To my Muslim Brothers and Sisters around the World

[Jack Rabbit]

The Rev. Mr. Jones is a vile, hateful man. Few Americans condone what he will do Saturday.

There is nothing we can do to stop him. There is nothing Mr. Crist, the Governor of Florida, can do to stop him. There is nothing President Obama can do to stop him. The American Constitution guarantees the Rev. Mr. Jones free speech to say any idiotic, hateful thing he would like and to express it as he pleases as long as he violates no law. It is not against the law to burn a book. We Americans believe that a government that could stop vile men like the Rev. Mr. Jones from burning the Koran could prevent Muslims or people of any other faith from worshiping as they choose.

If you think that this is a dark underbelly of American freedom, then I agree with you. So do many Americans. However, we believe that it is best for government to keep away from religion, even if that allows the Rev. Mr. Jones to insult a billion and half Muslims and, indeed, all people of good will anywhere and everywhere.

We, as a people, have pleaded with the Rev. Mr. Jones not to go through with this act. We have presented him with good reasons why he should not go through with this act. Unfortunately, he is deaf to reason and common standards of civility.

Please be aware that when this ignorant man pours gasoline onto a pile of copies of your sacred text and throw a match on it Saturday, more Americans of all faiths or no faith at all will be standing with you than with him. Let us together raise a cry against this act that will be heard in Heaven Itself. To burn anyone's sacred text -- Koran, Bible, Torah, Upanishads, the Tao Te Ching or the most sacred Sutras of Buddhism -- is an act of sacrilege. Let us together join hands in brotherhood, with our hearts linked in a chain so long that is will be seen even beyond Heaven. Such an act of human brotherhood is the greatest praising of God we can do together.

EDITED for my devilishly bad typing.

[lapislzi]

1. This atheist says "amen."

Despite the fact that I deplore the paper, ink, labor, and resources squandered on the printing of religious texts, I deplore intolerance more.

Burning books is infantile at best, hateful at worst.

[malaise]

6. This one too

Rec

[madmax]

2. Beautifully written Jack nt

[Warpy]

3. Well, we Buddhists don't recognize sacrelige

so you can go ahead and torch copies of the Sutras if you think it will make you feel better. It won't, but we won't stop you from trying.

However, I agree with the rest of your statement wholeheartedly.

There is one thing that can stop this man: humiliation. I sincerely hope the Gainesville Fire Department will be on hand to drench the fire, Jones, and all his silly followers the second that match is lit.

[Blue Meany]

5. Does he have a burn permit? n/t

[Warpy]

7. No, the Gainesville FD wisely refused to issue one

so they'd be on firm legal ground to spray the lot of them back into their joke of a church, then remove the "kindling."

[Jack Rabbit]

8. For example

I read a story where once, many years ago, a Zen monastery ran low on fuel during a particularly cold winter. Two monks each picked up an ax and, without a second thought, chopped up three large wooden carvings of the Buddha and used it to keep the fire going.

The symbol is not the thing for which it stands, no matter how sacred the thing is.

[Booster]

9. And a whopper of a bill from the fire department and police

department for every cop in Florida who has to come and protect his stupid ass.

[Control-Z]

10. I wonder if they (the Gainesville Fire Department)

could accidentally jump the gun and douse the entire area, including people, matches, lighters and Qur’ans, before the fires start. It would be an accident, after all.

Edit: to spell Qur’ans correctly (I think)

[ClayZ]

25. I hope every fire dept in Florida shows up! Soak the idiot!

K and R

[haele]

33. Heck, if I were there, I'd get a bunch of friends with super-duper soakers...

I'm sure that any "free speech" perimeter isn't out of range of one of the big soakers.
If burning a book is considered free speech, I'm sure using a super-soaker to put out a symbolic "fire" and express distain for ignorant fools is free speech, too.
As long as you don't aim directly at them, it's not assault...

Haele

[wookie72]

38. Wouldn't even a buddhist

work to save the Sutras if they were the only copies left?

[The Northerner]

4. K&R

[jwirr]

11. Amen

[Swamp Rat]

12. As Salaam Alaikum!

:hi: :grouphug:

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Beautifully said, Jack Rabbit. nt

[roguevalley]

14. agreed. enough already

[TygrBright]

15. May it be YOUR words that are heard. In'sh'allah. n/t

[yellowwood]

16. I apologize

for Jones' ignorant behavior.
And for Fox media's ignorant propaganda
I am so embarrassed by it.

[Bragi]

17. Save this for next time. /nt

[Scurrilous]

18. Great post Jack Rabbit.

K & R :thumbsup:

[Jack Rabbit]

19. On the news that the Rev. Mr. Jones has canceled the book burning

(Jones) is deaf to reason and common standards of civility.

Perhaps I owe the Rev. Mr. Jones an apology and I am delighted to be wrong.

[Jack Rabbit]

20. For those on the Pacific Coast

!!

[bemildred]

21. Hi Jack, nice to see you around.

:hi:

[Jack Rabbit]

22. Back atcha; and how about that Magnus Carlsen?

:hi:

[bemildred]

23. I allus like Bent Larsen, but OK. nt

[Jack Rabbit]

24. TTT

ttt

[RFKHumphreyObama]

26. Very good post Jack Rabbit

:thumbsup:

[babylonsister]

27. Recommend and AMEN! Thanks! nt

[Jack Rabbit]

28. Another time around the block

!!

[Saboburns]

29. Salaam Alaikum

From me, a red neck atheists.

But I still will always wish you Peace.

[Mimosa]

30. Excellent message! n/t

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

31. Your Karma will be your Friend

Thank you for this post. Well said.

For your great deed,

The blessings, karma will be returned to you many times.

Open hearts and open minds.

Namaste.

[DesertFlower]

32. K&R. nt

[Marr]

34. One of our radical religious lunatics wants to tweak their radical religious lunatics.

Reasonable people will see this incident for what it is; an expression of a bigotry that's got a broad appeal here in the States-- particularly amongst devout Christians. Let's not pretend that isn't so.

Let's also not pretend that the Islamic faith isn't similarly infested with bigotry and in-group/out-group thinking. That's what this stuff is all about.

It seems the best we can do is work to keep the religiously insane away from political power as much as possible. They'd like nothing more than to kill each other off.

[AspenRose]

35. Absolutely.

.

[DinahMoeHum]

36. An Iraqi Muslim sister wishes to concur with you at this link. . .

http://121contact.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/09/today-a-lot-of-people-gathered-in-the-dawood-mosque-different-people-different-sects-different-religions-just-like-our-wo.html

(snip)
Normally there is a reaction for any action. So it is natural for the Muslim to be hurt by such an action. But I want to tell these people, who intend to burn the Quran, that one of the principles about Muslims is not to be weak, and not to bow to any except Allah. What they have to know is that Muslims are very courageous, and brave when it comes to their dignity.

Unfortunately, as Muslims, we cannot do the same actions. We cannot burn the bible. We cannot destroy the Torah, or any other holy book. Not because we are too weak, but the Quran forbids us. One of the conditions to be a Muslim is to believe in 'the holy books,' and to believe in all the prophets and messengers that are in them. So we respect all religions and we believe in them.

What I want to tell that priest is even if he burns millions of copies of the Quran, he is only burning books with words. The Koran is an idea and a belief. His fire cannot burn the heart of Islam.
(snip)

The blog, BTW, is run by a 9/11 family member who is also a member of September 11 Families For Peaceful Tomorrows.


www.121contact.typepad.com
www.peacefultomorrows.org

[Jack Rabbit]

39. Thank you for the links

!!

[Fire1]

37. Absolutely. n/t

[Cherchez la Femme]

40. Beautifully put

too late to Rec but :kick: