We the people of the City of Gainesville Florida, and others everywhere who support freedom of religion, sincerely request that the Dove World Outreach Center Church not proceed with their plans to burn the Koran on 9/11 or at any other time. Freedom of religion is a founding principle of our Constitution and the burning of any people's sacred texts is in direct opposition to this principle. If you proceed with your plans to burn the Koran, please understand that this act will not serve to lessen our respect for the Muslim faith, but will only serve to lessen our respect for you and what you are preaching.
Jones has refused all demands to stop the book burning.
Jones canceled a planned appearance on CNN's "Rick's List" to discuss the controversy Monday afternoon. Plemon el-Amin, the imam of an Atlanta, Georgia, mosque, said that Jones' criticism of Islam is "really quite uninformed."
"But in America, there is the freedom to be ignorant," el-Amin said. "The only problem is in the world, many people don't understand that particular freedom. So what he is doing is like shouting fire in a theater, in a world theater, and people are upset."
PLemon
el-Amin was being kind when he used the word "uninformed." Jones'
foolhardy attempt at "evangelism" eerily conjures up the Christian
Right's desperate attempt to gain control in a "Christian Only" nation
and in doing so, magnifies its unreasonable and rather brainless world
view. For example, the website for Dove World Outreach Center lists TEN
REASONS TO BURN A KORAN. With it, Jones ticks
off a litany that is so parallel to extreme/radical Reconstructionist
thought that it seems Islam could easily be replaced with Right Wingnut Religion.
-
The Koran teaches that Jesus Christ, the Crucified, Risen Son of God,
King of Kings and Lord of Lords was NOT the Son of God, nor was he
crucified (a well documented historical fact that ONLY Islam denies). Parenthetical
expressions can effectively point out ingnorance: Hinduism, Buddhism,
Sikhism and dozens of other faiths do not recognize Christ. The Koran,
however, is an Abrahamic faith which does recognize Christ as a
prophet. Also, Christ's crucifixion is only documented in one source
outside the Bible.
- The Koran does not
have an eternal origin. It is not recorded in heaven. The Almighty God,
Creator of the World, is NOT it's source. It is not holy. It's writings
are human in origin, a concoction of old and new teachings. Hmmm...a lot of people say that about the Bible. Some reknowned Bible scholars are probably weeping at this statement.
- The Koran's teaching includes Arabian idolatry, paganism, rites and rituals. I wonder what he thinks about Catholicism and its Mariolitry or Eastern Orthodox and its reverence for icons?
- The
earliest writings that are known to exist about the Prophet Mohammad
were recorded 120 years after his death. ... Maybe Mohammad never
existed. The earliest known writing about Christ (besides Paul's
which did not chronicle Christ's life) were written over 50 years after
the crucifxion in a language Christ did not speak. Some people doubt he
existed.
- Mohammad's life and message cannot be respected. And, of course, no one has ever attempted to arrange Christ's life and words to suit their own agenda.
-
Islamic Law is totalitarian in nature. There is no separation of church
and state. It is irrational. It is supposedly immutable and cannot be
changed. The outcry of "No separation of Church and State" by
the Christian Right has totally obliterated Jones' reasoning here and
he looks the fool for even mentioning it.
-
Islam is not compatible with democracy and human rights. The notion of
a moral individual capable of making decisions and taking
responsibility for them does not exist in Islam. The attitude towards
women in Islam as inferior possessions of men has led to countless
cases of mistreatment and abuse... Jones has never been to a
battered women's shelter. The abuse continues. The irony that
Fundamentalists have a higher divorce rate than the rest of the country
is apparently lost on him. The Southern Baptist Convention still
struggles with the definition of a wife being subservient to her
husband.
- A Muslim does not have the right to change his religion. Apostasy is punishable by death.
It's a good thing Roger Williams didn't die after being ostracized by
the Puritans. Anyway, I supposed Jones' point could be well taken in
that today's non-Christian only faces extreme discrimination. The
Christian Right is, however, making headway in Africa/Uganda.
- Deep in the Islamic teaching and culture is the irrational fear and loathing of the West. Deep in the Christian Right teaching and culture is the irrational fear and loathing of the Middle East
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