US troops storm al-Quds Mosque near ar-Ramadi, ransack building, paint crosses on copies of the Qur’an and on the building.

More than 50 US soldiers stormed into the al-Quds Mosque in the al-Bu Faraj area south of ar-Ramadi at dawn on Monday and “searched” the building. The American troops ransacked the mosque in their “search,” tearing up copies of the Qur’an and beating worshippers.

The Imam of the mosque told Mafkarat al-Islam: “Americans stormed into the mosque just as we were starting the dawn prayer. They trampled all over the mosque with their boots while surrounding us and confining us to one corner of the mosque. They searched the mosque and the adjoining rooms. A number of the soldiers, in full view of the commander of their group, kicked copies of the Qur’an around on the floor having fun in a game among themselves, until they got to the outer door of the mosque. One of the soldiers pointed at one copy of the Qur’an with his finger while kicking it with his foot and laughing in a totally unnatural manner.”

The Imam continued: “Then one of the soldiers, who was carrying black color, drew seven crosses on the pulpit of the mosque and three on the prayer rug of the Imam who was standing right there in front of the worshippers. He drew three more crosses on the interior door of the mosque and on the two interior supports. They all left at 7am without arresting anybody.”

The Shaykh added: “If they desecrated a copy of the Qur’an in Guantánamo, here in Iraq God’s Book is abused every day by the Crusaders and the Jews.”

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam took photographs of the crosses painted around the mosque.