CanwllCorfe

Burning a qur'an doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do IMO.

__________________
Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind.

VEGANGELICA

I continue to side with Zaqarbal that freedom of speech allows the destruction of books. The right to protest through burning objects you own (even bras!) should continue to be protected, regardless who is offended. Kitten-man, you've got my vote!

Religious freedom means that people can follow their beliefs without preventing others from following their own (or lack thereof), as long as all actions are non-violent. Although many conservative Muslims apparently believe the Quran is the actual word of god, this does not mean that other people have to treat the Quran as if they were conservative Muslims. The same is true for any book about any belief system.

Also, note that there are Muslims who support absolute freedom of speech/expression and encourage other Muslims not to react with violence to a Quran burning:

What do you see as the difference between burning Mein Kampf and burning the Quran? Both actions would risk violence by some of the people who revered those books. Both actions should be allowed as freedom of expression.

The U.S. is at its strongest when it does not give in to pressure to violate freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Just like people should be able to build a Mosque near Ground Zero, people should be able to burn the Quran. I feel our country's ability to protect people so they can coexist peacefully while having and expressing very different beliefs is our greatest strength as a society.

No, many people think it isn't nice. There would certainly be more constructive ways to express the truth that some Muslims resort to violence very quickly...just like some people of all religions (as well as non-religious people) resort to violence.

But I am glad this minister has the right to express his views in a non-violent fashion that does not directly physically harm anyone. I'm glad the U.S. has not made offending people illegal...though if it did, I could have the law on my side in stopping all you animal eaters.

__________________

CanwllCorfe

I was just joking around I wanted to come into a thread filled with all these heated discussions and leave an underwhelming statement. Kinda like what I almost posted in the rape topic

"Rape is a bad thing IMO"

__________________
Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind.

Trauma

My thought on the matter: who cares?
If the people are going to burn Qu'rans then they are going to burn them.
If the Taliban were going to burn Bibles then they would burn them.
Everyone should see the blatant stupidity in these actions.

The real question: is this even really an issue?
One that should be publicized nationally?
The press should focus on important issues, not controversial attention-getters like "Qu'ran burning" and "Ground Zero Mosque."
But why stop when they're so successful?

__________________
A mi no me importa nada
Para mi la vida es un sueño

Freebase Dali

You don't remember the Muslim reaction and resulting fallout to the Danish Mohammed Cartoons, do you?
I'm not saying we should walk on eggshells out of fear of pissing Muslims off or anything... but seriously... if you know something is going to cause aggression and provoke violence, you stay the hell away. The stupidity is this guy using the first amendment as justification for making a stupid move. What that does is not only cause problems, but paves the way for more rules and laws to be put into place to limit your freedoms anyway... Use your rights in a way that doesn't screw it up for everyone else.

Trauma

Haha nice contradiction.
Don't "walk on egg shells... but seriously..."
This is the whole problem with government regulation of rights; complete contradictions.
I say that if YOU'RE afraid of international thermonuclear war, why don't YOU travel across the country and stop him?
Otherwise, shit's going to happen whether anyone likes it or not.

The real joke in this situation is this: religion.
If crazy Muslims burned Bibles in the Middle East, people here would be outraged... but not vengeful.
Citizens of the United States would think, "They are so barbaric and crazy." Then they would laugh at them in a pretentious manner.
If some crazy Christian nut, or a bigoted nut (whatever), in the United States burns Qu'rans, level headed Muslims should be thinking "They are so barbaric and crazy," not "We need to kill them."

I'm not sure why this is so publicized.
It's giving credit to the ignorant and idiotic.

__________________
A mi no me importa nada
Para mi la vida es un sueño

Freebase Dali

It's not a contradiction. It's a compromise.
If you have a caged, rabid dog that you know will bite you... you're perfectly free to put your hand in the cage. That's your decision. But it's a stupid move.
The problem is that he's not just putting his hand in the cage... he's opening the door. I do realize that it's probably not going to change the fact that there will be extremist violence either way, but if you want to burn someone's bible, do it in private. Nothing is gained by provoking.
And I'm not saying all Muslims are extremists... but you'd have to be an idiot to not predict the effects of such a move.

bungalow

and as far as i can tell, zaqarbal's is the enlightened position on freedom of speech/expression since the late 1700s. maybe some of yall need to catch up?

right-track

Maybe yall need to live in the 21st century.

Cheese

Fark me! Just ban all forms of religion that way there'll be none of this bullshyte carry on