After Koran Burning, Indefensible Violence

Mon, 04/11/2011 - 11:12

I’m not a person of the book, whether it be the Bible, the Koran, or any other so-called holy book. As a secular humanist, I’m a person of many books. Book burnings appall me. Criticizing Pastor Jones for his action is my second favorite choice. My favorite would have been to ignore this attention-seeking ignoramus.

The question about the “inflammatory” action of Jones says more about Islam than about Jones. Rather than condemn Pastor Jones for exercising his free speech right to act as a buffoon, I condemn violent responses to his action. No book is more precious than a human life. Books can be replaced, but not human lives. Muslims who felt justified, if not obligated, to kill U.N. workers and others in Afghanistan because of pastor Jones did more to turn world opinion against Islam than any infidel could ever do. Things got worse when the top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan called burning the Koran “insane and totally despicable,” but did not similarly condemn the slaughter of U. N. workers.

There were also violent reactions several years ago when a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting Muhammad. Atheism, as well as any religion, should be open to criticism without fear of violent reaction. We counter bad speech by good speech, not by killing people.

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Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 05:23.

Evidence?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 14:39.

??? Do you honestly believe those Afghans killed people over a Koran being burned - and that wasn't the spin US media put on the event? It is much more likely that there is a terrible foreign policy is occurring in that country that the locals don't care for - and that is the reason they are becoming violent. If there had been no UN envoy or embassy there, nor some other propped up dictator, there is no way in heck those people would care enough to even walk down the street and condemn the action from 10,000 miles away let alone kill people over it.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 12:20.

The problem with the violence perpetuated by the radical muslims is that you have them confused with the idea that they are somehow "people" that can be "civilized". This is not possible. These pathetic wastes of oxygen consumption should NOT be allowed to inhabit this planet. Not only do I favor muslims being incited to violence so that they can be killed, but I think a good case of nuclear genocide is in order for the inhabitants of these "radical muslim" countries! You can't reason with the insane, which is what radical Islam is, so the problem MUST BE ERADICATED! Once these "violent jihadists" are vaporized off the planet, ONLY THEN, will there be a shot at some level of "peaceful co-existents" with the rest of the adherents of the delusion called "Islam"!

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Herb Silverman

Herb Silverman is the founder and president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Syracuse University and is Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the College of Charleston. In 1990, Silverman became South Carolina's most famous atheist activist when he challenged the state's religious test for public office by entering its gubernatorial race. He is a regular contributor to The Washington Post's "On Faith" blog.

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