KABUL, June 14: The main body of Afghanistan’s ulema called on the United States on Tuesday to apologize and punish those responsible for abusing the Holy Quran at its Guantanamo Bay prison. America’s top general, Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said the military is unlikely to hold court-martial proceedings in the two or three cases of deliberate mishandling of the holy book at Guantanamo Bay.

Afghan Chief Justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari, head of the Ulema Council, said it had passed a two-point resolution on the issue on Tuesday.

“The Ulema Council resolved that the United States and those who have done this should apologize to the whole Muslim community and the ones who have done this should be punished so that others don’t do this again,” he said. —AFP