INGA BARKS: The case against burning Qurans
| Friday, Sep 10 2010 06:45 PM
Last Updated Friday, Sep 10 2010 06:45 PM
It's been well more than two decades since I joined fellow teens in burning all of my rock albums because a local pastor said they had messages from the devil. Barring protests of the Dixie Chicks in 2003 for saying they were ashamed the then-president was a fellow Texan, I assumed we had all grown out of the "I don't understand it but it makes me scared, which makes me lash out" phase.
And then along came the Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach, who vowed to burn a stack of Muslim Qurans to commemorate the 9-11 attacks and protest a proposed mosque near ground zero in Manhattan. Jones is also the author of "Islam is of the Devil," a book that's sure to be a best seller, as I suspect it won't take long before someone gets the idea to make his book fuel for a bonfire.
I was curious what local religious leaders thought of Jones. I found two willing to talk.
I first asked Senior Pastor Dave Champness of RiverLakes Community Church if he accepted Islam as true and he said, "Even a cursory reading of the Quran and the Bible will tell you they're not compatible and as such I don't believe it is true."
His thoughts on decimating a Quran?
"This is Inflaming emotions without engaging the mind or heart, and replaces the power of the truth with cheap antics," he said.
What would Champness advise another pastor considering these antics?
"I would tell him not to burn the Quran but expose its ideas and contrast them with the Bible, letting people see truth for what it is. Then maybe some would burn the Quran themselves instead of someone doing it for them."
I also spoke to Bakersfield Rabbi Bruce Neal.
"(Muslim radicals) are going crazy over something we can do under our freedoms in this country. They talk a good talk, but when they are cutting off heads in the name of religion, they are not being good neighbors, which we are called to be. And then they want us to protect their faith."
"The reverend has a right to burn the Quran," Neal went on to say, "but he, too, is not being a good neighbor as Christ called him to be. I don't condone or condemn his freedom of speech, but he's made our lot in the world less safe and given them fuel to slit another throat."
The rabbi also said that if a Tora were being burned, he would feel the same way.
And I threw out the question on Facebook. The split was about 60/40, the majority opposing the burning. Some because as Christians they thought it was wrong, some because they think Christians are nuts.
"You and others can't see how building the cultural center would actually be giving the terrorists the middle finger, whereas burning Qurans would be giving EVERY Muslim the middle finger?" "Andrew" wrote.
"John" supported the burning, saying "They need to be sent a message."
"This is seriously disturbing ... and I'm very religious myself," "Steve" said. "It's people like these nutcases that give all Christians a bad name."
"Tara" said, "Burning the Quran would be lowering oneself. It's school-yard, unintelligent speech and won't accomplish anything positive."
And finally there was "Paul," who supported the Quran burning with: "Any one of you that don't support America are a bunch of bleeding hearts that need to get the hell out of my country!"
I support freedom of religion for Muslims and Christians, and freedom of speech for the wise and the idiotic. I also reject Islam as truth because, after all, if I thought Islam was right, I'd be a Muslim. Likewise, I'm sure if a Muslim thought Christianity was right, he or she would be at my church on Sunday. No hard feelings.
I believe that Reverend Jones is a disgusting man whose little stunt has put Americans at risk and has hijacked (if you will) the commemoration of a day that changed our world forever. I also believe that the cultural center in New York is a terrible idea that is as insensitive to Americans as burning a Quran is to Islam.
What makes the two different is that unlike religions and traditions of western cultures, there are many in the Muslim world for whom that object, that book, is so sacred one must kill to protect it.
I've heard it said many times this week that they burn our books, murder our people and deny our houses of worship in their countries. But that's not a justification for returning the favor.
We don't do those things and that doesn't make us cowards, and it certainly doesn't mean we aren't defending our country and way of life! In fact, we believed so strongly in standing up to radicals and defending our traditions that we've watched thousands of our sons and daughters die for just that reason. And THAT statement is more pure, and noble, and American than a bonfire of Qurans.
-- Inga Barks hosts a talk show on KMJ AM 580. These are the opinions of Barks, not necessarily The Californian. You can e-mail her at ibarks@bakersfield.com.
