State Department Calls Plan to Burn Korans 'Un-American'

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

The State Department described as "un-American" plans by a controversial church to burn Korans in memory of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks -- though the head of that church says he is not deterred.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called the plan "inflammatory" at a briefing Tuesday and said it would put U.S. troops and interest around the world at risk, echoing a concern expressed by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

"It doesn't represent the vast majority of American views," Crowley said.

Gen. David Petraeus, head of Multinational Forces in Afghanistan, repeated his warning Tuesday that any plans to burn the Muslim holy book -- considered a major offense in the Islamic community -- would jeopardize U.S. military efforts.

But Terry Jones, pastor of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., says not even protests and death threats will deter him. He told MyFoxOrlando.com that he and the church's members feel strongly about their decision to hold the book burning despite being denied a permit from the fire department.

"We understand the general's concerns, we are taking those into consideration," Jones was quoted saying. "We feel it's maybe the right time for America to stand up. How long are we going to bow down? How long are we going to be controlled by the terrorists, by radical Islam?"

On Tuesday, Petraeus said that even rumors of the possibility the church would hold a Koran-burning touched off protests in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia.

"Images of the burning of a Koran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan -- and around the world -- to inflame public opinion and incite violence," Petraeus said. "Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult."
________

I'm with Petraeus on this one. This is just plain dumb.

[Jill]

Ugh, I find the State Department's words to be troubling - "un-American"???

 

I don't exactly agree with this burn idea, either, but why don't they talk about the First Amendment and religious freedom here? They're all for it when it comes to anything Islamic.

[SrWoodchuck]

Petraeus is doing his job, which is protecting American interests & especially our most precious interest, the soldiers.

 

This is the crux of our "Clash of Cultures".....we are at war with a people who are trying to re-live the 7th Century, & believing the written brain scramblings of an Arab pedophile from that time period. I say that based on the continuous proven track record of slavery, rape, torture & death practiced by the religious adherents of Islam, as ordered by the Quran. Secular Muslims may or may not be peaceful, but religious Muslims know that the Quran tells them that they are to wage jihad, with whatever means are available, until the entire world is Dar-al-Islam, or completely under sharia law. Sharia law, as practiced by adherents of the Quran, is not just a religion, but a form of social government that is almost entirely in opposition to the spirit & letter of our law, the Constitution of the United States.

 

I think that thoughtful people should not burn each others religious books, and that a smart people should read and make themselves educated by the Quran, in order to be able to illustrate why sharia law must never gain a foothold in America.

 

Free speech as practiced by burning books, is ignorant, but just as atheists, Nazi's & socialists have the right to burn books, under our Constitution & Bill of Rights; these churchmembers are within their rights.

 

There are many that also believe in Sun Tzu's famous axiom, from his Art of War,"....if your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him...."

 

Can the Taliban or Al Qaeda do any more in the theater of war [which is really, right outside your door] than they are already doing? You'd better believe they will & have waged war to the best of their ability already, and they won't miss any opportunity......burned Quran's, or not.

[AceRimmer]

I think this pastor is a Fred Phelps wannabe looking for his 15 minutes, no matter how moronic and Hitleresque burning books appears. Any soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine killed in Iraq or Afghanistan after his small demonstration of idiocy, is blood on his hands.

[Argyle58]

Back in the 90's when I worked as a field engineer in the petroleum industry, I spent quite a bit of time in the middle east. While in any Muslim country I was forbidden to wear any religious symbols, even any jewelry that could have been construed as such. I could not publicly be seen to carry a Bible, nor was I allowed to invoke the name of Jesus Christ in public. Any of these things, in any Muslim country, could have lead to my arrest, with penalties that ranged from permanent ejection to death, and virtually everything in between. In that light, I have little patience for arguments about "religious tolerance" from supporters of the Islamist agenda in our country.

 

Having said that, I am totally against this juvenile plan to burn copies of the Quran. One of the most important rules of our religion, and supposedly theirs as well, is the Golden Rule. I cannot help but to contemplate on the rage I would feel at the public burning of our most sacred writings. To play "tit for tat" games with deranged "fundamentalists" who are considered heretics by a majority of their own is not only dangerous, but ridiculous. It serves only to alienate the more moderate followers of Islam of whom we are asking the dangerous task of publicly speaking out against these radical members of their own religion, sectarians so pompous as to think death is an appropriate punishment for anyone, regardless of their faith, who would speak out against THEIR interpretation of Islam.

[Valin]

I think this pastor is a Fred Phelps wannabe looking for his 15 minutes

 

 

You could very well be right. From what I understand his church is very small, I recall read 50 members.

And yes it is un-American...and stupid. Scripture tells us to be "Wise as serpents and harmless as doves" This stunt is neither.

[Jill]

It's not un-American, but it's un-Christianlike to burn the Koran.

 

Yeah, this Flori-duh pastor is a whackjob looking for attention, and it's irresponsible on behalf of the MSM to give him this attention, but anything for a story I guess.

 

But I don't think for a minute that Obama cares about American troops - his stupid RoE are going to end up killing far more soldiers than anything else.

[Evad]

The only question for me is, Why is this lunatic getting all this press???

Maybe he's dumb like a fox.

[NCJim]

Agreed ... We don't need Obama having any excuse to side with the enemy

[Pepper]

Petraeus is doing his job, which is protecting American interests & especially our most precious interest, the soldiers.

 

This is the crux of our "Clash of Cultures".....we are at war with a people who are trying to re-live the 7th Century, & believing the written brain scramblings of an Arab pedophile from that time period. I say that based on the continuous proven track record of slavery, rape, torture & death practiced by the religious adherents of Islam, as ordered by the Quran. Secular Muslims may or may not be peaceful, but religious Muslims know that the Quran tells them that they are to wage jihad, with whatever means are available, until the entire world is Dar-al-Islam, or completely under sharia law. Sharia law, as practiced by adherents of the Quran, is not just a religion, but a form of social government that is almost entirely in opposition to the spirit & letter of our law, the Constitution of the United States.

 

I think that thoughtful people should not burn each others religious books, and that a smart people should read and make themselves educated by the Quran, in order to be able to illustrate why sharia law must never gain a foothold in America.

 

Free speech as practiced by burning books, is ignorant, but just as atheists, Nazi's & socialists have the right to burn books, under our Constitution & Bill of Rights; these churchmembers are within their rights.

 

There are many that also believe in Sun Tzu's famous axiom, from his Art of War,"....if your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him...."

 

Can the Taliban or Al Qaeda do any more in the theater of war [which is really, right outside your door] than they are already doing? You'd better believe they will & have waged war to the best of their ability already, and they won't miss any opportunity......burned Quran's, or not.

 

 

SrWoodChuck

bumping your post. Could not say it better.