In the Cookie Jar Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay. - Mark Whitaker, Editor, Newsweek. The report had real consequences. People have lost their lives. Our image abroad has been damaged. There are some who are opposed to the United States and what we stand for who have sought to exploit this allegation. It will take work to undo what can be undone. - Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary. I do think it's done a lot of harm. Of course, 16 people died but it's also done a lot of harm to America's efforts to demonstrate tolerance and breed goodwill in the Muslim world. - Condolleeza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State. We've not found any wrongdoing on the part of U.S. service members. - General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That's quite a rhubarb going on over there at Newsweek with their story about Guantanamo Bay inmates suffering from religious torment, exemplified by desecration of the Koran. It is officially retracted now, due to the fact that the magazine's lone source in the deal suddenly turned on them. Without a qualified corroborator, the investigation fell apart like Top Ramen in a pan of boiling water. This provides the Bush administration ample camouflage for some very illicit behavior being done in the name of the American people, and not just at "Gitmo". It also gives conservatives the raw meat they crave, with another pillar of the mainstream media falling flat on its face after shining a negative light on our open-ended and ill-considered war against terrorism. Right-wingers will be happy to draw quick comparisons to Dan Rather's blunder on CBS News, wherein he presented false documents claiming that the president had been given a cushy ride while in the Texas Air National Guard. The fact that Rather's source had slipped him some phony paperwork, however, should not have overshadowed the fact that George W. Bush did enjoy perks and priveleges during his time of service, as did many favorite sons in the same place and time. The fact that Newsweek can no longer stand by its reporting is unfortunate and embarrassing for them, but it does not change the fact that abuse of detainees has been and continues to be a black eye on America. Whether pages of the Koran did or didn't get flushed down a prison toilet is not the issue. There have been plenty of other incidents over which Muslims could easily get enraged or frustrated at the United States. "Our image abroad", as Bush's mouthpiece says, was damaged a lot more by the stark lack of WMD in Iraq after we invaded without provocation. Although it was nice of Condi Rice to mention the 16 people who lost their lives in the ensuing melee in Afghanistan (in which scores of copies of the Koran were destroyed at a ransacked library in Jalalabad), you can tell she cares more about the PR aspects of it all. And while Myers, as decent a military man as can be found, is quick to defend the actions of the troops in his charge - who have been given a pretty lousy detail by the administration thus far - it is worth noting that the military readily laid all the blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib prison at the shackled feet of a few lowly enlisted personnel. The initial report on those abuses, however, pointed to a system of cruelty that ran well up the chain of command. The retraction by Newsweek does not erase from the records some very unorthodox stuff going on in these interrogations. Some 65 different lawsuits filed by Kuwaitis held at Guantanamo also allege desecration of the Muslim holy book. See if any of this results in courts martial, and don't hold your breath. Without regard to that, it has been reported (and not disputed) that interrogators have been using sex as weapons in this war. One detainee was reportedly held down and menstruated upon. Another had fake blood smeared on his face by a female interrogator who claimed it was that time of the month. To a Muslim, such contact is devastating, perhaps even more so than a copy of the Koran being defiled. Our government does not apologize for this sort of thing. They say such methods are necessary, even legal. That's "what we stand for", and they don't seem terribly concerned about those who would seek to "exploit" such behavior. Only when it suits their purpose do they ever pull on this mask of indignity that we see today. While few in charge will admit it, the United States will need help in achieving even a stalemate, much less victory, in this war. The rest of the world has been reluctant to give much in the way of assistance, and this ingrained conservative resistance to accountability is the reason. The sooner Bush officials come clean with the American people and the world about how they treat detainees, the easier it will be to remake our image as having "tolerance" for Islam (and hoping for the same in return). It might help all sides if we were to come up with an exit strategy. Coming up with a plan to relieve the troops who have been in places like Afghanistan and Iraq for so long would be good, and so would openness with the public in a lot of other areas. The real shame isn't that Muslims seized on the Newseek story as a spark for their pent-up rage. The real shame is that the story was believable. When our government refuses to tell us very much about what goes on out there, investigative reporters have no choice but to dig up a can full of worms. And when people don't really know the story, any story will do. Paul Heller 05/17/05 << back to the archives
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