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TO EXPRESS OUTRAGE AND DISGUST AT THE SLOPPY REPORTING IN NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE, WHICH FALSELY ALLEGED UNITED STATES INTERROGATORS DESECRATED THE MUSLIM KORAN, SPARKING OFF WORLDWIDE VIOLENCE THAT CAUSED MANY DEATHS AND INJURIES, PUT UNITED STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL AT RISK, AND CAUSED HARM TO THE UNITED STATES' EFFORTS IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR.
Whereas, in it's May 9 issue, Newsweek magazine reported in an article written by Michael Isikoff and John Barry that United States military investigators had found evidence that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Koran in the washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk; and
Whereas, while the editor of Newsweek, Mark Whitaker, defended the story by writing that the information came from "a knowledgeable government source", the source later told Newsweek that he could not be sure he read about the alleged Koran incident in the investigation; and
Whereas, a top Pentagon spokesman told the magazine that a review of the military's investigation concluded "it was never meant to look into charges of Koran desecration" and the earlier Pentagon investigation of Koran desecration allegations by detainees were found "not credible"; and
Whereas, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman called the story "demonstrably false" and "irresponsible" and said it had "significant consequences that reverberated throughout Muslim communities around the world", while Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan claimed, "The report has had serious consequences. People have lost their lives. The image of the United States abroad has been damaged." and "This report was based on a single anonymous source that could not substantiate the story"; and
Whereas, the allegations in the Newsweek article sparked off violence and protests throughout the Muslim world, with protests in Afghanistan leaving 15 dead, and scores injured and bringing criticism from Muslim leaders worldwide; and
Whereas, in response to the damage caused by the Newsweek article, Bryan Whitman said "Unfortunately, Newsweek cannot retract the damage they have done to this nation or those who were viciously attacked by those false allegations."; and
Whereas, the State of South Carolina fully supports the efforts to win the Global War on Terrorism and many of her sons and daughters deployed overseas are now at more of a risk due to this egregious story. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina express outrage and disgust at the sloppy reporting in Newsweek Magazine, which falsely alleged United States interrogators desecrated the Muslim Koran, sparking off worldwide violence that caused many deaths and injury, put United States military personnel at risk, and caused harm to the United States' efforts in the Global War on Terror.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this be sent to Editor Mark Whitaker of Newsweek magazine.
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