On the current global religious war, pt. 1.

Newsweek has apologized for a brief item claiming that American guards at Guantanomo Bay had desecrated the Koran as a part of interrogations. The report touched off anti-american riots in Pakistan and Afganistan which killed at least 17 people.

Newsweek has not, however, retracted the story, which is good, becuase the story is very likely true.

Numerous reliable sources have documented the widespread use of religious humiliation as a part of torture by US forces, including forcing prisoners to eat pork, drink liquor, denounce their religion, and give thanks to Jesus; tearing up the Koran [see sec. II]; and draping prisoners with the Israli flag. [in the section "treatment of prisoners"]; smearing prisoners with fake menstrual blood and not allowing them to wash, in a move explicitly aimed to break the prisoners "reliance on God."

Right now the world is in the grips of a religious war between Muslims and a fragile alliance of Christians and Jews, with the political resources of each religion under the control of it most reactionary, barbaric elements, and the systematic surpression of the wisdom and decency that could usually be found there. The war is about many things besides religion, of course, including the dwindling supplies of oil on earth. But religion is a huge motivation for all combatants. The other side of the war is well aware that they are fighting a religious war. The leadership in the U.S. is keen to deny that this is a religious war, and the sycophantic press acts as if it isn't even a reasonable hypothesis. Still, we need to be keenly aware that the world is in the grips of a religious war.

Because religious wars are incredibly stupid and tragic, even in comparison to other sorts of war.