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Editorial: Burning Quran is bad idea
Published 9:48am Wednesday, September 8, 2010As an American, the Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., has every right to burn the Quran.
He has the same free speech rights we all have, freedoms many Muslims in the Middle East — the ones shouting “Death to America!” and burning U.S. flags — don’t have. They couldn’t do that to their own flags; they couldn’t say that about their own leaders.
But if Jones supports our troops in Afghanistan, he should not burn copies of the Quran.
“Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence,” Gen. David Petraeus said.
A good general knows that the goal of the soldiers in a war is peace. Petraeus knows that more anger won’t help.
And burning the Quran on 9/11 places the blame for the attacks on all of Islam, when the blame only belongs with a handful of extremist Muslims who practice terrorism. It would be like blaming all of Christianity for attacks made by the Irish Republican Army.
We lend our support to other newspapers calling for Jones to reconsider his plan for Saturday. Don’t do it.
In America, we can be the grown-ups. We can be the tolerant ones. We can take the high roads.
Petraeus is right. Let the military do the fighting.
I agree with this editorial. The history between the Muslim and Christians is one of nothing but bloodshed for the last 1000 years. We must extend the hand of friendship begin new relations, to last for generations to come.
Similar logic should be applied to the Mosque near ground zero in NYC. Those who wish to build it have every right by law but just because you CAN doesn’t mean you should.
Scott, I don’t think the two situations are the same at all. The plan for the mosque near ground zero is not intended to criticize, disrespect, or publicly denounce another religion. The two situations do have something in common though. This pastor and those opposing the mosque make the same mistake of unjustly associating all Muslims with terrorists.