The swivel-eyed, moustachioed US pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, Florida, says his bonkers plan to set fire to copies of the Quran on the front lawn of his church is “on hold”. Get it? Not off, not cancelled, but “suspended”, he says.
Jones is waiting for God (yes, the Lord Almighty Himself) to whisper words of divine guidance into his demented head, as he now claims to have been tricked by a Florida imam, Muhammad Musri, into calling off the bonfire of the books. Jones says he thought he had a “deal” over the location of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque — which isn’t a mosque, and isn’t at Ground Zero.
Jones has not read the Quran. Nor is he aware that Islamic scholars often suggest disposing of old copies of the Quran by burning the pages. So, in a way, he is implementing sharia law!
But (bad) jokes aside, this man is an obnoxious, bigoted and hate-filled individual. Judging by last year’s stunt, in which congregants from his church sent kids to school wearing T-shirts proclaiming “Islam is of the devil”, he also craves publicity — which the 24-hour-news media in the United States, and across the world, have been eager to grant him, to the dismay of the White House press spokesman Robert Gibbs, among others. In this sense, we are witnessing the reverse of the Anjem Choudary effect. Depressing, eh? (For more, check out Patrick Osgood’s excellent blog post.)
Let me, however, say some words to my fellow Muslims, some of whom have (surprise, surprise!) taken to the streets of Afghanistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, et cetera, to burn effigies of Jones and denounce the “Satanic” United States.
Calm. The. Hell. Down.
Is this really how you want to celebrate Eid? With orgies of flag-burning and violent demos? And where was your anger, where were the passionate public protests, when dozens of Muslims from the Shia minority in Pakistan were murdered in suicide attacks in Quetta a week ago?
Allow me to quote to you some wise words from a thought-provoking and measured piece by Dr Muqtedar Khan, the American Muslim intellectual and academic, in the Washington Post:
When images of Quran-burning will be flashed around the globe, it will excite Muslim anger. I want Muslim leaders everywhere to counsel their communities. Recognise this provocation for what it is and ignore it. And remember, do not let this become a source for anger and hatred towards Christians. Remind your congregations what the Quran tells Muslims about Christians:
“. . . Forgive them and overlook their misdeeds, for Allah loves those who are kind” (Quran 5:13).
If Muslims react with anger and indiscriminate violence, then one of Terry Jones’s goals will be fulfilled. He would have shown the world that some Muslims are more barbaric than even he is. Be patient, encourage everyone to be patient; let Terry Jones enjoy the monopoly on barbarity for a while.
“True believers are those who show patience, firmness and self-control” (Quran 3:17) and “indeed God is with those who are patient” (Quran 2:153).
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
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