There are only a handful of occasions that unites all political parties in Canada. Death, terrorism, national sports, and holidays are among the most common of these occasions. The burning of a book of faith can now be added to that list.
All political parties in both Canada and the US have denounced the burning as a "despicable, disgraceful" act, and many top political and military leaders have expressed concerns over the repercussions of the burning.
The top NATO commander in Afghanistan has warned that the burning could have negative effects on the mission as the Taliban could have an easier time recruiting new troops.
Prime Minister Harper, who doesn't speak often on religion, had this to say, "I don't speak very often about my own religion but let me be very clear: My God and my Christ is a tolerant God, and that's what we want to see in this world." Michael Ignatieff says, "It has been rightly denounced by the American President and by the Secretary of State as a despicable, disgraceful act, and one that runs counter to the sense of mutual respect and tolerance that are the core foundations of all faiths."
We at Real Canadian Politics have to agree with our political leaders in this matter. The Qur'an is a book of faith, much like The Bible. There are a lot of people in the Muslim faith that are not radicals and do not agree with terrorism, and they should not be punished for the actions of others.
Update
Earlier this evening, Terry Jones announced that he had come to a deal with the New York Islam group responsible for building the ground zero Mosque. He stated that his Qur'an burning event was cancelled, and in exchange the Mosque would be moved to a different location.
He later retracted the statement, alleging that he had been lied too about the relocation of the Mosque. He is now saying that the event is suspended, but not cancelled.
How is destroying one's own property 'punishing' others? Yes, burning the bible is the same as burning the Quar'an and we should have the right to burn either if we so choose to. Doesn't the Old Testament teach that they're should be no sacred idols before God?
ReplyDeleteShould we also ban flag and bra burning? What about written expressions that express disgust at extremists who will use any justification to commit violence (book burning or not)?
If Jones is to blame for terrorist attacks for burning Quar'ans then should we not also blame women who wear skimpy clothes when they get raped? I fail to see any difference.
Destroying one's own property is not punishing others, but attempting to tarnish an entire religion certainly is. Flag burning is in fact banned in many places, and frowned upon in most others.
ReplyDeleteIts not merely about whether or not you break a law, its about showing respect to the people around you.
A man does not rape a woman simply because she is wearing skimpy clothing; there is some underlying reason for it, such as a mental condition. A radical Islamist, however, could conduct a terrorist attack simply because American's burned the holy book, and nobody did anything to stop them.
If you want to take it to extremes sure any idea or point can be regarded as flawed, without a doubt. However, there is something to be said for, unnecessarily provoking trouble. In addition, sure the pastors condition is that it is an "evil religion" and September 11th marks the date in which America was attacked. However that is being taken care of by many brave men and women in the military. The pastors actions are unjustified as they exceed the proportionality of the situation at hand. As the bible also states in the book of Matthew, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," you could also have the Golden Rule come into play in which all three Abrahamic Religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) were based on (as are many other religions) which is to "do unto other s as you would have them do unto you."
ReplyDeleteYour examples although they may seem valid lack the political context and contextual level that this issue sits at.