Watching coverage of a Florida chuch’s plan to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of September 11, I’ve built quite a little fantasy of driving down to Gainsville this weekend with a trunk full of Bibles.
In my mind's eye, I park across the street from the church, toss on a burqa, and put a torch to the Holy Pile. Then, I roast a non-Kosher, all-beef weenie over the flames (take that, silly Jews and Hindus) while squishing caterpillars with my toes (silly Buddhists). If you’re going to do intolerance, at least do it right.
But I don’t own a burqa or a box of Bibles. I don’t like hot dogs. I do like caterpillars. I don't burn books, sacred or not. And Gainsville has got to be a 12 or 13 hour drive from here.
Plus, it such an act wouldn’t do anything but feed into the persecution complex of Terry Jones and his wildly-misnamed Dove World Outreach Center.
A ministry that seems to view all of life and human history as a battle between good and evil -- with them representing “good” in this construction of the universe, of course -- is not going to be swayed by a little thing like the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan saying their bonfire will be a prime piece of propaganda that could endanger the lives of soldiers and Americans abroad for years to come.
Quite the contrary.
While Jones will pay lip service about taking such warning seriously and “praying over it,” unless the local, State or Federal government can come with some creative way to intercede, International Burn-A-Quran Day is probably going to get off promptly at sunset on Saturday.
Whether Jones and his flock are too spiritually damaged or emotionally clueless or just too gutless to admit, they would likely be subconsciously thrilled if a soldier or innocent civilian were killed as a result of their action. Every Christian killed by a Muslim reinforces their worldview. So they’ll exercise their right to free speech and maybe good people will die because of it, maybe they won’t.
If you believe in God or Allah or Yahweh or Krishna or some other Supreme Being, Jones and his followers will have to answer for their actions someday.
But it somehow feels inadequate to say “well, I guess God will sort it out.” How do we, as thoughtful individuals who are supposed to stand for freedom of religion, tolerance, and Enlightenment rationality, respond to the shot across our collective bow “Burn-A-Quran Day” represents?
I agree with some other voices online that this Saturday should be “International Buy-A-Quran Day.”
Go to your local book emporium and find the most beautiful translation you can find. Or buy a book about Islam -- maybe not Mr. Jonses’ “Islam is the Devil,” but something thoughtful -- or any one the hundreds of titles on the development of the great Abrahamic religions.
Confronted with closed minds, expand yours.
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I used to have a book that had chapters from several of the holy books of the world's religions. I loaned it to someone and it didn't come back, and now I can't remember the name of it, but it was a beautiful demonstration of the common good. (If anyone knows of it, please tell me the title so I can order another!)
May the Lord Bless you, thank you for your article! Aameen!
I believe this act of Burn Quran Day is not protected by Freedom of Speech act because it is not a freedom of Speech but rather a freedom of action, an action Hitler loved too only that he went bit further and began to burn People too, i hope US govt and People will take strong action to halt this act of utter nonsense!
rated
I think that he wants anarchy, the pastor, and the fanatics on the other team, they are ready too.
folly
Jesse Berney wrote about International Read a Koran Day at Huffington Post, and an International Buy a Koran Day Facebook page - Motivated by the belief that "International Burn a Koran Day" is based on misinformation and misinterpretation, this page is intended to promote the seeking of first-hand information and interpretation on / around 9/11/2010 - has a growing number of likers ... though, unfortunately, far short of the 9000+ people who "like" the FB page for International Burn a Koran Day.
I have already obtained a copy of
the quran a while ago.
If any one else would like to follow
through on your idea, they can order
a free copy at http://www.allahsquran.com/free/
Rated
this will come as a surprise to many, but the core of muslim hatred of the west in general and america in particular is not your freedom: but one freedom does irritate, the one where you park your armies on their lands, install and support brutal dictatorships, and kill in thousands and tens of thousands in lust for oil and the profits therefrom.
And even the Tea Baggers (tee-hee, sorry), who are ignorant and sad in so many ways, would still probably welcome a person with a brown complexion in their midst (I mean if he or she were really a true Tea Partier). I really believe that.
My point? It's the Moderate Crazy Right that should be more loudly denouncing this guy. Are they? Someone help me out. I'm at home trying to educate and enlighten myself at night so it's hard for me to fit in Fox News or listen to a podcast of the Limbaugh show from earlier today. What's the Moderate Crazy Right saying?
Buy a Q'uran Day sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe I will buy another one on 9/11, just because. Just because I'm a New Yorker and Christian who believes in standing against hate; with my dollars, if necessary.
I'm tempted also to put on a hijab, just as a little social experiment, although I probably won't. I learned all about how to wrap one for a film I costumed once about a young Moslem girl who endures a lot of cruelty in America shortly after 9/11. The actress asked me to loan her a hijab I had made for the film so she could practice putting it on and also so she could wear it in public to get into character. She said it was very eye-opening. Mostly people pointed and stared and whispered, but one person actually spit at her. And that was in 2008.
Sorry about all the ad-spam garbage today. The comment manager isn't letting me delete them right now, probably just a temporary glitch in the system.
How irritating.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/howard-kurtz/2010/09/fanning_the_flames.html?hpid=topnews
where tracks how this became such a big story.
There you go "Reverend" Jones. You're even too crazy for SARAH PALIN,
There is nothing magical about a Bible or Koran their power only comes when you read and do what it they say. This is something that Jones seems to have missed.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0908/Why-the-planned-Koran-burning-causes-outrage-and-alarm
One thing not so reported in the US media but important to the story: this year, September 11 marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the holiday of Eid al Fitr.
(Ramadan itself commemorates that period in 610 CE when Muslims believe the angel Gabriel "revealed" the word of God to Muhammad)
So, to choose that day to burn a Koran on this particular day is the equivalent of Muslims burning a stack of Bibles on Christmas. If you were a devout Christian, you would see that as symbolically more offensive than other, non-religiously significant days.
Some American Muslims were already a bit nervous that Eid was falling on September 11 this year, with all the recent commotion about Park51 in New York. (Ramadan is fixed on a lunar calendar) Many are worried about appearing to be celebrating on 9/11.
http://news-views.in/muslims-nervously-await-911-amid-row-over-mosque-plan/
Undaunted, Terry Jones says he'll find another web-host for his spewage. Well, he use the word "spewage," but you get the idea.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iCOmq6xX87ErMuEs3Or3tgqY5vDA
Charming.
But glad reason -- or FBI threats, whichever -- has prevailed.
why not choose 9-11 as a day to donate to relief organizations in Pakistan where according to the bbc 8 million displaced people are dependent on donations for their survival--the majority of the flood's victims are children.
Here are some organizations:
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/allcontent.cfm?id=59
and unicef
http://www.unicef.org/pakistan/
"We already have a Quran in our home not because we are Muslim but because we recognize all spiritual traditions."
Beyond the fact that recognising "all spiritual traditions" is not practically possible. Does that mean Scarlett and her family respect traditions that involve human sacrifice, child sex and other forms of overt violence? Does that mean mindless 'tolerance' trumps human rights once again?
That is the painfully empty mindset grips so many supposed liberals, who are really just risk-averse supporters of the status quo. This pastor, right-wing loon that he is, was rocking the boat and nothing upsets the sheeple quite like someone not playing nice with religion.
And are you, Heather, open to the possibility that the Qur'an actually advocates sexual inequality, violence and wilful ignorance? Or will you magically find the "context" that allows you to dismiss all of the problematic elements. You claim to be a feminist but you seem far more preoccupied with the fate of a patriarchal religious text.
"...supposed to stand for freedom of religion, tolerance, and Enlightenment rationality, respond to the shot across our collective bow “Burn-A-Quran Day” represents?"
Your hypocrisy/error is three fold:
1. The pastor's "freedom of religion" includes a right to burn the Qur'an. Would you back him if the government had cracked down on him?
2. You fail to show how his burning the Qur'an shows lack of "tolerance", lack of respect obviously, but you can be contemptuous of ideas you tolerate.
3. The Enlightenment contained lots of deep hostility towards religion and traditional cultural beliefs. Your mindset is far more drawn from the Romantic movement which a reaction against the Enlightenment.
Few weeks later there was a label, the type you use the hand machine with the plastic sticky tape to punch letter imprints into, it was stuck up there and it read, "Muslims", oh well at least they didn't burn them.
I appreciate this article and I hope people actually did buy a Qur'an hopefully understanding the difference between Sunni and Shi'i. I hope they purchased the true Sunni Qur'an and understood the true meaning of Jihad and Shari'a. You made a difference Heather, Inshallah!
And nobody tries to stop either group. Let both groups express themselves freely.