Hundreds of protesters have been rioting against the police and security force in Afghanistan after hearing that there was copies of the Quran burnt at a NATO airbase by US troops. The protesters have been blocking a major highway right in front of US base and have been throwing stones at police lines. There has been reports that seven people have died and 32 have been injured during the protesting. A police spokesman denied all the reports and said that policer officers didn't fire any shots at protesters when they went to ask the AFP he explained that "one person was killed and 10 were wounded when shots were fired at anti-US demonstrators ".
Due to the reports and riots the US defense secretary issued an apology and said that it was inappropriate for the US soldiers to burn a copy of the Quran and that this action does not represent the views of the US military.
I think it was wrong to burn a copy of the Quran because its disrespectful to a religion but i dont think i would have protested against it if it was my religion.
So how do u guys feel about this? Do you think that the Afghan citizens have a right to protest?
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/02/201222261457220606.html
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I believe that the right to protest is a essential right for a country trying to become more democratic. If the right to protest is taken away, then a major grassroots method of lobbying and free speech would disappear. Thus, while burning the Qur'an or protesting against the purported burn of the Qur'an might not have been the smartest thing to do, I believe that at least the protesting should not be restricted unless it becomes violent because of the protesters.
I think that they have a right to protest because I would be a hypocrite as a U.S. citizen if I said otherwise (though my own personal beliefs do follow this line of thinking anyway). Seriously though, if people have an opinion, it is their right to state it, or protest in this case. Now, that being said, I believe that we also have a right to express our opinions too. Yes, burning a religious text is usually not the best way to express yourself (and there are issues of respect), but neither is the burning of a country's flag. Both objects hold deep meaning to the people affiliated with them so obviously there will be anger if one is desecrated. In general I think that both sides should respect each others symbols, for lack of a better word, and express anger in a way so that no one ends up dead.
To be honest, I am tired of Muslim extremists causing anarchy and making a bad name for traditional Islamists. Muslims have the right to protest the burning of their holy book even though it was possibly burned by mistake. However, the extremists who use the burning of the Quran as an excuse to perpetuate their propaganda with slander like "death to America" make me sick. The Washington Post reported today that an Afghan soldier gunned down 3 U.S. troops while a Norwegian soldier was injured by a rogue grenade. President Obama issued an apology for the burning, but I think he should make it blatantly clear that the United States is not apologizing to the extremists. In retrospect, going to war in Afghanistan was probably not a great idea, but we as citizens should support the troops as they have to deal with these monsters on a daily basis.
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