Angry mobs have again taken to the streets in the Gaza Strip after the humanitarian aid organisation One Laptop Per Child distributed its XO laptop to schools in the area.
The crowds of rampaging young Muslim men were egged on by clerics who claimed the laptops were part of a CIA plot to brainwash Muslim children into accepting the heretical beliefs of Christianity.
One Laptop Per Child said the claims were 'absurd'. "The fact that the computers were assembled in Langley, Virginia is purely coincidental."
The organisation did however say that they could perhaps have been more 'culturally sensitive' in their choice of pre-loaded teaching materials.
"In retrospect, it was a mistake to accept the free 'gift' of educational software from Answers in Genesis.
The offending titles were apparently hidden amongst more 'mainstream' titles and were therefore missed by volunteers who checked the contents before its distribution.
I guess we were a little naive in assuming the offer from an organisation with a past history of 'lying for Jesus' had no strings attached. We certainly won't make that mistake again."
The software that caused all the problems included e-books such as the infamous 'Panda's Thumb', which disputes the evidence supporting the theory of Evolution and is widely used in Creationist curricula across America.
Other titles included such controversial titles as 'Don't go near the edge, the satellites are lying' a guide to world geography, 'Hell is getting hotter' a discussion on global warming and the ever popular 'Revised Baptist Bible' which contains more than 2,000 pages condemning homosexual behaviour.
A spokesman for Answers in Genesis said "We are at a loss to understand why the clerics in Gaza are so against our materials. Apart from a few minor technical differences, like the fact we believe Jesus is God and they don't, our beliefs are virtually indistinguishable. We thought they would appreciate the opportunity for 'bridge building' with a different religion."
Commenting on the trouble in Gaza, the organisation's founder Nicholas Negroponte said,
"We are appalled that our efforts to provide educational opportunities to underprivileged children in regions disrupted by ongoing violence have been hijacked by people who seem intent only on protecting and promoting their primitive superstitions."
One Laptop Per Child said they would be recalling the laptops and removing the offending titles.
