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As indefensible as burning a Quran (or any other religious holy book, for that matter) is, the escalating violence and subsequent deaths that a pathetic, small-time Florida Pastor's actions have spurred in Afghanistan is an abomination.
Afghan extremists seem to have a penchant for blood, and any excuse to kill is a good one. The headcount, as a result of Pastor Terry Jones and his fool of a fellow pastor Wayne Sapp's burning of the Quran, keeps rising and what sickens the most is that innocent people have been targeted. At least 11 U.N. workers were killed last Friday by demonstrators, in spite of the fact that the U.N. has nothing to do with the U.S. Two of them beheaded. And a girls school, the Zarghona High School, was attacked during the riots, which also has nothing to do with the U.S. other than the fact USAID supports the school. Not surprisingly some of the rioters have also been killed, but that goes with the territory.
But, the blatant hypocrisy in demonstrating against two individuals who burned one Quran in comparison to the hundreds of Bibles that have been burned over the years in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere is breathtaking. Statements from the Taliban have said they will not tolerate what they call an " un-Islamic act." What about all those Bibles that have been torched? Should Christians demonstrate en masse and call for death to all Muslims because it's an "un-Christian act"? Of course not.
And of course, the obligatory blame-game has started, but had not Afghan President Hamid Karzai incited his people to violence by a speech demanding the arrest of Terry Jones, things might not have gotten so out of hand. I have news for Mr. Karzai, regardless of how odious an action this might have been, it is not (in a democratic country) a criminal act. Not that I condone it, but there is equal opportunity to burn a Bible as there is a Quran, and it's protected under the 1st Amendment (Freedom of Speech). No foreign country or a bunch of religious fanatics are going to dictate what or what isn't allowed under our constitutional rights.
At least there are those saner, more rational minds in Afghanistan who see the truth of the matter. One business man over there said, “Karzai brought this issue back to life, and he has to take some responsibility for starting this up. " A Mazar-i-Sharif political analyst, Qayum Baabak added, “Karzai’s speech itself provoked people to take such actions. Karzai should have called on people to be patient rather than making people more angry.”
Indeed, Karzai should have known better. Being fully aware how his people have a tendency to over-react to the slightest indignities, he stoked the embers and turned it into a major fire. When are people in that region going to start acting like civilized human beings, rather than reactionary animals? Ironically, Terry Jones said that Islam and the Quran are "instruments of violence, death and terrorism." Sadly, the people in Afghanistan are effectively proving his point.
