The bigger issue will be if all those who took this information as the truth without checking will find the words to say sorry ?

For example those on posting on Indymedia who decided this was another example of "American Cultural Ignorance"

If i had to guess .......more like they were right and have been pressured into changing their story..

Right, because after all of the reports of inmates being electrocuted, attacked with dogs having eyes put out and having menstrual blood smeared on thier faces this story was just soooooo unbelievable.

I was under the impression that they hadn't withdrawn the allegations, only admitted that some details were incorrect

What I've read is that the pentegon says it was not true and so Newsweek have been forced to say that something may have been missreported. Not really an indication that the story was false or that Newsweek are admitting making shit up.

On radio 4 today (I think it was on PM), one of those involved with the original report was saying that they still largely believe it to be true (albeit phrasing it in a way to prevent legal action being taken).

Apparently, a previously reliable source had revealed he'd read about the Qur'an desecration in an official report, so Newsweek published it. However, since the Pentagon were so insitent that this never happened (no duh), Newsweek asked the source again, who said he wasn't absolutely certain, just pretty sure. Consequently, Newsweek had to pull the story to protect their lower backs.

The only thing really surprising about this story is that it is now apparently 'incorrect'.

Interesting reactions to this story from Indymedia contributors.

When this story was first released a number of people were quick to condem the US administration and protest at their "cultural insesitivity" or "lack of respect for Islam". When it started to become clear that the story was manufactured we had claims of "US pressure" and "suspicious activities". Now of course Newsweek has admitted the story was rubbish so now we have the inevitable "Well of course the US is responsible for everything that is wrong in the world" standard approach.

Laughable

Well, after Abu Ghraib, and reports from soldiers who have worked in Guantanamo Bay of the sort of humiliation the inmates are forced to endure, flushing the Quran down the toilet doesn't seem like such a big thing.

I'm not a Muslim, so of course I think that the torture Iraqi prisoners had to endure in Abu Ghraib, would be far more humiliating and inflaming.

We are certain that Islam has been used to torture detainess. For example, read the report of the soldier who saw a female interogator tell a detainess she was menstruating, and then wiped fake blood over his face.

The report of the desecration of the Quran was an allegation, but not much hard evidence to back it up. Newsweek didn't say it never happened. They just said it was difficult to verify the allegation. There's a big difference. But now media spin is in overdrive, trying say it was in fact completely false. And this due to external pressure. The fact that people didn't realise the desecration of the Quran would cause more outrage amongst the Arab world than all the known cases of torture, murder and invasion.

Let us not pretend that in fact the religion of these people isn't insulted and desecrated every day by an insensitive, greedy, imperial power. It's not that the US is the centre of all things wrong. But it is the imperialist power in the world, no one else. It is illegally invading countries to steal their resources. Who else is making war on the same scale? Which country has been involved in the most wars and 'militiary interventions' over the course of the past century? Surprisingly, the answer is not Afghanistan. And the answer is not Iraq.

It is not a world view that sees the US as the source of all wrong. Before them, there were other empires, but at this moment of time, the US is the heart of the empire. The most militarized, the most interventionist, the force behind the global financial institutions that exploit the resources of the third world. It is the most industrialised, and the most polluting and damaging to the environment.
Tell me, who is more threat. A bunch of Afghan goat-herders, or the biggest militiary power in the world?

One comment said:

>>If i had to guess .......more like they were right and have been pressured into changing their story..
Pah!>Right, because after all of the reports of inmates being electrocuted, attacked with dogs having eyes put out and having menstrual blood smeared on thier faces this story was just soooooo unbelievable.<<

Again, obviously this is just the standard knee-jerk reaction. It's not as if the person who wrote this has a valid argument or anything. (A valid argument that instead of addressing, you try to brush aside with a wave of the hand, along with the rest of the comments).

And from the rest of the comments, one gets the impression that there may well have been a lot of truth in the allegation. It sounds at least plausible. But then people like you just don't want to believe it because it doesn't fit in with your "the US is responsible for everything that is right in the world" standard approach. Yeah, the bad guys are always someone else, it's never the west. Blame the poor, blame the people with dark skin - it's never the rich and powerful who fuck people over, no of course not, how silly of me.

"Makes you think"??? What kind of comment is that - that's got to be biggest cleverest thing I've ever read. Nice one mate!

A proud right wing slogan if ever. Kinda like "Are you thinking what we're thinking".

Hmmm, nice.