Monday, May 16, 2005

Newsweek Retracts Quran Flushing Story

From ABC News Online:
A retraction has been issued by Newsweek magazine for an article alleging abuse of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which sparked deadly protests in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," the magazine said in a one-sentence statement from editor Mark Whitaker.
Excellent. Now resurrect the 17 people who died and restore the United States' reputation in large parts of the Muslim world.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman had this to say today about the Newsweek story:
"Newsweek's story about Koran desecration is demonstrably false, and there havethus far been no credible allegations of willful Koran desecration, and Newsweek has produced no such evidence."

[The Newsweek article]"...was irresponsible and had significant
consequences that reverberated throughout Muslim communities around the world."

[Newsweek]"...hid behind anonymous sources, which by their own admission do not withstand scrutiny."

[Newsweek cannot]"...retract the damage they have done to this
nation or those that were viciously attacked by those false allegations."
This is much worse than the Rathergate Texas Air National Guard forged memo scandal. No one died during that.