to the capital, and that it is under investigation. The protesters fired guns in the air and hurled rocks while yelling things like, “Die, die, foreigners!” and “Death to America”. There were also reports of people burning pictures of Obama. The top NATO general in Afghanistan, John Allen, apologized for the burnings saying it was a mistake and it was never meant to happen. He stated "Along with our apology to the Afghans is our certainty and assurance to them, that these kinds of incidents, when they do occur, will be corrected in the fastest and most appropriate manner possible.” However the multiple apologies have yet to calm the outrage. The total number of deaths since Tuesday is now 25, including two U.S. soldiers.

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/24/10495662-12-die-as-afghan-quran-burning-protests-resume-despite-obamas-apology


This is a situation that could get a lot worse and lead to further deaths and riots. We as Americans need to stop trying to force democracy on the Middle East and stop trying to change them because obviously the majority of them don’t it. The Middle East needs to try and work through these problems by themselves and in their own time. I do think we are doing the right thing by apologizing for the burnings of the Quran. However, I am not sure I believe that the whole thing was a mistake. This could be a cover-up to prevent a huge religious war. The Afghans I believe do have a reason to be upset and start an outrage but I also think they should take into consideration the many apologies that have been released by U.S. officials and government. Once this dispute settles, we need to calm down and let the Middle East decide the type of government they wish to have. If we do this, I believe it will prevent future outrages such as this one.