As despicable as the plans of a Florida pastor to burn copies of the Qur'an, there is something constructive to be gleaned from the entire incident, especially if we take a long, hard look at some of the reactions around the world. The pastor, of course, appeared to the entire world as an ignorant man whose extremist views regarding his own religion had clouded his ability to understand much of the world beyond the 50 or so members of his very small and uninfluential church. His proposal to make a bonfire from copies of the Qur'an was roundly condemned from all sides, including condemnation from leading religious and political figures around the world. It is still somewhat unclear exactly what dissuaded the pastor to change his plans, but it might have had something to do with direct appeals from the US President and the US Secretaries of State and Defense. The man was viewed as a lunatic. Given the obvious – that, indeed, he is a lunatic – why was it necessary for two people to be killed in riots in Afghanistan protesting the proposed burning and some 13 dead in Kashmir under similar circumstances? The affront to Islam had the burning taken place, of course, would have been inexcusable and severe. Such a display of bigotry, however, would have been reviled by nearly everyone around the world, except those bigots who have little influence on how we live. To be insulted by even the potentiality of a mass burning of copies of the Qur'an is perfectly understandable and acceptable. To react so mindlessly that people lose their lives, however, is both tragic and very small-minded. To react in such a way out of ignorance of the facts – that the plan had been called off – is mind-boggling. A small-minded man with next to no support made a small-minded, short-sighted, bigoted proposal, and was roundly condemned by the world. The reactions in Afghanistan and Kashmir gave this man an importance that he does not possess nor deserve, and ended up depriving families of their loved ones. __
