Rumsfeld faces growing pressures to step down (AFP)

By Mustafa Abdel-Halim, IOL Staff  

CAIRO, May 12 (IslamOnline.net) – An overwhelming majority of 24885 people who participated in an IslamOnline.net poll called for the trial of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over the torture and abuse of Iraqi detainees by his troops.

Some 86.19 per cent of the respondent voted in favor of taking Rumsfeld to court for the graphic photos of  U.S. soldiers beating, torturing or sexually humiliating Iraqi detainees.

A minority of 13.81 gave the thumb down for the trial proposal.

Rumsfeld had offered his "deepest apology" and took responsibility for the abuse scandal in a grilling Congress hearing Friday, May 7.

Admitting he had seen more shocking images and videos that are being kept from the public, the defense secretary remained adamant not to step down.

Signature Campaign

The IOL survey came amidst mounting calls, within the  United States and abroad, for Rumsfeld's resignation.

At least 275,000 Americans have signed a petition championed by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry demanding Rumsfeld's resignation over the abuse scandal.

"More than 275,000 supporters signed our petition," said Kerry's campaign director, Mary Beth Cahill, in a statement.

"Americans want accountability and responsibility at the highest levels of our government," he said.

Senior U.S. military officials have also hit out at the Pentagon’s strategic and tactical blunders and called for sacking their boss Rumsfeld and his top aides.

Also, U.S. Rev. and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson agreed that Rumsfeld should stand international investigation.

Major General Antonio Taguba, who investigated Abu Ghraib, detailed the abuses in a damning report submitted to his superior last February.

But neither Rumsfeld nor Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Richard Myers, had read the report before the outbreak of the scandal.

Bush, who has promised a "full accounting" over the scandal, defended Rumsfeld as "great" defense secretary doing a "superb job".

The Washington Post splashed Thursday, May 6, more abhorrent photos, saying it had obtained 1,000 digital pictures.

One of the photos showed a soldier holding a leash tied around the neck of a naked Iraqi detainee grimacing and lying on the floor.

Another showed a naked man handcuffed to a bunk bed, his arms splayed so wide that his back is arched.

An earlier IOL survey after the release of the abuse pictures, the overwhelming majority said they were against American administration only, not the American people.