Quran Burning: Hate Speech, Not Free Speech

Here’s the bottom line: do we have the right to burn Qurans, Bibles, crosses, and to display swastikas and other hate symbols? Yes, the act in itself is not illegal and can’t be seen as threatening unless the intent to intimidate or threaten can be proven. The Supreme Court determined that in Virginia v. Black in 2003. And unfortunately the legality of hate speech – for that is exactly what this is – remains a controversial topic of debate in America. However, the question to ask is whether it’s wrong to do these things? Absolutely. I see the proposed Quran burning event planned by Pastor Terry Jones to commemorate 9/11 as a hateful act, as a symptom of the decay of human decency.

Imagine if someone announced they planned to hold a large neighborhood bonfire and burn Bibles. How do you think the country would react? Some have compared the recent news that Florida-based Pastor Jones plans to burn Qurans on 9/11 to instances of flag burning. It absolutely is not. For one, the Quran is seen by practicing Muslims as the word of God. Burning it doesn't just insult their national identity; it strikes at the core of their moral foundation. Second, it’s usually protestors on the street that engage in flag burning, it’s rarely an organized campaign led by a religious leader of a community.

I understand the pain that this country suffered as a result of the 9/11 attacks, I feel that pain. I also understand that it will leave a scar in America's psych forever. But the answer is not and will never be hateful, misguided acts of vengeance – acts that often target, offend, and hurt millions of innocent and honest people around the world.

After years of struggling, I finally get it, some people have views that are hateful, some will have views that I completely disagree with, some are downright racist and there’s nothing I can do about it. But all that aside, there’s an element of logic that’s missing here: if national security is as important as we say it is, don’t you think burning Qurans would be seen as a needless act of war and put Americans at risk all over the world? (I personally think the government should use "national security interests" -as they so often do these days - to stop this before it happens.) But also imagine if a group of extremists were angered by this act and sought revenge against America, the reaction of many would be: “See, we were right, Islam is a religion of violence.” We don’t stop to think how our actions contribute to this perpetuating cycle of violence that has gripped our world.

In the end, every religion has been used to incite violence, hatred, and has led to bloodshed. So if we want to condemn Islam, we must condemn them all. But if we want to promote peace rather than perpetuate hate, we have to learn to be open to people’s beliefs, even if we don’t like or agree with them. We have to give up on the idea of vengeance (which for some reason is so hard to do for humanity), and we must stop condemning the greater group because of the actions of a few.

I still remain resolute that we can counter this decay of human decency, but we first have to want to, and then we have to work for it. It starts with what you teach your kids – by words and by example. And Pastor Jones of Florida, to me, is not qualified to lead anything, much less a congregation.