Oklahoma Legislators Turn Down Free Korans

Oh, ignorance.  Sadly, there is so much of it my state that even the legislators can be incredibly crass and downright intolerant.  Apparently, when a group of people interested in educating people about their religion offer free copies of the Koran to such legislators, that group is automatically labeled as terrorists.  It only makes sense, right?

Basically, this week, Representative Rex Duncan (R, of course) turned down a copy of the Koran, because he didn't want to support terrorism.  Yep, taking a free copy of the Koran is supportive of terrorism.  I bought a copy of Machiavelli's "The Prince" once, but I don't condone heartless dictatorships.  From the article:

OKLAHOMA CITY — A state lawmaker strongly objected Monday to receiving a centennial copy of the Quran, compliments of the Governor’s Ethnic American Advisory Council.

Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, wrote his fellow legislators that he is refusing a copy of the Quran because, "Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology."

Marjaneh Seirafi-Pour, a Muslim and chairwoman of the governor’s council, said she received a call from Duncan wondering whether state money was used to buy the books.

"Members of the Oklahoma Muslim community paid for copies of the Quran," she said.

They include businessmen, doctors and professors, she added.

"We are not trying
to force anything on anyone,’’ Seirafi-Pour said, ‘‘This is a peaceful, thoughtful project to introduce ourselves to leaders."

She estimated that there are 30,000 to 50,000 Muslims in Oklahoma.

Representative Duncan doesn't even listen to the Commander and Chief on this issue, who has had the decency to say that not all Muslims are terrorists.  It's not particularly convincing of Bush, but he's said it.

The money quote, though, is: "I don’t know any Christians who run around using the Bible as their basis of justification or instruction booklet to keep killing innocent people."

Since Christianization of Europe, Christians have been killing people in each God's name.  The Crusades are the great cliche of this behavior.  These days, one can find various such clashes in Africa.

It gets better, because stupid is contagious.  Sixteen more legislators from my great state have joined the good fight against human decency and religious tolerance.  To quote our good conservative friend Duncan again, "Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology."

I'm not an expert on the Koran, and I've only read a few passages from the book, but I have read the Bible in its entirety (including the dreadfully boring census of Israel.)  It's been a long while, but I remember that God did occasionally order the odd genocide of Israelite enemies.  Here's one from Joshua's conquest of Ai:

24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. 25 Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed [a] all who lived in Ai. 27 But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua.  --Joshua 8:24-27

This is not taken out of context.  Whether you're Christian or not, the Bible records God's chosen ruler of His chosen people merrily slaughtering everyone in sight.  God certainly didn't repudiate Joshua for an act that all decent modern people, and I'd hope all decent ancient people, would find completely repugnant.  I'm not judging Christians and Jews for the passage, though.  It is what it is.

So, yeah, there's a lot of ignorance here.  If you have the stomach for it, you can read the comments in the Tulsa World links.  They're obscene enough that my Massachusetts-raised wife told me not soon after that she does not want to raise our future children here.  I can't blame her, but it makes me sad.

•  Yes, perhaps the Oklahoma legislature should

  take those Korans and read them, then have a bit of a gander at that Bible they'd like to stuff down people's throats.  I think they'd find that there's just as much killing, if not more, in the Bible than in the Koran.  Of course, I won't hold my breath.  Intolerance is tough to hold on to when you lose your ignorance, and I doubt these folks are willing to let go of something they hold so dear....

  by Got a Grip on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 06:40:31 PM PDT

  •  Hey, here is an Online Poll in Tulsa Newspaper

    http://www.tulsaworld.com/...

    Do you agree or disagree with state Rep. Rex Duncan's and two dozen other lawmakers' refusals to accept centennial copies of the Quran, offered as gifts to legislators by the members of the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council?

    o Agree
    o Strongly agree
    o Disagree
    o Strongly disagree
    o No opinion

    Not too many votes yet ...  (two)

    The results of this question represent the opinions of 2 people with the following demographic profile:

    Oklahomans: 50.0 %
    Male: 1
    Female: 1

    by bobtmn on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:00:56 AM PDT

•  Other names in the article

  Sigh...one Dem had to be in there.

  Also, from the comments:

  "Go to a muslim country and try to give Holy Bibles.Make sure that you will is current and you affairs are in order."

  "our country was found on Christianity. these terrorist muslims weren't even around in the United States when our state was founded. these people need to adapt to our culture and not us adapting to their culture. i have read some of the curan just to see what it is about. it says that if you don't convert to the muslim religion they will cut off your head. apparently some of these dum people have forgotten that it was the muslims that flew the planes on 9/11."

  "Folks! This is the introduction of yeast into the flour. The Muslim community knows how effective this technique is to achieving their blindly driven goals of:

  1. acceptance into society;

  2. obtaining positions of influence on leadership, and ultimately

  3. asserting/imposing their false religion on a nation of sleeping Christians.

  Oklahoma - America, WAKE UP!

  OK all you politically correct, Muslim sympathizing vultures come and feast on my intolerant, politically incorrect small mindedness!"

  and it goes on for 92 comments.

  by BlueEngineerInOhio on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 07:06:39 PM PDT

  •  You get a cookie

    You get a cookie for trawling the slime of those comments.

    by nanoboy on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 07:25:36 PM PDT

•  And some are wondering. Why

  Youth found to have poor view of Christianity

  by Mr Stagger Lee on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 07:11:37 PM PDT

  •  While

    While I do agree that a number of youth have issues with Christianity, do note that more than 50% of those surveyed "were non-Christian."  That's massively out of line with American demographics.

    by JLan on Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 03:54:11 AM PDT

•  hmmm

  
  Christianity is a religion, Islam is "an ideology".

  Have any of these people ever traveled more than 50 miles from OKC or Tulsa?  There's a whole big world out there that they might want to find out more about than what they've heard second hand....

  by killjoy on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 07:18:37 PM PDT

•  Ignorance is rampant in Oklahoma

  They seem to be right proud of it. I've been here since 2003, and am getting really tired of being embarrassed by these cretins.

  Now there are some really good folks in OK. A few are progressive, and more of those are sorely needed. But most talk a whole lot about Jesus, but don't have one bit of interest in really following his example. Sadly, this majority is also well represented in the legislature, and totally run the media.

  by gypsy on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 07:38:05 PM PDT

•  I spent my formative years in Oklahoma

  And I have this irresistible urge to apologize for the close-minded, intolerant, rank stupidity of Rep. Duncan and his like.  Especially to your Blue State wife.  Haven't lived there in years, but I'm ashamed for Oklahoma anyway.

  by Mooncat on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 07:38:58 PM PDT

•  Don't Biblical Polygamy and Slavery n/t

  by bernardpliers on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 08:20:54 PM PDT

•  Read the Bible at age 14

  for the first time and was shocked by the lewd and violent content of many parts of the Old Testament. The Ecclesiastes was the one chapter that stood out and rang truest.

  Felt the same urge Thomas Jefferson had...to edit out and censor many parts. I bet Tipper Gore would not approve of the rock songs that could be made from the discarded parts.

  by tsunami on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 09:05:04 PM PDT

  •  Reading the bible

    Only a very tiny percentage of so called christians have actually read the whole bible.    I have never met a layman christian who has done so, including MANY professed christians  close to me and in my extended family.  

    How could ANYONE believe they know a book that is the word of God, and not have read it cover to cover several times?    Damn, I read from programming books over and over, and always come out with a deeper understanding of languages and systems.

    I have met several atheists who have done so, but I have not.

    My father lost his mother when he was ten years old.  She made him promise to read the bible, and he promised, and he did, and became a life-long atheist.   At 92 he still remembers dozens of frightening and offensive passages by heart.

    The Church used to forbid believers from reading the bible.  Most of them still follow that practice.

    It is incredibly shocking that a group of people would believe that we need to kill, die and spend trillions to fight an "ideology" that they are unwilling to even try to understand.  

    How would they feel if people around the world were introduced to Christianity by reading The God Delusion, the End of Faith and God is not Great?  

    The world would be better off if people would read those three books, then the bible and koran.

    by bobtmn on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 09:56:31 AM PDT

•  Are the atheists on their side? n/t

  by valion on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 09:36:38 PM PDT