Dear Editor,
The announced plan by the pastor of a right-wing religious fringe group in Florida to burn the holy Koran on 9/11 is detestable and must be condemned by all. While the US constitution allows book burning, including scriptures because of freedom of expression, and judges have ruled in favour of those who burned the US constitution as a form of protest, burning a religious scripture is blasphemy and is not acceptable behaviour in this age. We must respect all religions and their holy texts.
One can understand the anger of non-Muslims for the attacks of 9/11 and the ongoing suicide attacks globally that take hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. But the Koran and Muslims as a whole cannot be held responsible for the behaviour of the terrorist Taliban and al Qaeda that organized and executed the attacks on America. Those guys also hate Muslims opposed to them, organizing suicide attacks against moderate Muslims.
Burning the Koran or attacking Muslims puts the attackers in the same category as the fanatics who were responsible for 9/11. We must respect each other’s religion. No useful purpose will be served in burning the Koran. In fact, it may backfire on Americans and other westerners because such an act may be used to recruit Islamic terrorists to carry out a killing spree.
President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Bill Gates, Mayor Bloomberg, the Vatican, Hindu and Jewish leaders, and other religious leaders are all right to condemn the planned action of the Florida pastor. With so much religious conflict in the world, the last thing we need is more religious intolerance. It is hoped that the Florida pastor and other fringe elements will desist from burning the Koran or any other religious book. On 9/11, Islamic leaders around the world should use the occasion to condemn the behaviour of militant Islamists who are engaged in activities to kill anyone opposed to their plan to make the entire world “Islamic.” They should also press the leaders of Islamic countries to allow non-Muslims in their countries freedom of religion.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
