Burn Notice

An Act of Ignorance

I have my own copy of the Qur'an (text and commentary) with a side-by-side English translation. It was given to me by a Palestinian woman that I engaged in a reasonable discussion concerning the history of The Holy Land. We didn't agree on everything, but she was gracious and knew how to pleasantly disagree. I'm pretty sure she is not a terrorist. I have read most, if not all, of the book (the translated parts anyway) and I don't have any intention of burning it.

I keep this copy of the Qur'an on my bookshelf, as a reference. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Jehovah's Witnesses' version of the bible), the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price are keeping it company. I don't need a copy of the Tanakh, because I pretty much have that (albeit ordered differently) in my regular ol' Bible translations, before the Jesus sequel. I am not a Muslim; I am not a JW, LDS, or of Jewish decent. I do not claim a particular Christian denomination either; I simply try to follow Jesus (the Christ, not the landscaper).

I possess, and have mostly read, these books and many others in a continuous pursuit to better understand my fellow man.  What we each individually believe about God and our place in His creation, like it or not, plays a vital part in who we are and what makes us tick. Our religion, spirituality, or whatever you want to call it, is not the only element that forms our convictions and world-view, so this is obviously only one very enlightening piece of the puzzle. This is not intended to be a comparative religion essay, so let's leave it at that.

People will often cite "deeply-held religious beliefs" as a basis for irrational and bigoted behavior.  A problem with deeply-held religious beliefs is that nutjobs have a lot of them that aren't taught as part of the faiths that they claim to follow.  Errant beliefs and cultist belief systems inevitably arise when there is a narrow focus on the importance of one or a few elements of a religious teaching, combined with the dismissal of balancing teachings within the same faith. I hypothesize that this may be part of the case with Dove World Outreach Center's Pastor Terry Jones (not to be confused with the brilliantly funny Terry Jones of Monty Python fame).

Pastor Jones claims that he and his congregation (of about 30 people, from what I understand) have prayed about it and feel convicted that 'honoring' those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, through the public burning of up to 200 copies of the Qur'an, is the right thing to do. However, when interviewed by one of the faces on CNN the other night, Jones was unable to name even one of the victims killed in the 9/11 attacks.  Jones appears to me to be little more than a hate-monger who likes media attention; correction, a hate-monger with deeply-held religious beliefs. This is not the first asinine stunt that he's pulled; google him and find out for yourself.

The media attention surrounding this impending book burning, stirs the emotions of many, but the minds of few.  Milton once wrote, "who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills Reason itself, kills the Image of God, as it were in the eye."

It doesn't really matter whether you believe the principles taught in the Qur'an are valid or not, or whether 'Islam is of the devil' as Jones likes to put on billboards and children's tee shirts. Understanding the teachings of the Qur'an can help one to better understand his Muslim neighbor and a culture that would otherwise be quite alien. As such, the book has value. Publicly burning it achieves nothing positive; it does not silence the message; it does not stop the spread of Islam; it does not eradicate the teachings from existence. It does however, create converts - to radical Islam.  People like Pastor Jones are the Islamic terrorists' greatest recruiting tools; or maybe they're just tools, period.

I recently wrote that a man ought not to consume with flame any book that he has not first consumed with his mind; it is an act of ignorance that lacks a reasonable defense. Those words came to me about 24 hours ago, when I couldn't sleep, and I thought that I should share them. It prompted some interesting dialog, both through facebook and by email. The thought was prompted by the idea of Jones's old-fashioned Nazi-esque book burning, but I believe it in a much larger sense. To intentionally defile or desecrate something, believing it to be wrong but having no understanding of it, is an act of bigotry and ignorance, in my humble opinion. I think that to be intellectually qualified to burn a book, one must read it from cover to cover, understand the content, and conclude that it has no value. If you can honestly do that, break out the Kingsford, baby, and have yourself a time. Otherwise, it is a narrow-minded and bigoted act.  That is not to say that you don't have the constitutional right to do it though.

You see, there is a distinction that gets lost in so many of the debates about this kind of stuff. Just because you may have the right to do something, doesn't mean it is right to do it; they are two separate arguments that must not be confused. Here in the States, we have the constitutional right to be as ignorant and backwards as we choose to be, and to do it publicly if we so desire. Pastor Jones appears to be exercising that right to its fullest. I don't think this episode will be the last that we hear of him or his merry band of imbeciles. I just hope that no one gets hurt in the process and that we all learn something from it.  It's a bit unrealistic but heck, I can dream, right?


© the stiff lizard