2010-09-09 16:26 | fche blog politics speaking down to muslims

If I were a muslim, I would be more than a bit offended at the current hubbub surrounding the burn a koran day event apparently coming this weekend. Sure, it’d suck that these silly pyromaniacs would burn the book and all. But, I’d be an adult and could live with that stunt.

What’s baffling and offensive is all the dire predictions of mayhem that may follow. These experts and officials say that “we” muslims might just lose control, and turn into terror-spewing maniacs and start killing people and blowing shit up.

Now, really. Surely all these people don’t honestly believe that, upon provocation, muslims turn into mindless rage robots, unable to accept responsibility for their own actions. For that would be a bunch of bigoted bullshit.

UPDATE A week later, Jonah Goldberg expands on this same point.

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Some random religious cult burning a koran isn’t really significant.

Some random religious cult burning a koran while the US right is declaring war on Islam suddenly becomes a volley delivered by the US right (whether they en masse support it or not).

I don’t see the Muslims all going crazy, but it is an event explicitly designed to provoke, I can see some borderline fanatics becoming a bit more fanatic when shown this specific declaration of war. I also think there is a legitimate worry that burning korans could catch on among the fundies and cause a fairly serious problem.

That being said I do think it’s overblown.
aaron (Email) - 2010-09-09 17:44

A “declaration of war on Islam”? I was told that a “war on $idea” was a type of impotent joke.
Frank - 2010-09-09 18:06

A war on mimes is also a joke, but if a bunch of people start fighting in that war it can still cause a lot of damage.
aaron (Email) - 2010-09-09 18:45

If a war on mimes is just as metaphoric (that is, not a real war with killing and stuff) as this “war on islam”, it could be quite an amusing spectacle.
Frank - 2010-09-10 10:10

I’m not sure, I’m guessing you probably wouldn’t hear as much about a war on mimes…
aaron - 2010-09-10 12:54

  
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