Book-burning: a thought or two

[kynon]

In case there are people out there who see nothing wrong with Pastor Terry Jones' threat to make a bonfire out of the Qu'ran (hmm, another thought - are marshmallows halal? :P), despite all the outcry from various talking heads/religious leaders, consider this: How would you like it if someone was going to burn large piles of your holy book? (Note

Comments

[rhino_mittens]

There was one clip of that Pastor* which I heard whilst I was at the gym last week and it nearly had me falling off the treadmill. It was roughly along the lines of: 'It is not illegal to build a Mosque at Ground Zero, but that doesn't mean it is right, it is also not illegal to burn a Qu'ran** but that is also recognised as not being right. So as long as you are doing wrong to us, we will do wrong to you.' I guess some people never quite get out of the playground when it comes to a difference of opinions. Isn't it marvellous

[kynon]

I seem to recall reading somewhere a short list of some things that are closer to GZ than the proposed cultural centre (not actually a mosque at all) - they included: a McDonald’s, a Burger King, a betting shop, a few pubs, a strip club, and two churches. No-one's complaining about any of those...

I think it's much like what someone says below here - it's not illegal to be a cunt, but that doesn't mean you should be.

For these reasons, amongst others, I despair of the human race.

[green_badger]

I'd like to think that at least some of the money from buying all those Korans is going towards Islamic causes, purely because of how much I imagine that would annoy Terry Jones.

Someone elsewhere on the internet was suggesting that we ship all the extremists from all sides to Antarctica and let them get on with it, but get Bear Grylls to present a new show 'Extreme Extremists'. xxx

[kynon]

It would be amusing if he actually realised that he was fundign Islamic causes that way. What's that thing most americans don't get? Oh yeah, irony!

Extreme Extremists - only one problem with that: who decides who the extremists are? Without extremes life would be dull...

[green_badger]

Oh yes, he clearly hasn't thought it through to that extent.

Therein lies the problem, but these guys:
http://www.americaslastbesthope.org/

with this delightful questionnaire for political candidates:
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/files/www2.sanduskyregister.com/file_attach/2010/August/TeaPartyQuestions.pdf

make prime fodder for the programme. :( xxx

[smashboredom]

And that's not to mention the whole issue of power dynamics. All the people saying nobody would be making such a big deal if bibles were being burnt are missing the point: Christians aren't a persecuted minority in that part of the world or in an international setting. Burning their book does not carry the same message, or put them is as much danger, as burning the holy book of our current-day boogiemen/women.

[kynon]

Why are we burning books at all? Think of the carbon footprint! ;-)

I'd hardly consider Muslims to be a persecuted minority on an international setting - being the second most popular form of sky-pixie following after Christianity and all. I do, however, take your point that Christianity doesn't have the current "bogeyman" status that Islam seems to have.
(I suppose the corollary would be an imam burning bibles in Iran - there's plenty of outcry when the stars & stripes gets burned, wonder how the nation under god would take a pile of Bible en flambé?)

One thing I'd be very interested in would be what would happen if the American public cottoned on to the fact that most of the 9/11 perpetrators were (as I recall) Saudis (as is Osama)...

[smashboredom]

They'd say "they burn our book, so we better burn theirs more!"

I wasn't so much saying Muslims are persecuted in an international setting (although, pure number-crunching wise, the majority of the worlds Muslims are in places that get beaten over the head by predominantly non-Muslim countries. So I think they'd be high if you had to rank the religions). I was just saying Christians definitely AREN'T getting that label.

[wibblefish]

I think the burning of books is inherently wrong, though could make exceptions for Mills and Boon if it was a bit nippy as it seems daft to cut down new trees.

The bloke is an arsehole and is doing it to get attention. If he does it on the street they should nick him for arson and public endangerment or something and let him spend a few weeks in quad.

[kynon]

Hear hear.

Especially the bit about Mills & Boon. That shite should be the subject of a special subclause in the Geneva Convention.

[leg_iron]

Playground politics indeed - 'you burned my flag so I'm burning your book'. The only ones rubbing their hands in glee are the makers of flags and the printers of books. They'll be delighted to provide more fire fodder, at a price