A report about the US troops desecrating the Quran at the Quantanamo Bay naval station has become the focus of the press lately. According to the report of the US Newsweek of the May 9th issue the US troops placed the Quran on toilets in order to "rattle Moslem prisoners". They even flushed the holy book down the toilet after tearing it page by page. The news, once broke out, aroused outrage among Muslims in different countries.

The desecration of the Quran by the US troops is, without doubt, the US troops' another crowning achievement after the prisoner abuse scandal. Their strategy has grown from physical torture and psychological persecution to desecration of faith. The further intensified practice on the part of the United States again revealed its hypocrisy and double standard on human rights question. At the inauguration ceremony on January 20 the American President George Bush put his left hand on a Bible and raised his right hand when he gave his oath. From this detail can be seen the significance of the Bible for the Christians. As the holy book of the Islamism the Quran has the same sovereign place in the mind of Muslims. According to the Islamic creed any desecrations of the Quran must be severely punished. Though fully aware of this the US troops nevertheless went on to desecrate the Quran in front of the Moslem prisoners.

For a long time the United States has posed itself as the "guardian of human rights". Disregarding political, economic, historical, cultural and social development differences among different countries it looks down on other countries' cultural and religious customs. It often makes arbitrary condemnations on human rights conditions in other countries according to its own values and ideology, and accuses others of violating religious freedom. The desecration of the Quran again revealed its "extremely conceived" arrogance. The facts proved that the one violating religious freedom is none other than the United States itself.

This is an article carried on the third page of People's Daily on May 15 and translated by People's Daily Online