U.S. ticks off Afghanistan by dropping blasphemous balls from helicopter

[Lobster Martini]

(LM: I couldn't have made this up if I'd tried. Sometimes it is possible to do something with good intentions that is completely idiotic. This is one of those times. The article is from BBC News and the link is below.)

'Blasphemous' balls anger Afghans

A demonstration has been held in south- east Afghanistan accusing US troops of insulting Islam after they distributed footballs bearing the name of Allah. <snip>

The footballs were dropped from a helicopter in Khost province. <snip>

The words, which include the name of Allah, are revered, and Muslims are very sensitive about where and how they can be used. <snip>

Mullahs in Afghanistan criticised the US forces for their insensitivity, and around 100 people held a demonstration in Khost.

Afghan MP Mirwais Yasini said: "To have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an insult in any Muslim country around the world."

A spokeswoman for the US forces in Afghanistan said they made "significant efforts to work with local leaders, mullahs and elders to respect their culture" and distributing the footballs was an effort to give a gift the Afghan children would enjoy.

"Unfortunately," she added, "there was something on those footballs we didn't immediately understand to be offensive and we regret that as we do not want to offend."

(Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6964564.stm)

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Pigskins? Oh, my...

That really IS dumb. Not just the blaspheming of Allah, but on PIGSKINS, no less. (Hopefully, they don't understand that a football in America is sometimes called a pigskin.)

[NMDemDist2]

3. they may have been soccer balls

but I had the same thought you did......

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. No pigskin involved.

These are plastic soccer balls, not leather US footballs.

[Cobalt Violet]

6. I hope Mattle didn't make them in China. n/t

[Cronus Protagonist]

8. Hopefully none of the kids will lick their balls

Sorry, you fed me the straight line and I couldn't resist the punchline that was screaming at me.

:P

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Are the US forces really that out to lunch...still???

Geez Louise!

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. sigh

Imposing our values and our culture on them. Cause every little Afghan child wants to grow up to be an Amurkan.

[lvx35]

7. Didn't it used to like that with the American flag back in the old days?

It was something you had to respect, couldn't paste it on your ass to show patriotism or whatever people do nowadays... I head this from an older guy, they used to have to handle American flags very carefully and so forth.

[IndianaGreen]

9. The balls had a Saudi Flag which has a Koranic verse

as the BBC story states:



Some displayed flags from countries all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, which features the shahada, one of the five pillars of Islam - the declaration of faith.

The words, which include the name of Allah, are revered, and Muslims are very sensitive about where and how they can be used.

Saudi Arabia has complained to the World Cup's ruling body in the past about the use of its flag on footballs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6964564.stm

[Supersedeas]

13. so, this is not a new complaint...but they went forward with it anyways!?!

[d_fender]

10. Oooops ........................

Oooops ................ (insert foot in mouth, not mine) :wtf:

[spag68]

11. Back in the old days [1960]

The ship I was on went around South America, giving away encyclopedias, donating blood to Red Cross, and spending money. That seemed like a good thing, as sailors know how to spend money on liberty.

[madrchsod]

12. much to do about nothing

someone placed an order for soccer balls and thought these looked cool. i doubt someone looking at a catalog noticed the saudi flag or even if it was in the picture. to think the us troops did this because they were stupid or culturally unaware is just to hard to take..if the folks did`t want the soccer balls then they should have explained to the troops why they objected. maybe the next time the tailban or osama can buy the kids soccer balls....

[gratuitous]

14. I would tend to agree, except . . .

It's not like it's the radical left that's objecting here; it's the people we're allegedly trying to help. For troops in service to an administration that micromanages so many aspects of every conceivable thing, this is a silly, avoidable blunder that shouldn't have been made.

On the other hand, if the soccer balls are such an offense to Allah, I'm sure that Allah, the all-powerful, all-merciful, will take appropriate measures to guard its holiness and hardly needs the efforts of the likes of us.