20 August 2010 Where did all those angry Moslems come from, General Custer?

20 August 2010 Where did all those angry Moslems come from?


'Burn Quran Day' an outrage to Muslims

By Akbar Ahmed, Special to CNN

August 20, 2010 9:18 a.m. EDT



http://us.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/08/20/ahmed.quran.burning/index.html?hpt=C2

“Editor's note: Akbar Ahmed is professor and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington. He is author of "Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam," Brookings Press 2010.

(CNN) -- In less than a month, Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida plans to host "Burn a Quran Day" to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The pastor, author of the book "Islam is of the Devil," is using the burning to urge American Christians to "stand up" to what he describes as a monolithic Muslim threat. A Facebook page for the event has accrued thousands of "likes"

“At a recent dinner in Washington, a host for one of Pakistan's top TV channels confided in me that he "didn't dare" report the story because if he did, "not a single American would be safe in Pakistan." He and the cameraman were quivering with anger as they asked me to explain why Americans hated Islam.”

“Gen. David Petraeus, the head of American forces in Afghanistan, has repeatedly expressed the need for winning the "hearts and minds" of local people by treating them with dignity and respect. When Afghans see that their holy book is being burned, it will cause riots and attacks that will put U.S. troops further at risk. There will be similar riots and attacks in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. It will inflame the entire Muslim world and fuel acts of terrorism.”

“As objectionable as the prospect of Jones' Quran burning is, it may not cease with the holy book of the Muslims. I have always maintained that this kind of vitriolic hatred of one religion is a descent on a slippery slope, as no one can say who will be next. I was not surprised, therefore, when I heard Jones recently agree, when asked to do so in an internet podcast interview, to burn "a couple of copies of the Talmud" too.”



I’ve written about this particular idiot previously. I was not aware, until today, that he has also planned to include copies of the Talmud in his bonfire. I, of course, object to all his plans to burn religious books, not just to his plans to burn the Talmud. The inclusion of the Talmud and perhaps a Torah scroll apparently has to do with a mis-translated and badly twisted interpretation of a Talmud tractate concerning what may be done with incorrectly copied books on Shabbat. The view taken by Jones and many other anti-Semites is that the Talmud commands the burning of New Testaments. In fact, the Talmud was completed before the Roman and Orthodox churches defined what was to become the New Testament. Jones and his simple-minded, hate-mongering sycophants are most likely deluded by their belief in yet another lie based upon the Protocols.

I hope the IRS is looking into the political nature of his actions and the current tax exempt status of his church. Nothing would please me more than to see his plant get shut down and seized for tax fraud and back taxes.

Shabbat Shalom.