The Quran-burning fiasco

It certainly is a big relief that the insane threat by the loony American charismatic Pastor Terry Jones of the obscure Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, to burn 200 copies of the Quran on Saturday 11 September 2010 has been aborted.

The worldwide widespread consequence of such a dastardly act is certainly inconceivable if it is actually carried out by the fanatical pastor and his 50-member strong congregation.

Jones, 58, is the infamous author of the anti-Islam book Islam is of the Devil, a polemic published in 2010, denouncing Islam as a violent religion.

He and his wife Sylvia have been teaching that Islam promotes violence and that Muslims want to impose sharia laws in the United States.

In 2009, Jones posted a signboard outside his church, stating that "Islam is of the Devil". His church members have also sent their children to the school started by the church wearing T-shirts with words stating "Jesus answered: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me. I stand in trust with Dove Outreach Center" on front of the T-shirt, and "Islam is of the Devil" on the back.

In 2002, Jones was fined US$3,800 by a Cologne court for using a fake doctorate title, one of the very common practices even among some Malaysian pastors, especially those with no tertiary qualifications.

The “International Burn Quran Day” promoted by Jones has received widespread condemnations, from US President Barack Obama to our own Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The leading world Christian organizations, such as the Vatican and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), and prominent Christian leaders have also denounced the lunatic action of Jones and his church.

In Malaysia, among the first to voice its reproof and condemnation of the matter is the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM), the coordinating umbrella body of the major denominations such as the Methodist, Anglican, Presbyetrian, Luthuran, etc.

Read more at http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44792?tid=14

How Koran burning story grew from obscurity

Pastor Terry Jones runs a church so small his entire congregation could fit onto a single bus. He is essentially the leader of a fringe movement.

Normally, the mainstream media does not cover the activities of obscure figures who are simply trying to grab attention. So how is it that Mr Jones's threat to burn copies of the Koran has come to preoccupy the world's attention?

The story began quietly in mid-July, when Mr Jones' Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida announced that it would hold an "International Burn a Koran Day" on 11 September. A Facebook page advertised the event.

More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11266746

I'm actually quite appalled someone even came up with the idea... This is from a Malaysian news online. Just google up International Burn a Koran Day... and it also demonstrates one point, that one very small but vocal group of people can capture the attention of so many others.

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