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May 17, 2005
In response to massive criticism and an inability to substantiate its chief claim - desecration of the Quran by the U.S. military - Newsweek magazine retracted an article that was blamed for inciting violence and death in the Muslim world. The article also sparked anger from the White House, State Department and the right-wing punditry. What's missing from the outrage is an honest discussion as to why this story was so easily believed, and a reality check on the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House also needs to take responsibility for helping to create an air of distrust between the Muslim world and the United States.
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Newsweek has taken responsibility; Bush administration has not for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. The Abu Ghraib scandal greatly tarnished the image of the United States, and instead of taking responsibility for the abuse rendered there, the administration blamed a "few bad apples." Only low-level soldiers were prosecuted, while those who gave the orders and allowed the abuse to happen remain free and uncharged. Abusive methods were allowed to continue at Guantanamo Bay because of an atmosphere that has been described as a "legal, physical and moral black hole."
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President Bush expanded CIA authority on extraordinary rendition of terror suspects. Despite speaking out against this practice in January, President Bush has not stepped in to stop the CIA from taking suspects and turning them over countries that use torture during interrogations. In fact, he signed a directive to make it easier. The most common destinations for rendered suspects are Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and Jordan, all of which have been cited for human-rights violations by the State Department, and are known to torture suspects.
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The situation in Afghanistan was growing increasingly dangerous before the Newsweek story. Conservatives are trying to blame Newsweek alone for the violence that erupted in Afghanistan. However, even Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers agrees that this is wrong. According to Myers, "the senior commander in Afghanistan believed the [most recent spate of] protests had stemmed from that country's reconciliation process. 'He thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine.'" As early as February, a spokesman for the U.S. military stated that it was bracing for a fresh surge in militant violence in Afghanistan.
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