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Burning Issues

The not-quite Ground Zero Mosque debate and Pastor Jones’s threat to burn the Koran showcase how religion and politics make awful bedfellows. The First Amendment states in clear language that the religious freedom of Americans will not be abridged. The hands-off approach to religion allows America to be home to everything from Buddhist and Shinto […]

The not-quite Ground Zero Mosque debate and Pastor Jones’s threat to burn the Koran showcase how religion and politics make awful bedfellows. The First Amendment states in clear language that the religious freedom of Americans will not be abridged. The hands-off approach to religion allows America to be home to everything from Buddhist and Shinto shrines to Zoroastrian associations that link fellow believers across the continent. In this respect,it’s far-fetched to say that America is religiously bigoted. But our freedom comes with the caveat of conflict. Because we allow different religions to openly worship, arguments from the political realm take on inevitably religious tones. After all, religion is an all-encompassing worldview. The nastiness inherent in American politics is bleeding into the public discourse on religion and is blurring the line to the point where some sides seek Fifth Amendment solutions to religious problems.

General Petraeus is correct that Jones’s actions will endanger the lives of American soldiers, but it should be noted that there are many “American” actions that entice some form of extremist behavior in the Afpak region. Bin Laden’s best recruiting tool, after all, is the presence of American bases in Muslim countries. As Ron Paul points out:

Osama bin Laden wins by ‘proving’ that America is an enemy of Islam and has an occupation agenda in the Middle East. And, we continue to walk into his trap and hand him up his best recruitment tool in his efforts to provoke hatred and terrorism against the United States. If we don’t want to incite radical Islamists, we need to stop these un-needed wars.

How many Korans have been lit ablaze in fires started by American bombs? It seems silly for any politician or commenter to blame Jones or mosque protesters for endangering American troops when it is our very presence in that region that is most responsible for the harm our soldiers face.

In a free society, perhaps the best way to deal with hate speech is to stop giving the media megaphone to every kook that speaks his mind. It’s not that difficult. (The right to free speech does not include the right to be heard.) The property owners of Park 51 have the right to build a mosque. The protesters, including Jones, have the right to voice opposition. And the government should stay out as long as people play by the rules.

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