Protests in Afghanistan against US

Western media is making such a flap about the Muslim protests against the Islamophobic video. While the media plays up the volatility of the protests--what they call “Muslim rage”--what is really remarkable is their geographic breadth--reportedly, they’re going on in at least 20 countries. Reporting is quite sketchy, but what exists shows many protests are peaceful, many are religious in character, & some, especially those with young people, are rowdy. The rowdy seems mainly to involve burning tires, cars, US flags, & effigies of Obama; shouting anti-US slogans; & in some instances, scaling embassy walls & breaking some windows. We saw worse in the Arab uprisings. If you listen to the inflammatory reports, you’d think there was a massive death toll. In fact, there are only reports of 7 deaths, all protestors most certainly killed by security forces. What’s scaring the hell out of Western governments is the breadth & fury of these protests & the media is dutifully using them to increase hysteria against Muslims.

Last spring, there were massive protests in Afghanistan when the US military disrespectfully dumped copies of the Quran in a bon fire. Yesterday, these young Afghan protestors against the video chanted, “Death to America,” & reportedly set some cars on fire. Trashing their holy book & mocking the prophet Mohammad are obviously only a part of Afghan grievances against the over ten-year US bombing & occupation. Afghans have seen millions flee into exile, thousands made homeless & living in refugee tents, thousands injured through land mines & bombing, they’ve seen their fields, schools, hospitals, mosques, homes destroyed, the young forced to migrate to find work, & their children live in terror. Demand the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all US-NATO forces from Afghanistan.  (Photo by Omar Sobhani/Reuters)