There’s no doubt that the Rev. Terry Jones, pastor of a small, independent church in Gainesville, Fla., has a First Amendment right to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Being able to legally do so, though, does not mean it is the right thing to do. It is not.
Torching the book central to one of the world’s great faiths is an act of ignorance, intolerance and violence that turns the religion that Jones purports to espouse on its head. Christianity preaches peace, tolerance and forgiveness. Additionally, Christians are commanded to love one’s neighbor – all of them. There’s precious little of those principles of Christian faith in Jones’ fiery rhetoric.
Moreover, the burning of Qurans, universally condemned by the religious and their leaders around the globe, could bring considerable harm to Americans and to America. President Barack Obama said Thursday that the burning was a “stunt” that could harm U.S. troops abroad and incite suicide bombers and other acts of violence in America and elsewhere. His warning echoed similar statements from Gen. David H. Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The warnings had merit. The renegade pastor finally heeded themThursday.
If Jones had gone through with Saturday’s event, the act assuredly would have angered most of the world’s billion Muslims and spurred a minority to turn to violence. That much was clear. As a precaution, Interpol, the international police agency, alerted its 188 member-nations to be prepared for violence if the burning took place. The U.S. military also prepared for stepped-up attacks against troops in vulnerable areas. Still, much damage has been done by Jones’ misguided campaign.
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban no doubt viewed talk of burning Qurans as a useful propaganda tool. The act and the video of it that would have traveled the world via Internet in minutes would have buttressed the extremists’ claim that America is targeting Islam, despite repeated assurances from both Presidents George W. Bush and Obama that America is engaged in a war against terrorism and extremism rather than against a religion. Jones’ misguided campaign will continue to undermine that fact.