The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee

Newsweek magazine has retracted an article about the alleged desecration of the Quran by American guards at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The report apparently was the spark, if not the underlying cause, for outraged protests in several Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, where at least 17 people died.

Bush administration officials condemned Newsweek for an error that had an incendiary impact. ...

Yet Newsweek is not solely at fault. Clearly it should have questioned its source, even one it had found reliable in the past, for relying on an incomplete internal report. And in that context, the source should have been more cautious in the first place.

Nor is the government without blame. The actions of the Bush administration since the terror attacks of 9/11 have aroused hostility among Muslims everywhere. To understate the point, no one likes being invaded and occupied, whatever the circumstances. Arguably the magazine piece might have provoked a less hostile response absent U.S. actions in Iraq. ...

There is disagreement among Pentagon officials about whether the Newsweek piece caused the riots or whether Muslim extremists used it as a pretext to foment violent anti-American protests. The latter seems possible. Yet whatever the truth, this episode is another reminder of how any U.S. word or deed that appears to show disrespect for Islam fuels hostility in the Muslim world. At best the wounds will take years to heal, and this incident can only aggravate and prolong the healing process.