Thousands of Afghans Protest Now-Cancelled Quran Burning
Though the preacher who intended to burn the Quran has wisely decided to cancel his plans, Afghans remained unaware of the news over the weekend and demonstrated against America.
Terry Jones, the pastor who had planned on hosting a mass Quran burning, has decided against the incendiary display, telling NBC news over the weekend that "we feel that God is telling us to stop. We're not going to go back and do it. It is totally canceled." Good sense, it appears, has won out after all, but despite the cancellation of the planned demonstration, there were thousands of Afghans taking to the streets over the weekend, setting piles of tires ablaze and chanting "death to America" after doing the same thing late last week.
In Afghanistan, however, there is limited access to news, whether via television, Internet or printed reports, so that most in the country were unaware of the decision to cancel the demonstration. On top of that, members of the Taliban had distributed pamphlets throughout the country noting what Jones' plans were and indicating that Americans wished to wage a war against Islam itself. While Jones' plan to burn the Qurans in the first place was questionable, at best, there were some that noted that America features the freedom of expression, making the move legal, if not exactly intelligent.
The real problems between East and West, it would appear, are such symbolic gestures that ultimately mean very little and do very little harm, but that serve to ignite misguided notions of separatism. Islam, for example, is a religion like most and, as such, dedicated to peaceful ideals. As with the Torah and the Bible, there are examples of violence in the Quran, but those instances are not intended as a guide for religious adherents' actions. Ultimately, the petty differences between members of various faiths - and between religious and non-religious people, for that matter - are overblown, but as long as the players in the game insist on elevating empty notions and displays above logic-based dialog, it appears that we may be doomed to remain mired in this so-called "Holy War" between fundamentalists of various faiths.
In Afghanistan, however, there is limited access to news, whether via television, Internet or printed reports, so that most in the country were unaware of the decision to cancel the demonstration. On top of that, members of the Taliban had distributed pamphlets throughout the country noting what Jones' plans were and indicating that Americans wished to wage a war against Islam itself. While Jones' plan to burn the Qurans in the first place was questionable, at best, there were some that noted that America features the freedom of expression, making the move legal, if not exactly intelligent.
The real problems between East and West, it would appear, are such symbolic gestures that ultimately mean very little and do very little harm, but that serve to ignite misguided notions of separatism. Islam, for example, is a religion like most and, as such, dedicated to peaceful ideals. As with the Torah and the Bible, there are examples of violence in the Quran, but those instances are not intended as a guide for religious adherents' actions. Ultimately, the petty differences between members of various faiths - and between religious and non-religious people, for that matter - are overblown, but as long as the players in the game insist on elevating empty notions and displays above logic-based dialog, it appears that we may be doomed to remain mired in this so-called "Holy War" between fundamentalists of various faiths.
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