News Koran burning?

[rynnor]

BBC News - US pastor has 'no intention' of stopping Koran bonfire

What are your thoughts folks? Should it be stopped to prevent muslim outrage or is it legitimate free speech or what?

Is this a reaction to the ground zero mosque - both are legal in the US but also both calculated to cause a reaction?

Are there elements at work seeking to polarise peoples opinions?

 

[nath]

HE should not do it because (in addition to the fact that book burning is fucking retarded) it's been suggested that this is going to be putting other peoples lives at risk. Whether he should be *prevented* from doing it - that's a tricky one. I'd love for it not to be required and he'd stop being such a fuckwit and just can the idea.

 

[Ch3tan]

It's utterly stupid, nothing but provocation. If you know that your actions will offend and anger people, then you don't go out of your way to perform them. Even if the re-actions are based on idiotic beliefs.

 

[Jupitus]

It's utterly stupid, nothing but provocation. If you know that your actions will offend and anger people, then you don't go out of your way to perform them. Even if the re-actions are based on idiotic beliefs.

Can we add that as Toht-repulsion to the COC?

(Sorry Toht, just a joke )

 

[Scouse]

If I'm taking it seriously. On balance: do it.

 

[Raven]

To me it's no worse than burning a couple of tons of crappy Jeffrey Archer books, however regardless of faith, religion or politics it means a lot to some people and burning it to just piss them off is stupid. Not every Muslim is a terrorist so insulting all of them is wrong.

 

[Dukat]

The responsibility lies with the media for giving this guy airtime in the first place, he should be ignored.

I have to admit, the "devil's advocate" side of me says that this is only a couple of steps lower than when the stars and stripes and union jacks are burned in the street in the middle east - they're both forms of protest, they're both people burning artifacts of a targetted culture solely because that culture appears to value the item being burned - yet no one bats an eyelid when its done over there?

As others have pointed out though, its blatantly going to go against the 'hearts and minds' effort in the middle east and give people over there just one more reason to hate "the west", and so it could put people in increased danger.

What nath said though, he shouldn't be doing it, but now that he is, whether anyone should stop him is a tough one.

EDIT: I'd go with 'yes - stop him' because the guy's obviously a twat

 

[Wij]

Personally I think the world should just ignore it as it's just some paper. If they stopped pandering to Muslim hyper-sensitivity and said it's just a cranky old prick burning some paper, get over it, I'd be happy.

 

[Trem]

Personally I think the world should just ignore it as it's just some paper. If they stopped pandering to Muslim hyper-sensitivity and said it's just a cranky old prick burning some paper, get over it, I'd be happy.

'nuff said.

 

[Scouse]

That's why I reckon on balance it's prolly a good thing

 

[nath]

Personally I think the world should just ignore it as it's just some paper. If they stopped pandering to Muslim hyper-sensitivity and said it's just a cranky old prick burning some paper, get over it, I'd be happy.

There's about as much chance of the world becoming that sensible as there is of The Almighty coming down and say "chill out my bizatches!".

 

[Chilly]

burn it all day long. when you look at bright lights it hurts for a bit but you get used to it.

Who's got a lighter?

 

[Helme]

He's a fucking ****, I don't care what it is he burns except that he burns it with the only goal being to insult other peoples faith and honestly, what kind of fucked up person does that?

 

[Scouse]

Fuck other people's faith. He burns a book, some people would like to kill for it.

Who's the bigger fuckhead in that equation?

 

[Ctuchik]

Can we add that as Toht-repulsion to the COC?

(Sorry Toht, just a joke )

where the hell is Toht anyway? i expected him to be all over this thread by now.

 

[nath]

Fuck other people's faith. He burns a book, some people would like to kill for it.

Who's the bigger fuckhead in that equation?

That's irrelevant. If the action of burning a book puts OTHER peoples lives in danger, and you can bet he's been told about that general's comments then he shouldn't fucking do it. Principles are fucking easy to keep when it's not *YOUR* life in danger.

He's being a ****.

 

[Chilly]

the media is being a ****. if I burn 50 korans in my back garden, no one dies....except the odd spider.

 

[nath]

the media is being a ****. if I burn 50 korans in my back garden, no one dies....except the odd spider.

That's also true - if anyone dies as a result of it, all of the media outlets that covered this share responsibility.

 

[Scouse]

That's irrelevant. If the action of burning a book puts OTHER peoples lives in danger, and you can bet he's been told about that general's comments then he shouldn't fucking do it. Principles are fucking easy to keep when it's not *YOUR* life in danger.

He's being a ****.

I totally agree he's being a big pair of pinko-pissflaps (bored of seeing *'s).

However, I would say that it's the reaction of a bigger bunch of c8nts that puts people's lives in danger.

Should we pander to people's beliefs? What about christians? If I burned a bible and then some christian went out and killed someone would you blame me?

Or should we just pander to the people who are already threatening us with violence?

 

[nath]

I totally agree he's being a big pair of pinko-pissflaps (bored of seeing *'s).

However, I would say that it's the reaction of a bigger bunch of c8nts that puts people's lives in danger.

Should we pander to people's beliefs? What about christians? If I burned a bible and then some christian went out and killed someone would you blame me?

Or should we just pander to the people who are already threatening us with violence?

No, of course ultimately the murderer is responsible - I'm not a moron .

The point is, the act of burning a book is absolutely fucking pointless. Fuck the pandering shit, if there's a reasonable reason to suspect a certain action will cause violence by another, there better be a decent reason to perform the initial action.

If he wanted to burn a Koran and the only danger was to him, I'd say go for it. The problem is, it's out there now - we know that this will have a wider effect and there's no just reason to do it.

If he was a black guy wanting to go to university in 50's America, I'd say go for it. It's not, he's not, it's a pointless inflammatory action that has no purpose and might get someone OTHER than him killed.

 

[throdgrain]

I (more or less) agree with Scouse, which is a fucking rareity

 

[Scouse]

there's no just reason to do it

That sounds like a moral stance. My moral stance is that there's just no reason not to

I (more or less) agree with Scouse, which is a fucking rareity

/hits floor

 

[nath]

That sounds like a moral stance. My moral stance is that there's just no reason not to

The fact that it's entirely possible someone (else) will die as a result? Is it worth the risk?


To give you an idea of my position - there was that dutch film maker who was killed due to a movie he made. I'd absolutely stand by him making more movies like that. I'd never tell Salman Rushdie to shut his face. These are people putting their OWN lives at risk, and for something slightly more worthwhile.

Burning the book is pointless, and that twat isn't putting his own life at risk.

 

[Krazeh]

I think there's two issues that need considering here.

The first is should he, or anyone else, be allowed to burn the Koran and I think the answer to that is an unequivocal yes. No book of any nature or religious bent should be given special protection that prevents people from doing what they like with it, including setting fire to it.

The second issue is despite being allowed to do it should he actually go ahead and do it? This is where I think the line should be drawn and as a society we should be condemning people like him. He's clearly only doing this because he's a prick, wants to offend people and no doubt wants to try and cause more tension in what is already a fairly tense relationship.

 

[Moriath]

I heard on radio 2 that if you go into saudi arabia and they find a bible on you then they shread it to prevent it coming intot hte country ..

How is that different to burning a Koran.

Why should we have to tip toe around a whole religion when they show no tollerance themselves.

And all religion sucks M'kay.

 

[MYstIC G]

Let them burn. Then observe that the world continues on regardless and only those who are obsessing about it are idiots.

 

[ilaya]

if its his property he's entitled to do what he wants to it, burn it, wipe his arse on it, whatever. its just a book....

however i heard that burning the koran is an insult to islam.. so shouldnt do it!! oh noes!!

....... you mean in exactly the same way as burning american flags is an insult to the USA? yet nobody says a fucking thing about that

extremists dont need a reason to kill peeps so all this bollocks about oh its gonna cost lives etc is bullshit. if they gonna kill someone they'll do it regardless of a book burning, cartoon or south park episode.

fuck religion. fuck it all.

 

[nath]

....... you mean in exactly the same way as burning american flags is an insult to the USA? yet nobody says a fucking thing about that

extremists dont need a reason to kill peeps so all this bollocks about oh its gonna cost lives etc is bullshit. if they gonna kill someone they'll do it regardless of a book burning, cartoon or south park episode.

fuck religion. fuck it all.

They fucking do go on about burning flags in the states, they HATE that shit.

Plus, we know that extremists CAN be provoked in to murder as is the case with Theo Van Gogh, however in this case the guy is putting OTHER peoples lives at risk.

I don't give a shit about people burning a book, I think it's naff and crass but ultimately pointless. The *only* issue I see here is that, thanks to the massive amount of media attention this has got, it could well result in someone elses death. Weighing up the pros and cons of burning the book, I'd land very much on the side of "yeah, maybe don't bother".

 

[Tom]

Someone should print Arabic translations of the Bible, and give them to this guy to burn.

 

[ECA]

It does highlight a problem though - the same one that the danish cartoons did.

Someone effectively says "Islam is a violent religion" and the response? We're gonna fucking kill you! And they mean it.

How many christians could I incite to violence by doing the same?