Plans by the Dove World Church in Gainesville FL to burns Qur'ans on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack are putting our troops in danger, according to our top commander in Afghanistan:
Gen. David Petraeus said the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the U.S. and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians.
"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort," Gen. Petraeus said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community." Wall St. Journal
So much for supporting the troops.
Back in 2005, Newsweek had a story that a Guantanamo interrogator flushed a Qur'an down the toilet as part of an intimidation effort. Even though Newsweek later retracted that story and said it was a total mistake, it still sparked riots around the Muslim world, which was already ready to believe the worst about America.
But if the Dove World Church goes ahead with its book burnings, even though the Fire Department has forbidden them to do so, the story, at any rate, will not be a mistake. And the Muslim world is already up in arms (sometimes literally so):
Hundreds of Afghans railed against the United States and called for President Barack Obama's death at a rally in the capital Monday to denounce a Florida church's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on 9/11.
The crowd in Kabul, numbering as many as 500, chanted "Long live Islam" and "Death to America" as they listened to fiery speeches from members of parliament, provincial council deputies, and Islamic clerics who criticized the U.S. and demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.Some threw rocks when a U.S. military convoy passed, but speakers shouted at them to stop and told police to arrest anyone who disobeyed. CBS News 6 Sep
There was also a demonstration in Jakarta yesterday in which thousands paticipated.
The WSJ article points out that the Dove World Church only has about 50 members - all of whom are probably convinced that the international attention they are getting over this is proof that their cause is just. Their cause, it would seem, is stirring up yet more hatred of Islam:
We have fallen asleep since 9/11/01 and have been hoodwinked by the growth of a (for now) non violent Islam. Shall we give in to threats, then, and allow Islam to grow in America unopposed? We at Dove World Outreach Center will not, even if it costs us our lives. For those who support us, we say thank you for standing with us in courage. For those who oppose us, we say wake up and do not give in to the fear and lies! Dove World Church: 10 reasons to burn a Koran
Interestingly, Right Wing Extreme, which had previously pledged to provide armed support for the Qur'an burning, withdrew its support on Aug. 24th, saying: "We don't want to be a part of inciting violence and racism anymore."
The US embassy in Kabul issued this statement:
The United States government in no way condones such acts of disrespect against the religion of Islam, and is deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups.
The embassy wants to emphasize that we strongly condemn the offensive messages, which are contrary to U.S. government policy and deeply offensive to Muslims especially during the month of Ramadan. US Embassy Kabul
I couldn't find any statement from the White House itself on the book burning. It is always possible the administration knew what Petreaus was going to say, and sent him out there to provide a military gloss on its disapproval.
A group of 50 idiots is doing its damndest to stir up trouble, hatred, violence, war, all in the name of the "prince of peace."