The Quran Burning: Politics or Publicity Stunt
Hadiza Wada, DBA ...September 11, 2010
The world’s attention has been focused on the threat issued by a Florida Pastor, Terry Jones a Pentecostal Priest, to burn copies of the Holy Quran today, at the ninth anniversary of the World Trade Center attack. Though cancelled last minute, Pastor Jones’ plan was reported to have had an impact on the annual anniversary event in New York. The plan announced much earlier which at first did not draw much national attention, soon did after the U S Top Army Commander in Afghanistan General David Petraeus commented on it, citing it as a move that may pose a threat to serving U S troops abroad especially in Afghanistan.
Gen. Patraeus made the comment following demonstrations in the streets of Afghanistan, where some incidents of pelting U.S. Army convoys with stones by the angry demonstrators were reported. ABC news for example, reported September 7, 2010 that the Afghan protesters who were on the streets for a second day “were chanting "Long live Islam" and "Long live the Quran," and burning an effigy of Terry Jones, senior pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville,” who was planning the event.
While many sources suggested that the pastor, who’s Church is neither big nor popularly known even in his city of Gainesville, Florida may be using the occasion to garner attention, bringing to his Church more people and popularity, others say it may not necessarily be so, citing the fact that he has long held evangelical ideals, and has been an extreme critic of Islam. Jones has already authored a book called "Islam is of the Devil."
A somewhat more credible view is that he is being used by ultra conservative politicians in these times of election to draw unnecessary attention away from the issues, drumming up “patriotism” and anti Islam rhetoric that was very typical of the former Republican Administration. Another pointer to the political theory could be the kind of coverage such events are getting from the Fox News Channel. The Anti Mosque movement and Mr. Jones have all had a fair amount of coverage by the Fox News Channel, a channel owned by Rupert Murdoch and widely used by ultra conservative Republicans to propagate their ideals unhindered.
Though the event did not take place, commemorators of the World Trade Center attack, shared the streets this year with others who came out to protest in line with Pastor Jones, and a similar march by Muslims and their supporters. The Muslims were there primarily to counter a similar rally against the building of an Islamic cultural center not far from “ground zero.” Some people voiced regret that all the hype has drawn away from the real commemoration and may have infringed on the sensitivity of the victim’s family, in whose name the anti mosque rally was first voiced.
Congressman Keith Ellison, who was the first African American Muslim to be elected to congress from Minnesota State was at the Muslim rally and was quoted as saying “Some people are trying to exploit this historic moment for political gain." The Mosque demonstration saw a sizable number of Americans who were not Muslims but who are in support of Muslim’s right to erect a place of worship in any city of their choosing.
(c) The Optimist Voice. All Rights Reserved.
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