ed note–My apologies, but I still have not yet figured out how to embed Press TV’s
videos that have not been posted to Youtube. Those wishing to see my interview will
US Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has blamed Afghan prisoners for
the burning of the Holy Qur’an by US troops in the country.
While addressing his supporters in the city of Meridian, Mississippi, Gingrich said that
Afghan prisoners used the pages of the Muslim holy book to transmit messages “and
it’s a pity that the religious leaders in Afghanistan aren’t condemning the people who
were defacing the Qur’an. Because, it is those people who are responsible for the
Qur’an ending up being burned, because if they hadn’t defaced it, it wouldn’t have been
confiscated.”
Press TV talks with Mark Glenn, author and journalist from Idaho, who discusses the
various comments made by presidential candidates in the US regarding the burning of
the Holy Qur’an and how Americans are fed with daily dosages of Islamophobia.
What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV:
As bad and grievous as the act of burning of the Qur’an is, having done it purposely and then
defending it like Gingrich have been doing, makes the gravity of offence even greater now
doesn’t it?
Glenn:
Absolutely and there’s just one thing I’d like to correct concerning what the
newscaster said before in his report. He used the word insensitivity of American troops
towards the Islamic culture. And it is not insensitivity its outright contempt. I mean we have
to understand that these act are not anomaly, they’re not unexplainable by any means.
Here in America, we are fed a daily dose of Islamophobia, and hatred of all things Arabic
and Islamic.So these troops going over there and performing these kinds of acts, this is
not something not to be expected. And I would go a step further by saying, that these acts
more than likely are deliberate, these types of things, just like the news report coming up
concerning Abu Ghraib, these things are done to inflame the Islamic world so that this clash
of cultures will continue for Israel’s benefit.
Press TV:
Now Gingrich isn’t the first Republican candidate to defend the burning. How do you see
this affecting the sentiments of Afghans towards the US forces in the country?
Glenn:
Well, Kaneez let’s just be honest about it, even if they hadn’t burned the holy book of the
Muslim, the fact of the matter is, is that what the United States and NATO have done to
Afghanistan, having destroyed the lives of tens of millions of innocent people, by comparison,
and I don’t say it demean the Islamic holy book, but we have to put things in perspective.
Whether the troops had done this to the Qur’an or not, is irrespective in the larger picture,
with what have been done to the people themselves, their country has been destroyed, innocent
people are being killed everyday.
And so you know, it’s just unbelievable, really it is something that, you know, the same people
have to pinch once in a while and ask themselves, I’m I really seeing this, is this really taking
place. You know we have these presidential candidates, such as Gingrich, such as Santorum,
such as Romney, who are out there defending this act of absolute barbarism.
I mean, what if it was the Afghan troops that were desecrating the Holy Bible, the
New Testament, or doing something that were disrespectful towards the person of Jesus Christ,
my goodness we wouldn’t hear the end of it.
But when it is done to the Afghan people, all of a sudden we’re supporting to forget about it,
we’re supposed to laugh, and in the case in which he deals with his comments, where he’s
justifying in saying it’s the fault of the prisoners themselves. I really can’t believe that I’m
actually hearing this myself. But then again, you’re dealing with candidates that know that
they have to stand on the good side with the Jewish lobby if they stand any chance of being
elected for the presidency.
Press TV:
Indeed, but such comments will indeed not be well received by the Muslim population in the US.
Has the right-wing conservative managed to completely alienate a large base of voters?
Glenn:
Yes I do believe that is the case, and I think that this has been the case for some time. I don’t
think that this latest act, on the part of Gingrich and his fellow criminals seeking the highest
office in American politics.
I don’t think that it did a whole lot of extra damage, I think that the damage here in the
United States which results to the Muslim community, with respect to the right-wing, the
Republican Party, it has been severely damaged ever since the days of George Bush.
So as bad as Gingrich’s comment were, as bad Santorum and Romney’s comments were,
I think in essence it really was beating a dead horse, and I think if anything, all these
shows is that Gingrich and co., they will say anything, anything to appease to Jewish lobby,
in this country, in the hopes of getting elected.
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