MPAC Calls For Congressional Inquiry Into Quran Desecration

This pattern began with the now infamous remarks of Lt. General William Boykin claiming the Christian God was bigger than Islams God, then the scandalous photos from Abu Ghraib prison where inmates were forced to pose in sexually humiliating positions contrary to Islamic beliefs, and now the admission of deliberate Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay.

It is clear in the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide, including American Muslims, that a segment of our military finds profaning all things Islamic as an acceptable tactic in fighting the war on terror.

MPAC is calling on Congress to establish a national commission to investigate these violations and include members of the American Muslim community on the commission. American Muslims, who have a distinct understanding of the Muslim world, have been diligently trying to assist government policy efforts in the war on terror but have been rebuffed to date for reasons that are puzzling to us. Such a commission would be a first step in repairing the damage of our nations image in the Muslim world and allow American Muslims to constructively contribute to our nations policy.

There is a clear disconnect, willful or un-willful, between senior military officials and front-line soldiers. We are not referring to the dynamics of combat, but rather pre-meditated anti-Islamic methods and tactics employed by some soldiers contrary to military policy, not to mention the values of our nation.

This disconnect has serious ramifications for our national security as evidenced by the current furor in the Muslim world. Such disconnects demand immediate attention before further damage to our nations image is caused.

There is a basic lack of accountability within the military apparatus when such behavior occurs. The fact it took a Newsweek report to prompt an investigation does not instill confidence our military is properly dealing with criminal matters before they escalate to international levels. Newsweek and Amnesty International are greeted with righteous indignation by government officials, but their reports are substantively correct and should elicit a spirit of constructive engagement rather than defensive posturing.

The reports of Muslim detainees desecrating Qurans themselves is a red herring. The implication that mentally-sound Muslims in a prison camp in Cuba find it acceptable to violate their faiths holy book is not credible. Knowing little about the detainees and their living conditions in combination with previous reports of mass suicide attempts at the prison, it is logical to assume prisoners who have desecrated a Quran have slipped into a realm of mental instability as a result of their surroundings, or because they are not mentally sound in the first place.

Having said all the above, we note with due respect that our military investigated itself and presented facts even though such facts would portray it in an unfavorable light.

We further note that there are few countries in the world where such an investigation would even take place, let alone establish negative results.