Turks protest against US forces desecration of Holy Qur'an

Turkish protesters have condemned the recent burning of copies of the Holy Qur'an by American forces in Afghanistan. Over 500 protesters, who were shouting slogans against the United States, NATO, and Israel, trampled on an American flag and set it on fire in Istanbul on Wednesday. Holding copies of the Holy Qur'an over their heads, many of the protesters marched with torches and banners in downtown Taksim Square on Wednesday night. On February 20, the US forces burned the copies of the Holy Qur’an and other Islamic materials at the US-run Bagram Airbase in the province of Parwan in northeastern Afghanistan. "We are here to condemn and protest this attack of imperialist forces on our holy book as sensitive Muslims. With Allah's permission, we will never be silent against this tyranny. We will be the Qur’an's defenders anywhere, anytime. We will do whatever we can do to punish those, who attack the [Holy] Qur’an," the Turkish protesters said. The acts of sacrilege has drawn widespread condemnation from Muslims around the world and sparked violent protests in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries. Dozens of people, including several American service members, have been killed in the violence. US President Barack Obama has sent a letter to his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, apologizing for the acts of desecration. He claimed in the letter that the incidents had not been intentional.