American idiots

This just in from the BBC: the American military have managed to put backs up in Afghanistan by dropping footballs covered in various flags, including that of Saudi Arabia, which contains the shahada. Needless to say, the locals aren't happy about the idea of kids kicking that around.

The US military say they didn't realise that the balls would cause offence, but did they bother to consult with anyone to find such things out? Footballs bearing the Saudi flag have been the cause of protests in the past, including from the Saudi government. For that matter, why distribute a football bearing flags at all, rather than just a plain football? It's no use saying they didn't realise it would offend; since this was meant to be a PR exercise, they should really consult people who know about PR among Muslims before any such action.