First of all, can I be the first to say, what is this guy thinking?! So I guess everyone has a right to have an open opinion, but this is a little extreme. Terrorists have responded on the Al-Faloja website, indicating their disapproval of this soon-to-be-happening extremist act. One individual said, “…I wish to detonate myself in this church…” Pastor Terry Jones, although being informed about the seriousness of his decisions, has remained faithful to his original plan. Implications include political and national security allegations, which the FBI suggests will cause “threats and/or acts of violence from terrorist organizations and/or lone extremist actors.” People are calling it “International Burn a Quran Day” on this coming Saturday, September 11, 2010. Jones says that this event will commemorate those lost on September 11, 2001; however, he is receiving a large number of disapprovals by significant leaders in the US, including Former GOP Sarah Palin, the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and General David Petraeus, have been heard by citizens in the US. The FBI fears the worst as Saturday approaches.What can one say for Pastor Terry Jones? When he says, “Devil is of the Islam,” we should respond that no religious belief can uproot from Satan. The FBI’s fears include that of “extremist actors will continue to threaten or attempt to harm the leaders, organizers, or attendees of the event.” Jones states that he will not stand down, as requested by Sarah Palin. In a sense, one can say that we must wait for Saturday to arrive, but with no desecration of any kind anywhere.
Links: ABC World News/ Politics: http://abcnews.go.com/
by John Urdiales
John,
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely the story many are following, inside and outside the U.S. Nicely done establishing your perspective and providing a link to a reference. Your partners should read the Sunday papers to help them in their response. I'm sure the story will be spreading its arms wide on the front pages, smothering all the positive stories of our world.
Mr. Urdiales,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that this is a ridiculous situation. Why condemn an entire religion for the crime of a small group of men? This pastor, Terry Jones, should not judge Islam based on the acts of the terrorists responsible for 9/11, for these men are obviously not good representations of the faith. (Well, I guess it's not as obvious as I thought, or this wouldn't be an issue.) For example, just as the Catholic Church should not be held responsible for the promiscuous acts of one Catholic priest, the entire Islam religion should not be blamed for 9/11.
I believe that September 11th is a day to honor those who died in this terrible attack, but also, a day to look forward to and hope for better relations with the Middle East in the future. Although I can understand how people might view building a mosque near Ground Zero as horribly ironic and disrespectful, I also see it as a gesture of tolerance, acceptance, and respect that indicates a giant milestone in fostering America's relationship with the Islamics.
Also, on a side-note, I disagree with your statement, "no religious belief can uproot from Satan." Many people practice religions that have originated from Satanic worship.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/102619124.html
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-29/us/florida.burn.quran.day_1_american-muslims-religion-cair-spokesman-ibrahim-hooper?_s=PM:US
--Julianna Blischak
A little World Cultures review...
ReplyDeleteIslam=The name of the religion.
Muslim=One who practices Islam.
Christianity=The name of the religion.
Christian=One who practices Christianity.
I agree with the both of you in saying that is situation is completely ridiculous. This man has a misinterpreted view of Islam. He bases his views on pictures of Mecca that he has seen and of terrorist acts. I think there might just be a little more to Islam than that. He says that the people in these pictures are not happy so it is not a happy religion. I would like to see if Terry Jones is smiling in every single picture he has taken. Not only that, but until he meets every Muslim out there how can he say that they are all the same. We should not judge a religion on one extremist view. If the world did that, everyone would think all Christian were Muslim hating, Quran burning hypocrites. He has brought a bad name to Christians and we should hope that others do not judge Christians as he so wrongfully judges Muslims.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was a publicity stunt. He has a book out there called “Islam is of the Devil” and has made T- shirts with the saying printed on it. He even has a Facebook page for the occasion. A man who acts in this manner is crying out for attention. And it worked! He is the topic of almost every newspaper and news station in America and overseas. The media has blown this story up into a huge event. Everyone now knows the name Terry Jones and heard about his church. If America is trying to put an end to the problems in the Middle East this little publicity stunt sure didn’t help us out.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-29/us/florida.burn.quran.day_1_american-muslims-religion-cair-spokesman-ibrahim-hooper?_s=PM:US
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/71581
~Jackie Pfeil