|
 TAMILNADU MUSLIM MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM
Chennai Muslims demonstrate against desecration of Holy Quran
Chennai, 24 May, 2005: Thousands of Muslim men, women and children of Chennai participated today (May 24) in large numbers in a sit in (dharna) agitation against the desecration of Holy Quran by US forces. The agitation was organised by Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam’s Chennai district unit.
The US forces in the detention centres at Kandahar and Bhagram in Afghanistan as well as in Guantanamo bay have continuously desecrated the Holy Quran to humiliate the prisoners. The desecration of Holy Quran by the US forces is not an isolated event. The event has been carried on systematically right from February 2002. A number of ex prisoners from various countries have in their statements pointed out the ways and means adopted by the US forces to desecrate the Holy Quran.
The testimonies of ex prisoner of Guantanamo Bay detail how the US forces systematically in numerous different incidents, throughout the entire lengths of their detention up till their release, variously:
» stamped on the Qur'an,
» placed the Qur'an in buckets and faeces and urine,
» sat on the Qur'an,
» Shredded the Qur'an in interrogations,
» dropped and threw it on the floor,
» belittled the Qur'an calling it a guide on 'how to kill Americans' and
» mistranslated the copies they gave to Prisoners
all in their bid to break the will of the detainees used it as a means to maliciously abuse and mentally damage the prisoners.
Also reported is
» Systematic and endemic derision and abuse of Islamic religious rituals and supplications such as
» Mocking and deriding the Adhaan (the call to Prayer),
» Forced shaving of the beard (which many Muslim's hold as obligatory),
» Withholding food during Ramadhan (the month of Fasting from Dawn to Dusk)
» Prohibition of Qur'anic recitation
» Prohibition of congregational prayer.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union have also in their reports indicted the US for the sacrilege committed against Holy
Quran.
Amnesty International, in its report Guantanamo and Beyond: The continuing pursuit of unchecked
power, p 86 13-05-05 says:
”A number of Yemeni detainees have alleged that they and others were subjected to torture and ill-treatment in Afghanistan before their transfer to
Guantanamo, where they describe the regime as abusive, punitive, slow or failing to treat medical and dental problems, and prone to violent cell extractions and religious intolerance. The latter has allegedly included repeated disrespect for the Koran, including taking detainees’ copies, insulting them, wrapping them in the Israeli flag, throwing them on the ground, and stamping on them.”
Guantanamo: Detainee Accounts, p. 9 Human Rights Watch Statement of Shafiq Rasul, Asif
Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed, “Detention in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay,” released publicly
on August 4, 2004 states the following:
“For example, the British detainees state that they were never given prayer mats and initially were not provided Korans. They also complained that when the Korans were provided, the guards “would kick the Koran, throw it into the toilet and generally disrespect it.”
Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam organized the sit in to democratically protest the naked violation of Human Rights by the US and to demand unconditional apology from the US President and restoration of the rights of the
prisoner held by US at various detention centers including Guantanamo Bay
Mr. S. Hyder Ali, General Secretary, Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam led the protest in which the DMK treasurer Mr. Arcot Veerasamy also took part and condemned the US desecration of Holy Quran
Sd/-
(K. Valiyur Rahman)
Head Office Secretary
TAMILNADU MUSLIM MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM
Head Quarters: 7 Vada Maraicoir Street, CHENNAI 600 001 TEL: (044) 25247824, 25233884 Fax (044) 25223868 Email:
tmmkpresident@yahoo.co.in
; www.tmmk.in q
|
