Flordia Pastor Burns Qur'an

Last summer and fall, the United States saw a considerable increase in anti-Islamic sentiment. This was mainly due to the building of a mosque near the site where the World Trade Center previously stood. The controversy surrounding the New York City mosque set off a chain reaction across the country. Mosques in Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas (to name a few) were protested and vandalized. In this wave of religious intolerance, the low-point was Florida pastor Terry Jones' threat to burn a Qur'an on the anniversary of 9/11. Eventually, Pastor Jones and his Dove World Outreach Center decided not to carry out their plan, saying:

"We feel that God is telling us to stop" and "We will definitely not burn the Qur'an...Not today, not ever."

Unfortunately, it looks like Pastor Jones does not keep his word. This past Sunday, Pastor Jones' congregation conducted a "trial" of the Qur'an, with Pastor Jones as the judge. Not shockingly, the Qur'an was found guilty and sentenced to...you guessed it...burning. When asked why he burned a Qur'an after specifically saying he wouldn't, Pastor Jones' claimed that he never promised  not burn a Qur'an, but that he would never establish another International Burn A Qur'an Day.

This man and his congregation sicken me. They claim to be Christians, but I discern nothing in their actions that shows they even know what Jesus stood for. Instead of loving their neighbor and helping the less fortunate, they are creating international religious conflict. Potentially, Muslims all over the world will see his desecration of their holy book and be outraged. The actions of Pastor Jones and his followers could get someone killed, and I highly doubt they would even care. Yet, if a Muslim group here in the US burned a Bible, for whatever reason, I highly doubt Pastor Jones would defend them.

While I do not believe in the infallibility of either the Bible or the Qur'an, both of these books contain wisdom. To desecrate the holy book of any religion is abhorrent, especially if your reason for doing so is to initiate animosity. No matter what your religious beliefs, or lack-thereof, are, as human beings we have an obligation to make this world a better and more peaceful place. Despite belonging to a religion whose primary tenet is "love your neighbor as you love yourself", Jones and his ilk are doing just the opposite. The sheer hypocrisy makes me beyond angry.

The only bright spot in this situation is that the media is completely occupied with covering the tragedy in Japan and the rebellion in Libya to notice Pastor Jones' latest bid for attention. In situations where bigots are using offensive activities in order to attain a national audience, the best response is to ignore it.