6 United Nations officers were killed in a protest in Afghanistan. Protesters tore down statues and rioted resulting in the deaths of six innocent men and women.
Ive heard the death tole worse, from 8-20, yours is the most optimistic I have seen. You are referring to the riot that started because someone burned a Muslim holly book which I can't spell?
Any time, sir, it's my pleasure to provide clarity to people.
On topic - I find this deeply saddening, both the fact that he burned the Koran and the fact that the anger was taken out on innocents, rather reprehensible behaviour on both sides.
Very true. While I do not condone the intentional display of intolerance through burning the Qur'an, it's just a book. Seriously. Get over it. I think it says something about the nature of humanity, and religion, whereby people are so overtaken by their beliefs that they are willing to incite, or resort to, violence simply to show their disagreement with someone else's particular sky fairy.
I agree completely, sir, with your point. Furthermore, if I may say so, it's even worse when it's technically the same sky fairy in which both sides of the argument believe.
That's very true Avorne. I never really understood why there is so much animosity between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It's all the EXACT SAME DEITY, they just have different stories about him. It's like 3 brothers fighting about who knows their dad better. Each one knows him in his own way, that's all. Nothing to murder eachother over FFS...
I honestly find it baffeling that folllowers of peace promoting gods and religios figures would respond with such violence. Yet they say that they are the most true of followers.
Now now, that's not very nice, there's always going to be vocal minorities in almost everything that ruin things for everyone else - this is why we can't have nice things like world peace, comradeship of the human race or pizza... y'know, the important things.
Exactly. Furthermore instances like this are why I am so adamantly against religion. Certainly there are violent and cruel people who will commit atrocities of their own volition, but I know of nothing which will so easily drive a normally peaceful and kind person to commit such acts against innocent people on such a scale.
Exactly. Furthermore instances like this are why I am so adamantly against religion. Certainly there are violent and cruel people who will commit atrocities of their own volition, but I know of nothing which will so easily drive a normally peaceful and kind person to commit such acts against innocent people on such a scale.
The Holocaust was about racism, and there have been massacres against people for being intellectual. My point is that the only reason you don't know of any reasons is being you never heard of them, not that they don't exist as you seem to be implying. Personally people are going to be mad if someone disagrees with them or are different in some way if that's their personality, and it really doesn't matter the topic either, keep in mind that the Korean and Vietnamese wars in the US were not started over religion, but politics, and the same goes for many, many other wars, more then I could ever account for concerning religion(though a lot of these also involved power, land, resources, and even immature leaders at one point or another as well) My point is that I feel your making a bit of a hasty generalization that is a bit innaccurate.
I just don't understand how people can blame the pastor for those deaths. Sure, he knew that burning the book would cause Muslims to act out violently, but that doesn't mean he should be blamed by any means. Look at the people who participate in Draw Muhammad Day or people such as Richard Dawkins who speaks about the violence behind religion, including Islam.
If you know that speaking out against an evil might cause violence a violent reaction, should you hold your mouth shut? By keeping your mouth shut, you're allowing people who use threats of violence to have their way. If you keep your mouth shut, you're accepting that violence is the answer. If you speak out, you express that you will not allow those who use violence to limit you freedoms.
Pastor Terry Jones, who supervised the book-burning ceremony in front of about 30 people at a Florida church less than 10 days ago, was unrepentant, saying the incident in Afghanistan was "tragic and criminal". "The time has come to hold Islam accountable," he said.
I couldn't agree with these words any more. We must hold Islam responsible for being violent, not those who express discontent.
It's okay to criticize the pastor. It's okay to say that he should have expressed his discontent in a different manner. However, we can't blame him for those deaths. We must put blame on those who are holding the guns.
You can't blame the pastor without blaming the artist who drew Muhammad wearing a bomb, or the thousands who participate in Draw Muhammad Day, or those who speak out against Islam in their writings such as Dawkins, or a handful of us here who post pictures of Muhammad.
The reason the pastor didn't burn the Koran was not because he had a change of heart or because he felt he was tackling the situation the wrong way, no, it was because he was being threatened. This is the wrong reason not to burn the Koran, and I would rather him burn the Koran rather than give into terrorist demands.
Threats of violence to restrict speech is not the answer.
