Blasphemous Balls anger Afghans

[Analog]

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

The balls showed the Saudi Arabian flag which features the Koranic declaration of faith.

The US military said the idea had been to give something for Afghan children to enjoy and they did not realise it would cause offence.

The footballs were dropped from a helicopter in Khost province.

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.

Football dropped by US troops
The balls were intended as a gift to Afghan children

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.

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


[We've gone from footballs to muslim animals. This is now P/N fodder

AnandTech Moderator
Hayabusa Rider/B]

 

[imported_LoKe]

LMFAO

 

[Mrvile]

Haha wow...that's terrible

 

[StevenYoo]

haha, no one unintentionally offends people better than us!

USA! USA!

 

[ultimatebob]

I don't see the big deal. The American flag isn't supposed to touch the ground either, but only an overly patriotic wackjob would have a problem with a soccer ball or football with an American flag painted on it.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I don't see the big deal. The American flag isn't supposed to touch the ground either, but only an overly patriotic wackjob would have a problem with a soccer ball or football with an American flag painted on it.

You must not understand how religious most people are in the middle east.

 

[TruePaige]

...FINE! We'll take your footballs back home, and kick them ourselves! =)

.....We just love footballs guys.

 

[compman25]

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I don't see the big deal. The American flag isn't supposed to touch the ground either, but only an overly patriotic wackjob would have a problem with a soccer ball or football with an American flag painted on it.

You must not understand how religious most people are in the middle east.

I understand. They're freaking religious nutjob wackos overthere.

 

[loup garou]

Jesus Christ!

 

[OdiN]

Oh I thought they dropped footballs. Those are soccer balls.

 

[Mr Incognito]

I agree they can be a bit over zealous we have to have someone in the government smart enough to know that they might get pissed off.

 

[FoBoT]

were they soccer balls or footballs

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
were they soccer balls or footballs

They were footballs, as in soccer balls.

edit: why is there a space in soccer balls, but not in footballs?

 

[Flyback]

I'm surprised the pig skin part of it wasn't outrageous enough :laugh:

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: FoBoT
were they soccer balls or footballs

They were footballs, as in soccer balls.

edit: why is there a space in soccer balls, but not in footballs?

lol. I was thinking American news and football = oval ball. That seemed kind of weird to give to kids there, not to mention hazardous to drop from heights (take an eye out...). This makes more sense.

 

[Throckmorton]

I'm amazed that so many people on this forum don't realize that a football is a soccer ball...


I wonder who is more easily offended... Muslim or Christian fundamentalist nutjobs

 

[sygyzy]

It's amazing how the #1 country in the world, a military budget of billions, the best religious and ethnic experts in the world, can continue to make these types of mistakes. I believe Judaism has something similar (can't throw a piece of paper away that has the name of God on it. You have to burn it). It's a similar concept of a "holy word."

 

[compman25]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
It's amazing how the #1 country in the world, a military budget of billions, the best religious and ethnic experts in the world, can continue to make these types of mistakes. I believe Judaism has something similar (can't throw a piece of paper away that has the name of God on it. You have to burn it). It's a similar concept of a "holy word."

Why is it amazing? We do it on purpose, just to piss them off!

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Mr Incognito
I agree they can be a bit over zealous we have to have someone in the government smart enough to know that they might get pissed off.

That would be the State Department. Sounds like the Department of Defense came up with this idea and didn't run it by the State Department first.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
It's amazing how the #1 country in the world, a military budget of billions, the best religious and ethnic experts in the world, can continue to make these types of mistakes. I believe Judaism has something similar (can't throw a piece of paper away that has the name of God on it. You have to burn it). It's a similar concept of a "holy word."

Because government religious experts aren't necessarily working directly with units who are trying to give kids some toys, or with the military at all.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
I'm amazed that so many people on this forum don't realize that a football is a soccer ball...


I wonder who is more easily offended... Muslim or Christian fundamentalist nutjobs

No.

A football is a football.


A soccer ball is a soccer ball.

Football

Soccer Ball

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I don't see the big deal. The American flag isn't supposed to touch the ground either, but only an overly patriotic wackjob would have a problem with a soccer ball or football with an American flag painted on it.

You must not understand how religious most people are in the middle east.

That's cause they don't have shit else to do (by their own doing.) No wonder they're not getting anywhere if they occupy themselves with this kind of stuff. And what if all their faith is based on is written by man and bullshit? Tools of an unmatched degree if so

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Frackal

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I don't see the big deal. The American flag isn't supposed to touch the ground either, but only an overly patriotic wackjob would have a problem with a soccer ball or football with an American flag painted on it.

You must not understand how religious most people are in the middle east.

That's cause they don't have shit else to do (by their own doing.) No wonder they're not getting anywhere if they occupy themselves with this kind of stuff. And what if all their faith is based on is written by man and bullshit? Tools of an unmatched degree if so

Ok. Just start painting US flags and the 50 state flags on your footballs that you see at Target. Then put in quotes from the Bible like John 3:16 and watch what will happen. It'll stir up a greater controversy than the pledge of allegiance crap in this country.

You might not agree with Muslims and their culture and what not, but that's no reason to insult them.

To know that you're already working with very sensitive individuals, wouldn't you think twice before sending these balls to children? It seems like whoever planned this did very little thinking. I tend to equate this to product development at any company. Marketing does good research then sends it off to R&D. Manufacturing takes over after that and then it goes down to quality and regulatory. Just thinking about putting Bible verses on footballs. Do you think that would actually ever get manufactured? Probably not because no company's management would allow such a product to ever get approved.

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Originally posted by: Frackal

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I don't see the big deal. The American flag isn't supposed to touch the ground either, but only an overly patriotic wackjob would have a problem with a soccer ball or football with an American flag painted on it.

You must not understand how religious most people are in the middle east.

That's cause they don't have shit else to do (by their own doing.) No wonder they're not getting anywhere if they occupy themselves with this kind of stuff. And what if all their faith is based on is written by man and bullshit? Tools of an unmatched degree if so

Ok. Just start painting US flags and the 50 state flags on your footballs that you see at Target. Then put in quotes from the Bible like John 3:16 and watch what will happen. It'll stir up a greater controversy than the pledge of allegiance crap in this country.
.

I honestly doubt that many people would care about footballs found in target with state flags on them

 

[911paramedic]

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