ARAB fury at caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad grew when the beating of Iraqis was seen. “Insults and degradation by so-called gentlemen,” said al-Jazeera television station, calling the abuse “savagery”.
“Britain’s Abu Ghraib”, the English language Arab News said. “What is most intriguing is that the authorities appear absolutely clueless as to what is happening right under their noses,” an editorial read.
“Where was the British Ministry of Defence all this time? Why is the ministry so often the last one to know what its personnel are doing? Or did it know?” The Bahrain Tribune said that the video could not have been shown at a worse time. “The Arab and Muslim world is already sitting on a powder keg over the offensive cartoons,” it said. “The illusion of the British being a friendly force is no longer there. The grainy video has exposed deep-seated animosity they, too, have for the Iraqis.”