What do you think about the US soldier using the Koran for target practice?

Comrade Abdul	It was a stupid thing to do, but he shouldn't be punished. Causing offence is not a crime.

nonldsinutah	I hope his aim was true.

cthulhu will raise	I thank it was bad judgment but I dont thank it's such a big deal

ripperbravo6	He should have stacked some of the muj in front of it.

jdw	Not when I see pictures of the American flags being burned daily, along with chants "death to America"..

Army_Strong_PFC	Yea i think the punishment was too harsh because he probably has been there for 1year and a 1/2 so hes on edge. Give em a break.

oscarsix5	He's stupid; he should have know better to hide or destroy the evidence of his actions.... Being remove from Iraq considered too harsh?????

S P	Well, that's one way to incite a riot. I think it's a bit tactless myself, like punching a cow in India, just not good for bilateral relations.

Morbius	Disciplinary action is appropriate, as is removing him from Iraq. Shooting up the Koran can only undermine the relationship between the troops and the civilians. An incident like this needs to be taken very seriously.

wild boar	No, that soldier deserved what he got. What would you do if you were Cristian and some Al'Quaeda troops started shooting at Bibles?? I would want them to pay consequences. Being removed from Iraq is the very least punishment they can give. This was obviously an act of the U.S. Army and their loose disciplinary system. the army doesn't teach their soldiers moral values, honor or respect. They teach them to shoot a gun and send them off. No U.S. Marine would be caught dead doing something like this.

april	His judgment leaves something to be desired. He is a guest in that country, and an NCO...a sniper section leader no less...he should have known better. His actions have caused some pretty serious repercussions to which he should be held accountable. And Sam; let's not fool ourselves into thinking that every Marine has scruples and would never do anything to dishonor those serving in that branch. There are numerous examples of Marines being convicted of wrongs in Iraq. The Army is by far the largest branch and when one screws up it's not indicative of the entire force of hundreds of thousands. I'm sure you wouldn't like to be lumped together with the squad of Marines who were tried and convicted of raping and murdering a 14 year old Iraqi girl and her family because you know you have better moral character than that.

James M	I have no problem with it. Ive been to iraq twice, and after awhile, you do see how protective over their religion they get, and you get the feeling that if it came down to it, they would turn on us over their religion. They call it the religion of peace, so long as you don't do anything, anything to make fun of or possibly insult it. We have all seen the images of their signs (death to america, death to that teacher from britian, and all like that) and they chant the same slogans, so 14 months in the desert, you can develop a dislike toward the religion, but it always seems to be ok with the world, and even here in America, if they burn our flag in protest and no one seems to care. That is a far bigger crime if you ask me, but hey, lets not offend their religion, at all. Come on, tolerance goes both ways.

lostnsavd	Dear Friend, It is truly sad that our country sways with the wind. We don't want to hurt anyones feelings (must be politically correct), so we compromise. Is everyone blind? Who was it that destroyed the precious lives in the Twin Towers? We are no better than the Israelites when they forgot ...GOD after He rescued them from Egypt! I understand that yes, this soldier was taking the Muslim religion...PERSONALLY; while he should have been focused on his mission, and not on his feelings. It will be interesting to see what disciplinary action will be taken against him. Why is it so hard to understand that this is a "spiritual" war that is going on. Obviously this soldier knows all to well from experience, that it is. Unfortunately, this soldier didn't handle his feelings appropriately. And it doesn't matter what the U.S. does. We are a hated nation no matter what we do, or for that matter...don't do.

Ray Eston Smith Jr	Our ill-defined "mission" in Iraq has something to do with winning the hearts and minds of Moslems everywhere. Thousands of Americans have given their lives trying to accomplish that ill-defined "mission." This one soldier has done more harm than all the good done by his honorable comrades. It's good that Bush apologized, but that will do little to undo the damage that's been done. We need to get out of the Middle East now. Bush wanted to set a "shining example of democracy" for the rest of the Moslem world. We can't accomplish that by making war in Iraq or Iran. We can accomplish it by living our lives here in America, at peace with the rest of the world.

Bubbles	What a dumb a.. He should probably have been removed from Iraq for no other reason but his own personal safety and those around him. He would be the specific target for retaliation. He should have thought of the safety of his fellow soldiers before undertaking such foolish actions. If the military does not take disciplinary actions, this may prompt other to do use the Koran for target practice. I think this is necessary to prevent more incidents from taking place.

Brian KÂ²	Well in the United States he is entitled to freedom of religion, speech, and expression. So technically he was within his right as a US citizen, but he is a guest in another sovereign nation and must follow the laws and show respect for the customs of this nation same as you and me. He is a guest in very secular country and showed extremely bad judgment, which can only serve to make things more difficult in an already bad situation. Removing him from Iraq shows respect for the people of Iraq and takes him out of danger. The disciplinary action is required to maintain order in the ranks, and to communicate that he is expected to show some respect for the locals when he in in country.