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Burning the holy books which are
interconnected with the hearts and souls of millions of people
around the world is one of the most heinous and dreadful actions
which one can think of. After decades of bloodshed and bigotry in
the two World Wars, Civil War in the United States and Crusades
against Muslims in the 11th and 12th centuries, burning the holy
books can be interpreted as a new form of barbarity and ignorance
in the modern era and an unforgivable crime which can be justified
by no standards whatsoever.
Over the past decade, several cases of desecrating the holy book
of Muslims, Quran, have been reported that incited the hatred and
frustration of millions of Muslims and non-Muslims in the four
corner of the globe.
In July 2010, an extremist Christian pastor Terry Jones gained
widespread public attention when he announced that he would be
burning copies of the Holy Quran on the anniversary of September
11 attacks for the alleged excuse that they were the Muslims who
spearheaded the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and
Pentagon and that Islam promotes violence and aggression. Of
course such a terrible idea can be only issued by someone who
suffers from an inferiority complex and yearns for attracting
people's attention. Taking a glance at the background of Terry
Jones and what his former colleagues say about him, one can
effortlessly figure out that the Christian pastor has always had
an ambivalent personality and an air of self-importance which has
made him an arrogant and supercilious man. After receiving an
honorary degree from an unaccredited theology school in 1983 when
he was 32, he began referring to himself as "Doctor" for which he
was ultimately found guilty and condemned by a German
administrative court.
Jones moved to Germany in 1981 and established a small church in
Cologne named Christian Community of Cologne. As reported by the
German publication "Der Spiegel," the congregation fired him after
a while, accusing him of spreading a "climate of fear and control"
in the church. His colleagues say that he preached the congregants
to beat their children with "rods" and also consumed the church
funds for personal, improper purposes. What can be inferred from
his biography is that the traces of sanity and reason can be
barely found in his behavior and disposition.
In July 2010, he made the headlines by announcing his devilish
plan for burning the copies of Holy Quran on an "International
Burn a Quran Day." Several heads of states, politicians,
academicians, peace activists and journalists condemned his plan,
and although he initially retreated from his decision, he finally
set ablaze copies of the holy book of Muslims in Dove World
Outreach Center'ss sanctuary on March 20, 2011.
Surprisingly, the Western politicians refused to express
disapproval of this shocking venture and only stated that Terry
Jones should cancel his plan simply because the lives of
multinational forces in Iraq and Afghanistan might be endangered.
Actually, the Western statesmen credulously overlooked the immoral
and decadent nature of this action or simply refused to practice
what they always preach: religious tolerance and diversity. Of
course they would have no response to give if asked about the
veracity of their claims of being supportive to religious freedom
and tolerance. They offended and disappointed millions of Muslims
with their silence and demonstrated that they have no respect for
the beliefs of those who want to live alongside them in peace.
But the Quran burning controversy of 2011 did not mark an end to
the adventurous ploys of Pastor Jones. The newspapers and TV
stations across the world reported last week that Terry Jones once
again burned copies of the Holy Quran and a portrait depicting
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Saturday, April 28 in what was claimed
as his protest to the detainment of a so-called Christian
clergyman in Iran.
Before committing this obscene act, Pentagon had urged Jones not
to burn the Holy Quran for the sake of the security of Americans
in uniform, but no other statement was released by Obama
administration to prevent the insane pastor from doing such a
crime. Gainesville Sun reported on April 29 that the Quran burning
plan was attended by a number of local residents and was broadcast
live on internet. Even a group of police officers patrolled around
the church premises and provided security for the ceremony. The
region's fire department chief also said that Jones had received
proper authorizations for burning certain materials on April 28,
but it was not specified what the materials were.
Although the high-ranking officials of Islamic countries,
including the Iranian statesmen condemned the renewed venture of
burning the Holy Quran in strongest terms, the U.S. and European
officials turned a blind eye to the blasphemy, tacitly endorsing
the radical pastor.
However, what is clear is that Jones is certainly looking for
national and international attention. He has established a
campaign for the 2012 presidential elections and even created a
website for his campaign with the slogan "Real America, Real
Hope." In this website, Jones has claimed that he is standing up
to speak for "truth" and confront "Islamic radicalism." This is
unquestionably a testimony to his lunacy and provides evidence for
the fact that this mad man has no clear ideology or worldview. If
he is a real Christian pastor, then can he justify that insulting
the holy book of a major religion is in compliance with the
teaching of Christianity?
Different Christian institutions, including the World Evangelical
Alliance have strongly condemned Terry Jones and asked the U.S.
government to take action against him. An Islamic movement in
Pakistan has called for the execution of Terry Jones; however, it
seems that the Obama administration and the Israeli-dominated
Congress are so coward and pitiable that they will get along with
the appalling enterprise that has come out of their country.
Of course, it should not be neglected that Yusef Naderkhani, the
so-called pastor who is in jail in Iran is not detained on charges
of changing his religion or advocating Christianity. He is charged
with sexual abuse and robbery and no death penalty, as the U.S.
mainstream media pretend, has been issued for him. The problem of
Terry Jones and people like him with Islam and its teaching is
that Islam unveils the true evil nature of imperialism and this is
something which the U.S. politicians and their stooges such as the
pastor of a tiny church in Florida cannot tolerate.
Kourosh Ziabari is an Iranian journalist
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