The story begins December 2009 with the announcement from Muslim leaders of plans to build the mosque. When city officials vote 29 – 1 in favor of the plans in May 2010, public outcry ensues. As the debate heats up, a plan is hatched by Jones to strike back by announcing plans July 30, 2010 to burn copies of the Muslims’ sacred text. To date, the church has accumulated about 200 copies to torch this Saturday.
Over the past couple of months, Jones has enjoyed much media attention and has attracted the attention of political, religious, military and celebrity activists leaders to name a few. In a statement on an ABC Nightline this week he stated he would only stop in the event of a “clear sign from God.” So now he has the attention of virtually every US citizen and the entire Muslim world, he has to figure out how to achieve his ultimate goal: to have the mosque plans changed and move it to another “more suitable” location.
Early Thursday evening, September 9, Jones told media reporters of the cancelation of his plans, only to reverse that statement when he found out Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf had not agreed to move the mosque. In an article in Friday’s N&O, Jones stated the agreement to move the mosque “is for us a sign from God.” Now that Rauf has stated there is no agreement to move the planned mosque, Jones is saying the book burning has only been suspended.
These are the facts as best as I can substantiate them. What follows is my interpretation of these facts. I believe Jones hatched this idea as a weapon of terror to convince Muslim leaders at the heart of the Ground Zero Mosque to either move to another site or cancel their plans all together.
Additionally, I have a couple points of contention with what has happened and is planned to happen in the next couple of days:
- If Jones has so much support, why are volunteers at his church carrying weapons? You shouldn't have to hold a congregation at gunpoing to call them to worship.
- Again, if he has so much support, why has he only been able to accumulate 200 copies of the Quran in close to six weeks of planning? In that length of time, he should be knee deep in the holy text.
- You can’t go into a plan, that as he confesses he has prayed about, with preconceived ulterior motives. The timeline is way too convenient for my liking. If the Quran, as he says, incites violence, why hasn’t his book burning been an annual event since 9/11?
- Any holy text can be used for evil, violence or terrorism. Look at history and you’ll find the Jewish Torah was used to have sinners punished and even stoned to death. Even early Christians aren’t immune to having its Holy Bible twisted and interpreted for evil. Early Christians were persecuted and martyred almost daily. It only takes a read of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs to substantiate this. Foxe reports that believers spanning Christian history have been persecuted, with some of the most severe occurring during the Inquisition of the middle ages. Now religious radicals from both Christian and Muslim faiths are squaring off again. When do we stop, read our texts and follow the teachings found in them?
To Jones, I question: Have you read any one of those 200 copies of the Quran? I have been shown where it teaches love for fellow man and kindness to others. Not as you imply, a guide book for creating terror and violence. This is merely a twisting of the text to comply with one’s own beliefs; just as the Bible has been twisted over the years, to say things seemingly making it a contradictory work. I’m saying that the Bible is an inspired work from God and He is not contradictory. Contradiction comes from inconsistent interpretation of the word.
Clearly Jones thought of moving the mosque and premeditated his actions. Either he was bound to incite violence by burning copies of the Quran, or his ulterior motive was to have the mosque moved from its current planned location. I tend to lean toward the latter, and I see him as no better than the religious fundamentalists he so vehemently condemns.
