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09 September 2010
9/11 has been a date of reflection for the last nine years. My time is mostly spent viewing images and watching CNBC as it airs the exact morning broadcast of the Today show on that morning. It is aired in realtime. Some say the practice is morbid, but I maintain a certain degree of catharsis exists for me. I’ve considered spending the day volunteering in my community. In whatever activity I find myself, my consideration lies with the thousands of lives lost, the terrible horror that beset New York, Washington and a small field in my backyard.
Dwelling on the philosophies behind the actions are inescapable. Extremist and misguided puts it simply. Deep introspection might lead one to a far more complicated answer. Our own government’s policies during the last fifty years may shed some light for some people as to why this country deserves the wrath of a jihad.
Jihad is an Arabic term that means Holy War in the Islamic faith. In context, the jihad must occur when the right to practice Islam is in jeopardy or has been banned by a governing body. When Afghanistan was invaded in 1979 by the Soviet Union, a jihad was ordered because a prospective Democratic Republic of Afghanistan would promote state atheism on a national level.
The United States has generally not been a promoter of any form of religious suppression. In fact, religious freedom is one of the cornerstones upon which this country was built. For the sake of common ground, let us stipulate that what transpired on September 11, 2001 was instigated by a small group of extremist individuals who did what they did in the name of their religion for reasons that are not valid in their religion. The act was condemned by every Muslim country on the planet except Afghanistan.
At no time do any of my retrospective activities involve placing blame on an entire people nor a whole religion. Doing so would severely overstate what occurred to say nothing of dishonoring the memories of those who lost their lives on that day. The small percentage of Islam that includes Al-Qaeda sympathizers does not represent even what could be perceived as a minority in the religion.
Having said all this, burning a Quran does not embody a philosophy that is held by the whole of America, nor even what could be considered a minority of Christians. It is wrong to do so. It is endangering the lives of every American. It is an act which enflames a vision of what America is and what its citizens believe. For the record, nobody thinks this is a good idea. Nobody would ever think this is a good idea under any circumstance.
The actions of Terry Jones and his associates in Florida are the same as those committed by the terrorist hijackers on September 11, 2001. It is stupidity and it is wrong. Morally and ethically wrong. I don’t subscribe to a single religious belief, but I am aware of a number of them. According to every religion, the prospect of burning a sacred text is religiously wrong, no matter whose religion is on what side of the flame.
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