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.
Comments
In terms of media representation and selection, the BBC story is typically framed in terms of over-reaction (blasphemous is placed inside inverted commas and the emphasis is placed on Muslims alone being offended) and Muslim crowds (photo, news focus is on "demonstration"), two common themes of reporting Muslim issues. Interestingly, there is a great deal of emphasis on US good intent, perhaps an attempt to distract from Amnesty International's concerns over US military dropping something a little more deadly that footballs on Afghan villages.
Posted by: Yunus Yakoub Islam | August 26, 2007 9:48 PM
Was this just another unintended mistake or something more sinister devised to provoke a reaction ?
Either way I am sure there will be many in the west who use the Afghan reaction to prove the barbaric nature of Muslims and Islam.
Posted by: Kashmiri Nomad | August 26, 2007 11:28 PM
complaints about the name of god being subjected to indignities should be addressed to those who chose to run it up a flagpole.
Posted by: wally greeninker | September 5, 2007 1:01 AM