Press TV News and Analysis

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

need to go here

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.