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No burning issue

Freedoms of speech do not excuse giving the largest soapbox to the most egregious orator.

The last few weeks have seen more ink spilled over the ill-conceived conflagration of a couple of hundred Qurans than is probably contained within the books themselves, and the media machine shows no signs of letting up.

The chief target of this stupid act of vandalism is Al-Qaeda, a group whose paid-up membership in the coalition's chief battleground is apparently not much larger than the pathetic congregation of their bibliographic tormentors.

News of the Quran burning - to be held at the at the inaptly-named Dove World Outreach Centre, Gainesville, Florida - has been met with several similarly ill-attended protests, most notably in Kabul, Afghanistan. Counter-protestors have burned the US flag (as usual), and an effigy of 'Reverend' Terry Jones, a man of improbable moustache and abhorrent attire and 'mastermind' of the burning. Reuters reports that more spectacles of this sort are likely to follow throughout Europe.

This inverse pyramid of events can only built on so paltry a foundation by a global news media that dredges for the most pathetic actions of the most dismal fringe actors and then seeks to shape an entire discourse around them. Thanks to the Ponzi mores of the world's 24-hour news media, we can mark the end of 9/11 anniversaries' exemption from America's rabid religious-cum-political discourse. If coverage continues we may also witness an eruption of violence not seen since the barbarous reaction by several mobs of Muslim men to a Danish cartoon.

Meanwhile, millions of words - many of them ensconced in the vocabulary of "offence" "insensitivity" "freedom" and so on - have been uttered over a planning application for the erection of a community centre/Mosque/whatever on a bustling commercial street in lower Manhattan, New York that is unlikely to ever come to fruition unless a Fox shareholder foots the bill.

These events share two common factors. The first is their parochialism: before mid-term election season and the tenth anniversary of 9/11, each story would only would prick the ears of a provincial news editor. The second was best put by James Joyce of his young artist, for whom "the preacher's knife had probed deeply into his disclosed conscience". Today, our respected news outlets give preachers' barbs their reach, successfully putting the 'International' in 'International-Burn-A-Koran-Day'.

If - rather than encouraging Jones by reporting on the wacky schemes from his Jesus shed - the media moved on, Jones will simply go away.

Instead, increasing news coverage of Jones and the "Ground-Zero mosque" has had a Wonderbra effect, pushing two otherwise uninspiring bagatelles together, up and out, to form a putative cleavage of civilizations. A report in today's Telegraph is a typical example of the self-reinforcing nature of this story:

It is feared the event at the Dove World Outreach Centre, an evangelical church in Gainesville, will put the lives of coalition forces serving in Afghanistan at risk and inflame religious tensions worldwide.

Between 'the' and 'event' above, we should insert 'mediation of', and divide culpability for the lives put at risk and 'religious tension inflamed' (whatever that means, presumably riots and the like) accordingly. Instead, commentators deride the pastor without questioning their collective role in his rise to to the international stage. The BBC website also conforms to Godwin's Law to lend the prospect of this squalid little episode some 'context'.

Fevered coverage of these non-stories has also required a menagerie of luminaries from Barack Obama through Ban Ki-Moon to Angela Merkel debase their high offices by denouncing a congregation too small to put on an American football game.

Sadly, the media circus has now gone far enough in its invention of a crisis in the 'culture war' to endanger service personnel and retard the progress (and thereby conclusion) of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

No doubt that, should someone be killed as a result of this wretched incident, a few dozen camera crews will be there to cover it too. And so on.

Orwell, in reference to the politicization of literature through the 1930s, wrote "What books were about seemed so urgently important that the way they were written seemed almost insignificant." The news media may do well to take account of their effect on events before conflating freedom of speech with a premise that the largest soapbox be given to the most egregious orator.

25 comments

yvnxlbki's picture

Its a shame that the Florida pastor has called off the burning of that loathesome mohamadist book of childish gibberish, the koran.

He's had 100 death threats, I was told by the liberal media that islam was a religion of peace ? Obviously not. it kinda proves the good pastors point that all mohamadists are nutty savages.

stuart's picture

but the story moves on,terry jones has strangely made freinds with his muslim counterparts and is flying to new york on satarday to hold a joint press conference with his newly found freind the iman feisal abdul rauf,this is the weirdest story i have ever heard and i wonder if this was all one big set up.

Des Demona's picture

@ Max
No it proves there are 100 other nutters out there. Not many in the great scheme of things as some of the postings on these forums proves.

thinkov's picture

100 death threats

bet most of em were from godless commies like me

stuart's picture

communist goverments are renowned for oppressing religions all over the world since the year dot,worst offender=joseph stalin

Ric's picture

Seems this was used as a bargaining tool to gain agreement that the mosque on site of 9/11 would not be built. Apparently it's worked.

Perhaps, far from being a nutter, this pastor has very cleverly demonstrated that avoiding upsetting peoples sensibilities is a two way street.

Maqsood's picture

I can better say to Terry Jones with your devil shape face you are the most coward person i have ever seen on the earth. if u are the powerfull person then go to SANGIN or MARJAH district of HELMAND province in AFGHANISTAN and only have a 2 hour fighting with TALIBAN if u come alive then we will say u r a brave.

Des Demona's picture

Good to know the forums of the NS reach as far as the nutters in Afghanistan. (or wannabe nutters in Afghanistan) Isn't the internet great!

Ibrahim's picture

The american pastor was afraid of Allah's punishment on his head and the whole americans.they should thank God 4 there life,they could have seen themselfs burning instead of the Holy Qur'an.Allahu- Akbar

yvnxlbki's picture

''Good to know the forums of the NS reach as far as the nutters in Afghanistan. Isn't the internet great!''

Stone age Afghanistan doesnt have electricity let alone the internet unless Packard Bell has developed a computer which you can plug into a tree.

yvnxlbki's picture

Muslims should just stick to fixing and cheating at cricket matches like the pakistan cricket team, thats what they are good at.

Hova's picture

@Max : Yeah, because all muslims come from pakistan.... and I hear the British are just oh so righteous in everything they do. For the good of world peace ofc, not like those muslims.... /sarcasm

get a life, you bigoted moron.

used to like non-muslims's picture

@Plaintalk.

You have just demonstarted how ignorant and dumb your society has become. YOu have just submitted a load of nonsense. Try and actually read the Quran. 123 verses calling for the killing of non muslims??? The Quran has only 114 verses... and not one of them calls for the killing of non muslims. I could easily type a load of nonsense about the bible and the barbaric punishments mentioned in it. I could also type a load of complete utter made up nonsense like you. Then other dumbed down westerners would read it and think 'oh, it must be true cos i just read it'. Have you ever heard of Muslim burining the bible? NO! and you never will. If you actually learnt to read and actually read the Quran you would understand why. Those burning efergies of the pastor in Afghanistan are just a small number of emotional people. Why do you take Muslims by what they do and not what they should do.

I dare you to read the Quran... and understand it. Dont take one verse and ignore the whole chapter. read it for your self as a human being and dont listen to what (the non-muslim epxerts of the Quran) fox news tells you. Use your own brain.

The Quran was not written 200 years after the death of Muahmmed.. where do you get these things from? you are so misimformed its seems pointless writing a response. If you want to be a bigot then atleast have the intelligence to backup with evidence.

If the Quran preaches violence then how come Muslims havent been trying to kill you all for the last 1400 years?

If you really want to talk about hatred then lets debate history, let calculate how many barbaric acts have been committed by msulims and how many by christians... think you will be disappointed to know that christians have invaded and butchered more countries and peopl then any others.

Do not talk about Ilsam has if you are an expert, you havent got a clue. read the Quran dont speak on hear say.

What if was to say that the bible preaches that all christians should touch up the quire boys??? that wouldnt be right would? wuld be factual would it?

'dumbed down nation' i feel sorry for you. your probably one of these narrow minded US bigots. Why dont you live your life by actually reading the Quran or get someone inteligent to explain it to you. until then you are just a dumb narrow minded bigot. How many new Muslims in america since 9/11? why?

dumbo

CrISpY DuCk's picture

Jones is an absolute nutcase and it's a shame this head the ball is being given so much coverage but we all know it would be an almost non story if it were not for the threat/nay certainty of a violent backlash by other larger groups of nutters around the world if this event takes place.If it were not for the backlash which will arrive as surely as night follows day then I'd imagine this story wouldn't have made it past the Gainesville Examiner.I'm afraid we're stuck with this in an environment where it seems any nutter can have his fifteen minutes.

"I think everybody should like everybody." Andy Warhol.

"All fucking grow up." Me

William's picture

stuart
"09 September 2010 at 23:56
communist goverments are renowned for oppressing religions all over the world since the year dot,worst offender=joseph stalin"

Except, that in reality, (instead of the fantasy put out by faux news) Joseph Stalin built more christian churches than anyone else in history. Stalin re-opened the churches, promoted the othodox church with state propoganda, made it the state religion, ordered the soviet presses to print bibles, claimed he was divinely anointed by god, and appointed a new patriarch.

Stalin was a terrible oppressor of christians as well (when it sutied him) but when all his u-turns are looked at overall, he promoted christianity more than he persecuted it. When he took over from Lennin the othodox church was out of existence. Christiany only exists today because of the massive efforts of joe stalin to reintroduce it. George Orwell once said he knew communism was finnished when uncle joe brought god back; the event even makes it into Animal Farm when Napoleon sends for Moses to return.

What joe stalin's motivations were for reintroducing cristianity to russia i don't know (i doubt it was genuine faith, though he was a former preist), but it is a fact of history that he did. And the facts are very different from the propoganda put out about 'godless communists'.

Two things do become clear, stalin was neither a commited christian nor athiest, he was happy to pretend to be and to promote which ever helped him manipulate the public. And two, he eventually realised that christianity was a 1000 times more useful for manipulating the public than atheism.

swatantra's picture

Read that as 'suppressing ethnic cleansing and inter communal fighting'. The communists and soviets managed to hold the country together and largely in prosperity. The breakup of the USSR has led to more tension in the world and more conflict. The petty states formed are worse than what was before.

stuart's picture

maqsood your the the reason why the likes of terry jones exist,before carefull with your words of hate.

DAULAT RAM's picture

Anyone should have the right to burn any book they please.

Otherwise, where is freedom of speech?

Why are people so scared of Islam?

Hitler had a perfect right to burn books.

What he did not have the right to do was stop others publishing or reading them.

Joe Bone's picture

Al Bukhari V4B56N709 said "Uthman (Caliph) called Zaid, Abdallah, Said and Rahman asking them to write the manuscripts of the koran in a book form. Numerous versions come out. Uthman chose one and destroyed the rest."

Bukhari also said that by 850 AD, there were 60,000 hadiths about Prophet Mohammad. The ruling Caliph asked him to pick the "true sayings" of Mohammad. He picked only 2,602 (9,082 with repetitions)and threw away 597,398 as "false and fabricated", i.e 99.5% of the old traditions were considered spurious.

Ebrahim Moosa, Professor of Religious Studies, Duke University & Muslim Cleric said that the Koran in NOT an authentic book. It was fabricated."

So there you are -whether its burnt or not is actually not the real issue - THE REAL ISSUE is Islam is a SHAM, BOGUS and FAKE religion. The Koran is a piece of garbage.

READ IT, IT'S IN THE HADITH AND THE KORAN ITSELF!!!

Plaintalk's picture

The Koran was written 200 years after the death of Mohammad, based 100% on hearsay materials.

Salomon Reinach, a German Scholar said "from the literary point of view, the Koran has little meirt. It has repetitions, lack of logic and coherence at every turn."

McClintock & Strong Encyclopedia says "the Koran is exceedingly incoherent and setentious."

Dashti, a Muslim Scholar said "the Koran is badly edited and its contents are obtusely arranged."

Every fifth verse in the Koran is meaningless.

There are 22 verses in the Koran where Allah swears to the moon, earth, sky, pen, furniture etc. etc.

The ONLY things that it is CLEAR AT is the 123 verses that call for the killing of ALL non-Muslims.

So whether the Koran is burnt or not makes no different - its just a pack of garbage

Islamshame's picture

Team Islam is NOT in the business of salvation.
Mohammad himself is NOT sure of salvation - see Koran sura 46, Al-Ahqaf Verse 9.

That Muslims WILL GO to hell - see Koran sura 19, Maryam verses 67, 68, 71 and 72.

Mohammad was called a fraud more than 100 times by his very own clans - see Bukhari's hadith.

So what is Islam all about? MONEY..
Money was and still is the ONLY motivation for Islam see Tabari VI:82; Ishaq 113; Bukhari V4B52N267.

Abbas's picture

It is utterly astounding that a single lunatic (and admittedly his Church of 50 - although this is tiny tiny numeber, I can find you 50 mad men fairly quickly) can say he will do something bigoted and have the world mass media blow it up into such hyperbole.

Leave this ignorant moron alone, stop reporting it (aimed at the mass media not this article) - you are causing the problem. In a population on 400 million of course you are going to find 1 narcissistic knob head - I can find you many who would cause offense, we just don't report it.

jie4v7i14's picture

As I said somewhere else, a blokesays he is going to burn copies of the Koran. And as I tell people, he is only burning paper. The hands that hold it is what is important.

swatantra's picture

An excellent article.
The pastors gripe is really against the extreme Islamic fundamentalists, and not with Muslims in general, so he says. But he could be upsetting a lot of Muslims fanatics who don't need any excuses to take reprisal action on America and Americans.
Instead of burning the Koran he should be burning effigies of Bin Laden and his disciples.
Burning books is a way of protesting against the state of things. It was only recently that the Satanic Verses were consigned to the fire. So Orwell was right and the quote apt. Rushdies intention was not to politicise literature, but to tell a story, but that seems to have bypassed those who burnt his books.

Des Demona's picture

As per the photograph there are probably more Pakistani lawyers burning the American flag than would ever have attended the mental pastor's Quran burning shindig.
Muslims apparently take their religion very seriously, I can't really imagine a mob of Uk lawyers outside Lincoln's Inn protesting over burning bibles.
I suppose the point is that it only takes one idiot to cause an idiot fest.

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