Anti-U.S. rallies erupt over handling of Quran

Thousands of Muslims marched Friday in Islamic countries from Asia to the Middle East, burning symbols of America to protest the alleged desecration of the Quran by military personnel at a U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Bay, Cuba.

The rallies in Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Indonesia, Malaysia and elsewhere followed an admission Thursday by U.S. investigators that Islam’s holy book was mishandled at Guantanamo. But American officials claimed it was often inadvertent and denied that any Qurans were flushed down a toilet, as Newsweek magazine had reported in a now-retracted article … No injuries were reported in Friday’s demonstrations, … (Newsweek/MSNBC)

Amid tight security at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall, three women and one man pulled on black hoods and cloaks and stood on their seats, acting out the scene caught in one of the photographs of abuse that undermined U.S. prestige abroad.

Rice initially continued her speech on American foreign policy under President Bush but paused when the protesters shouted “Stop the torture. Stop the killing. U.S. out of Iraq,” as police led them out of the auditorium.

Medea Benjamin, one of the protesters, said they were kept in police custody for about an hour and a half and then released with a misdemeanor citation. “We feel we made our point,” said Benjamin, a founding director of the human rights group Global Exchange.

[Over one thousand people] gathered in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, carrying black banners and burning American and Israeli flags.

“We will cut off the feet that desecrated the Quran!” the crowd yelled.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, protesters shouted “Go to hell, America!” and waved placards reading “Long Live Islam,” as they burned U.S. and Israeli flags outside the U.S. Embassy. (Newsweek/MSNBC)