Qur'an Burnings and Muslim Murders

[Chris]

Qur'an Burnings and Muslim Murders

Qur'an Burnings and Muslim Murders
By Robert Spencer

Everyone is angry with Terry Jones, the Qur'an-burning Florida pastor. Barack Obama issued a written statement saying that "the desecration of any holy text, including the Qur'an, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry." In Afghanistan, General David Petraeus and NATO representative Mark Sedwill said they "hope the Afghan people understand that the actions of a small number of individuals, who have been extremely disrespectful to the holy Qur'an, are not representative of any of the countries of the international community who are in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people."

The United Nations got into the act, too. "The recent burning of a copy of the Quran in the United States and similar actions anywhere else contradict the efforts of the United Nations to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions," thundered UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Time Magazine's Joe Klein even claimed that "Jones's act was murderous as any suicide bomber's," since Muslims enraged by the burning of the Qur'an in Florida have murdered about 20 people in Afghanistan and five in Pakistan.

Is that Jones's fault? Many, many in the West agree with Klein that it is. Guardian editor Matt Seaton explained that Jones was to blame because his Qur'an-burning was "done knowingly involving reckless endangerment, and quite possibly wishing for this kind of bad result." Bill O'Reilly even claimed that Jones had "blood on his hands."

To that, Jones's response was succinct: "We reject Mr. O'Reilly's statement. The responsibility should be laid upon the people who committed the acts." O'Reilly and the rest were assuming that the Muslims who were rioting and killing over the burning of a book half a world away had no control over their reactions, and thus could not be held accountable for them: they were demonstrating their belief that it was the West's responsibility to make sure the Islamic world behaves in a civilized manner. Muslims had no such responsibility.

Instead of all this morally myopic posturing, Obama, Petraeus, Ban Ki-moon and the mainstream media ought to be standing up for freedom of speech. Speech that is inoffensive needs no protection, and those in power can all too easily use "hate speech" codes to restrict speech they find politically inconvenient or challenging. Obama, O'Reilly and the rest should have said: "While I disapprove of the burning of the Qur'an, in America we believe that freedom of expression is a fundamental bulwark against tyranny and the hallmark of a truly free society, and it requires us to put up with things we don't like without responding with violence."

Jones's Qur'an-burning could have been a teaching moment for the West, showing why free societies are preferable to Sharia states. But instead, Obama and the media are effectively reinforcing the principle that violent intimidation works: they knew that somewhere in the world Muslims were going to become violent because of the burned Qur'an, and instead of telling them to act like civilized people, they are demanding that free people change the way they behave to try to prevent another Islamic murderous spree. That's just what Afghan President Hamid Karzai is demanding: he wants the U.S. to restrict the freedom of speech to protect the Qur'an: "The American Congress and Senate must condemn this in clear words, show their stance, and prevent such incidents from happening again."

The world's leaders and opinion-shapers can and should be telling these rioting Afghans and Pakistanis, and those who are defending them, to realize that if someone burns a Qur'an in Florida, it doesn't harm them, or the Qur'an, or Allah, or Muhammad. He could and should tell them that to respond with irrational violence against people who are not involved with the burning (or even against the people who are involved with it) is just savagery.

People like Obama and Seaton have forgotten, if they ever knew, that one's response to someone else's provocative action is entirely one's own responsibility. If you do something that offends me, I am under no obligation to kill you, or to run to the United Nations to try to get laws passed that will silence you. I am free to ignore you, or laugh at you, or to respond with charity, or any number of reactions.

Everyone in the world is so busy condemning Terry Jones that they have forgotten about freedom of expression, and why it is so important to reinforce even when we find the expression detestable-indeed, especially in such cases. And so, if we continue down this path, one thing is certain: That which is not understood or valued will not be protected, and so it will be lost.

Those who censor themselves today to keep from offending Muslims who are offended all too easily may wish in the not-too-distant future that they had stood up more robustly for the freedom of speech when it was threatened. But by then, it could easily be too late.

[discusdog]

So true. The religion of Islam looks for any excuse for violence. Like a kid throwing a temper tantrum.

[Hannah]

I don't blame Muslims for being offended. I would be if I heard some one was burning Bibles.

However their offence should not have been taken out on total strangers who did not do the Burning. That just shows the total disregard Islamists of people's lives.

The God of the Jews and Christians is One who teaches us that every Human life is valuable. Even that of our enemies.

So who is at fault here? Did Jones directly take the life of these UN workers. No he did not.

What he did was a very irresponsible thing. He certainly had no reason to Burn a Koran. We are not instructed to rile up our enemies but to live with them in peace if possible. Forget freedom of speech, we have a God who is above US law that will be asking Terry Jones why he had to stir up strife with Muslims. We are not to take an eye for an eye these days. Islamic terrorists took out our buildings therefore we should do something back?

HEB 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

RO 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

RO 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

As a Christian man I think he stepped over the line because God has said it is His Right to Repay. Not ours and we are not to stir up trouble with others. Plain and simple black and white.

Who is responsible for these lives?

GE 9:4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

GE 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.

These people could have burned Bibles in relatiation or demanded that Jones be punished for his offence. Instead they choose to act like unreasonable men and in their anger killed innocent people.

Don't put the blame on Jones. It was their own decision that led to their actions and they are fully accountable for what they did. No excuses.

I don't expect Politicians who are without God today to see this from the Bibles perspective. Obama can LABEL himself a Christian all he wants he isn't a mouth piece for God if he is condemning Jones for what happened overseas to non-Muslims because they heard a US man burned a Koran.

People have died for what? Because some Minister wanted to make a point? He could have preached all he wanted about how lives were lost through a Terrorist act but he didn't really need to take the step of burning a Koran.

I do enjoy freedom of speech. However we know that although we can speak freely God is judging every word that comes out of our mouths. We are not free to say anything we like and think we will not be judged for our Words. Freedom of speech should not be freedom of responsibility nor should it give the right to break God's commandments and think it is alright with God.

MT 12:36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Paul taught us we have been made FREE MEN through the Grace of God. Not to go around doing anything we like but to Serve and Obey Him.

Personally I think what Jones did was unneccessary and a wrong thing for a Christian man to do. I will probably get a lot of flack because it may look like I want to curb people's freedoms. No I am showing you what the Bible teaches and that is where we should as Christians be getting our direction for how we act and behave here on Earth. Not the laws of mankind but the laws and commandments of God.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone. However, take it up with the Lord it is His Word not mine I give you here.

It hurts to watch your enemy get away with stuff but I can't help that either. That is totally in God's hands as well.

[Kris762]

I agree with you.

He could not have gone ahead burning the Koran without knowing full well there would be severe repercussions within Islamic societies, nations.

Even the slightest chance that innocents could be killed as a result of my actions would be enough to deter me from going through with it.

I make no excuse for the evil vile religion of Islam and its radical followers, however we must be wise not to be the cause of the loss of inncoent peoples lives because we wish to make a statement that could possibly be made in other ways.