Doubt whom you will but never yourself – Christine Bovee

Pastor Terry Jones, with his book, at the church planning to burn copies of the Qur'an on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Photograph: Chip Litherland/Polaris/eyevine via The Guardian

In a display of the ever-solid ignorance that accents any form of religious extremism, an American Pentecostal pastor, Terry Jones, has ordered the burning of 200 copies of the Islamic Holy Book, The Qur’an this Saturday (September 11).

The small Florida based anti-Islam church, Dove World Outreach Center, believes that Islam is the work of the Devil and has organized the book burning to fall both on the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks of the World Trade Center and the final day of the Islamic observance of Ramadan, Eid.

Among Jone’s reasons for his heinous intentions, he claims that the Qur’an teaches that Jesus is not the son of God and insists that he will continue with his book burning despite direct warnings from the White House, maintaining his rights are protected by the First Amendment.

I tried to find the list of “15 reasons to burn a Qur’ran” posted on the church’s website but that appears to have been shut down. I did however, find a list of 12 reasons submitted by another like-minded activist which can be found here.

I have always fully supported persons’ right to express their views, no matter how outrageous or ignorant it may appear to others. However, I wish that the human condition was more conducive to the care and consideration of the rights of others. Despite this church’s philosophy of hatred for Islam, the active pursuit of insulting another religion – and so egregiously – is not only abominable but remarkably contrary to the principles they claim to defend.

I can’t recall a single part of the bible, that Jesus encourages the insult or attack of another in pursuit of one’s personal religious journey. And though I am not religious, I find myself hoping that more of these Christian extremists would stop and take a look at their actions and motivations and truly ask themselves: What would Jesus do?

Source: The Guardian