press releases
Newsweek Retracts Desecration of Koran Story
Athens (May 17, 2005) – Late on May 16, the U.S. magazine “Newsweek” fully retracted its report of May 9 alleging disrespect of the Holy Koran by military personnel at its detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
U.S. military officials said investigators have not found allegations of the willful desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo to be credible. Air Force General Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Capitol Hill May 16 that 25,000 documents have been reviewed “and there’s no indication that anything like that happened.”“The United States is a country that was built on the concept of religious freedom,” noted U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in discussions with journalists in Iraq May 15.
“The United States would never condone, in any way, the desecration of the Holy Koran or of any other holy book of a religious people, “ said Secretary Rice. “We respect the great religion that is Islam.”