Wiping the Slate Clean

最近どうもうつ気味で書き込む気力がないんで沖縄の新聞、琉球新報に僕のエッセイが載ったので原稿をそのままここにのっけちゃいますね。

'''The May 9 issue of Newsweek carried an investigative article on how US Army personnel flushed the Qur’an down the toilet as part of the process of getting answers from a prisoner at the Guantanamo Base in Cuba. Not unexpectedly, that story led to anti-American demonstrations! Such demonstrations occurred in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine. In Indonesia and elsewhere some people lost their lives. In addition, offended religious groups in Egypt and Iraq demanded apologies from America. The US government took the line that the report was false and the May 23 issue of Newsweek carried a further piece that the act of blasphemy against the Qur’an at Guantanamo could not absolutely be confirmed. I cannot understand why the US government deals with such a sensitive problem in such an off-hand way. This time, Washington tried to conceal the problem, but it has to be said that Washington has been reacting in that way for a long time.
Let’s recall what happened last year. Last year the US military abused large numbers of individuals, Muslims, of course, at the Abu Ghraib prison. Although the US took action against those concerned, it did nothing further for the Islamic world. American had various chances to reflect on the insult perpetrated against Muslims, yet it remained insensitive. The US appears to be too arrogant to reflect on the consequences of actions taken by its own personnel. Humans do not grow up lacking reflection, so does it mean that the US is unlikely to mature any further? The US has set itself a target of democratizing Iraq, but the Islamic world no longer has the patience to invest any trust in America. What can the US do? It always tries to wipe the slate clean, especially what is disadvantageous to itself, but will the world, especially the Islamic world, allow the US to wipe of the slate whatever it finds an embarrassment?'''