Burning the Koran?

[Sean K]

I see that some dude in the US is planning a ban the Koran event on the anniversary of 9/11.

Thoughts?

 

[derty]

Well I guess if you plan is to incite racial and religious animosities it is a great idea. Otherwise he is a bloody idiot.

 

[sinner]

Mayor Bloomberg has it right, even though this has nothing to do with him.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gzhDrXXJwwcO5bBi71uIN_Bi89nQD9I3BA280

Snippet:

"In a strange way, I'm here to defend his right to do that. I happen to think that it is distasteful. I don't think he would like it if somebody burned a book that in his religion he thinks is holy," the mayor said following a news conference about the progress of the reconstruction at the World Trade Center site.
He emphasized that Jones' planned act is protected by free speech rights. "We can't say that we're going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement."
In recent weeks, the mayor has been defending the rights of Muslims to build a house of worship about two blocks north of the site of the attacks led by Islamist extremists that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed nearly 2,800 people.
During a dinner on Aug. 24 in observance of Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan, Bloomberg said opposing the construction of the proposed center, which would include a mosque, would be "compromising our commitment to fighting terror with freedom."

 

[roland]

if the media didn't make such a big thing out of it and present the intended action as a news item, it would be a non-event

 

[Sean K]

A cartoonist was put on a hit list for putting pencil to paper a little while ago.

Imagine mass burning of the sacred text?

 

[jonojpsg]

Indeed kennas, I was watching this on the news tonight and thought that it has the potential to make some serious .... hit the fan with the radical Islamists around the world

Don't know what this guy is on but it's some kind of weird trip

 

[Sean K]

From Wiki:

Islam holds that the Qur’an was revealed from Allah to Muhammad orally through the angel Jibrīl (Gabriel) over a period of approximately twenty-three years, beginning in 610 CE, when he was forty, and concluding in 632 CE, the year of his death. Muslims further believe that the Qur’an was memorized, recited and written down by Muhammad's companions after every revelation dictated by Muhammad. Most of Muhammad's companions--tens of thousands””learned the Qur’an by heart, repeatedly recited in front of Muhammad for his approval or the approval of other Sahaba Muhammad had approved. The companions also compiled it in written form while Muhammad was alive. Muslim tradition agrees that although the Qur’an was authentically memorized completely by tens of thousands verbally, the Qur’an was still established textually into a single book form shortly after Muhammad's death by order of the first Caliph Abu Bakr suggested by his future successor Umar. Hafsa, Muhammad's widow and Umar's daughter, was entrusted with that Quran text after the second Caliph Umar passed away. When Uthman, the third Caliph, started noticing differences in the dialect of the Qur’an, he requested Hafsa to allow him to use the Qur’an text in her possession to be set as the standard dialect, the Quraish dialect aka Fus'ha (Modern Standard Arabic). Before returning that Qur'an text to Hafsa, Uthman immediately made several copies of Abu Bakar's Qur’anic compilation and ordered all other texts to be burned. This process of formalization of the orally transmitted text to Abu Bakar's Qur'anic text is known as the "Uthmanic recension". The present form of the Qur’an text is accepted by most scholars as the original version compiled by Abu Bakr.

Pretty impressive to have memorised such a long book. Perhaps that's why it apparantly sounds poetic. Made it easier to remember.

 

[breaker]

Being a free country he would have the same right as Muslims have to burn ours/USA flag. It pisses all off, but we all have the right as we do to vote.

It probably won't be to good for his health but he got his five minutes

 

[Whiskers]

From Wiki:


Pretty impressive to have memorised such a long book. Perhaps that's why it apparantly sounds poetic. Made it easier to remember.

Yeah... and given that human memory is far from perfect and any translation is skewed by personal perception and experience, it's obvious how there became so many radical translations/ versions.

There are apparently quite a lot of translation errors in the Bible, which was apparently in written form much sooner than the Koran, but progressively lost some of the original meaning in translation over the years and cultures... so any intelligent person surely must question the litteral accuracy of the Koran before you even consider what was meant and intended by the original.

This dare I say 'fool' apparently hasn't much knowledge of psychology or history. History clearly shows many failed attempts at prohibition of books, alcohol, customs etc that required unsustainable resources and energy to enforce, and untimately failed. If he's not trying to ban the Koran, one can only assume he wants to provoke conflict... foolish in any case.

He would be better advised to research/educate people about the history, context and evolution of the Koran and it's variations over the generations to allow educated people a better understanding of it's orign, intent and importance (or lack of).

 

[springhill]

Yeah... and given that human memory is far from perfect and any translation is skewed by personal perception and experience, it's obvious how there became so many radical translations/ versions.

Extrapolation of the day Whiskers, we only see what we want to see whether it be religion/politics/ethics/humanitarian causes etc etc

 

[bellenuit]

Yeah... and given that human memory is far from perfect and any translation is skewed by personal perception and experience, it's obvious how there became so many radical translations/ versions.

There are apparently quite a lot of translation errors in the Bible, which was apparently in written form much sooner than the Koran, but progressively lost some of the original meaning in translation over the years and cultures... so any intelligent person surely must question the litteral accuracy of the Koran before you even consider what was meant and intended by the original.

This dare I say 'fool' apparently hasn't much knowledge of psychology or history. History clearly shows many failed attempts at prohibition of books, alcohol, customs etc that required unsustainable resources and energy to enforce, and untimately failed. If he's not trying to ban the Koran, one can only assume he wants to provoke conflict... foolish in any case.

He would be better advised to research/educate people about the history, context and evolution of the Koran and it's variations over the generations to allow educated people a better understanding of it's orign, intent and importance (or lack of).

I have also heard that large chunks of the Koran are taken directly from the Bible. I don't have the reference, but I think it is detailed in Christopher Hitchens "God Is Not Great". If true, then the pastor is probably unaware that he is also burning the words of his own God.

 

[pixel]

Going back to the core issue that Mayor Bloomberg spelled out:
Western democracies defend tolerance and freedom in the widest possible context - including the right to do the stupidest things in the name of "free speech and expression of opinion."
Through much of History, that concept has served us well - as long as everybody upheld the same notion of tolerance and freedom.

The big problem arises when a cohesive group of people is vehemently opposed to freedom and applauds tolerance only as far as it is extended to them. Militant groups of any persuasion - be it marching Ulstermen in Northern Ireland or radical islamic funda-MENTAL-ists - will appreciate, even vociferously demand, all the freedom and tolerance Western civilisation affords decent members of society. But they are NOT inclined to give an inch when it comes to their own bigotry, convictions, and medievil blinkers.

Unless Western Civilisations wake up to the fact that their very foundation of decency, tolerance, and freedom is turned into a weapon against them by brainwashed medievil zealots, they're doomed to be outflanked within less than a generation.

But then again: some elements of Sharia Law - e.g. chopping off a thief's hand :chainsaw: or taking repeat offenders and drug dealers permanently out of circulation :bigun2: - could well make Western cities safer and more pleasant to live in.

 

[noie]

I see that some dude in the US is planning a ban the Koran event on the anniversary of 9/11.

Thoughts?

Guns don't kill people, people kill people..

 

[Twiddle]

Guns don't kill people, people kill people..

And sometimes monkeys kill people... If they have guns.

 

[noie]

And sometimes monkeys kill people... If they have guns.

Thats true, we should kill all monkeys..

and i think gravity kills a far few, lets kill gravity as-well.

ooh and floods / storms / Hurricanes ... we should kill all Meteorologists!

 

[Twiddle]

Thats true, we should kill all monkeys..

and i think gravity kills a far few, lets kill gravity as-well.

ooh and floods / storms / Hurricanes ... we should kill all Meteorologists!

That's a lotta killing. Sounds like hard work.

 

[noie]

That's a lotta killing. Sounds like hard work.

Sigh you are right.. i'm just going to make some popcorn and watch some Jerry instead..
:jerry
but don't get me wrong, i am ANGRY at them!!
:shoot:

 

[BradK]

Pastor Terry Jones says he is doing it against 'radical Islam' and his church is called Dove Outreach Center.

Top of the class for irony.

 

[Logique]

Serve him right if a fatwa comes his way.

He has the right of free speech, but so do the US Govt, who should condemn this loud and long throughout islamic communities and countries.

This stupid action threatens lives, including US soldiers, and encourages terrorism recruitment.

 

[Calliope]

Protester's placard. Ground Zero.

"All I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11."