The report about the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida planning to burn copies of the Qur’an has upset me because I see in these small minded people the same dangerous hate that Ray Bradbury in “Fahrenheit 451” and Orwell in “Nineteen Eighty-Four” warned us about. As a free country the United States enjoys the freedom of speech, but like all things actions, and speech, still comes with consequences. The freedom of speech gives you the right to speak your mind in a public it is quite literally the right to hold opinions without interference. It is the right to freedom of expression. It is not however carte blanch to extol hate without reserve or consequence.
Book burning is one of my great hates, right up there with destruction of art. It is truly the worst forms of censorship and most extreme demonstrations of ignorance that man has ever conceived. This is not the freedom of expression, but rather the repression of expression. I’m not going to go into how the Dove World Outreach Center is justifying their actions, you can check their 10 Reasons to Burn a Koran(sic) if you really want to. However, I don’t want to argue with this church or prove how wrong their reasons are. We already know that no matter the reason their actions come from a place of hatred and ignorance, expanding on the specifics won’t change anything.
No, what really needs to be discussed is how many people and religious institutions are taking this opportunity to fight hate and ignorance with love and understanding. As this small church prepares to become the figurative “firemen” of “Fahrenheit 451” larger Christian churches and Jewish temples are planning to read parts of the Qur’an this weekend to promote understanding and acceptance. I am proud that so many have responded to this act of hate with strong feelings and actions to the contrary. It gives me hope that the world takes a step closer to being a better place.
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