Why would anyone want to burn a book? Especially a book considered holy by over a billion people. Just when you thought the American Taliban couldn't go any lower, they did:
In protest of what it calls a religion "of the devil," a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.
It's astonishing that there are people in America who are so far gone in their islamophobia that they actually would celebrate 9/11 with a book burning.
There is no question there is the direct intention to be confrontational. Pastor Jones is honest about his hatred for Muslims. And, let's be clear, he has the Constitutional right to burn books as a way of making a political statement. What, however, does it say about the character of people who feel that the best way to express their views is the stamping out of all conflicting views?
Burning the Quran isn't going to persuade anybody and will most surely offend a great deal of people in this country and around the world. It certainly won't be a shining example of the central point of Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount:
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luke 6:31