Tue 28 Aug 2007
US own goal with 'Allah' footballs
TIM ALBONE IN KABUL
AMERICAN troops in Afghanistan have provoked anger in eastern Afghanistan
by distributing footballs bearing the name of Allah.

The "blasphemous" balls show the Saudi Arabian flag, which includes the
Muslim declaration of faith and the revered words Allah and Muhammad, the
prophet.

The footballs, which were dropped from a helicopter over the province of
Khost, led to an angry, 100-man demonstration.

"This ball... carries a message with it which, like an atom bomb, can
cause carnage and insecurity in all parts of Afghanistan," Cheragh, an
Afghan newspaper, reported.

Muslims find the idea of kicking the names of Allah and Muhammad deeply
offensive.

Mulavi Hanif Shah, an MP for Khost province, confirmed the incident to The
Scotsman. He also said the footballs had a picture of Mecca, one of
Islam's holiest shrines, on them.

He said: "According to Shari law, it is very bad to write holy things on a
ball which could be kicked and fall into dirty places.

"We don't know the reason why the Americans did this and we can't
understand their purpose by doing this bad action."

This sentiment was echoed by Mirwais Yasini, another MP, who said: "To
have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an
insult in any Muslim country."

The latest gaffe has added to a growing sense among Afghans that the
American military is its own worst enemy in the battle for hearts and
minds.

Fawad Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Kabul, said: "Americans themselves create
insecurity by ignoring religious sensitivity. It is against Islam."

Captain Vanessa Bowman, a US military spokeswoman, expressed regret for
the incident and said the footballs were meant as part of a "goodwill
humanitarian aid mission... for the enjoyment of Afghan children".

"We do regret any disturbances caused," she added.

Capt Bowman said the US military was unaware of the sensitivity of the
issue when it dropped the balls.

The American army has been at the centre of a number of high-profile
mishaps.

In October 2005, American soldiers were shown on video burning dead
Taleban bodies and accusing the Taleban, through a loudspeaker and a
translator, of being "cowards" and "ladyboys". The bodies were also
pointing towards Mecca, the direction Muslims face to pray.

In May 2005, thousands of people rioted over claims that a copy of the
Koran had been flushed down a toilet in the US prison camp at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba. At least seven Afghans died in the resulting violence.

TALEBAN 'FABRICATES' CIVILIAN DEATHS
THE NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan yesterday accused Taleban militants
of falsely reporting civilian casualties to discredit Afghan and
international forces.

The coalition launched the accusation after Afghan elders alleged that
international troops killed up to 18 civilians late on Sunday in Helmand
province, a Taleban stronghold.

Captain Vanessa Bowman, a coalition spokeswoman, said credible
intelligence suggested the claims were fabricated as part of a propaganda
war.

"The insurgents continue to follow their pattern of falsely reporting
civilian casualties," she said.

NATO-led forces insisted that no noncombatants were killed in the fighting
on Sunday. The claims could not be independently verified due to the
remoteness of the area where the clash took place.

Reports of civilian casualties at the hands of foreign forces are highly
sensitive in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly deplored
such deaths, saying they undermine efforts to win the trust of the people.

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1364432007