The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
A little more than a year ago, the United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan was raided and set ablaze by riots that were a visceral, if deadly and inappropriate, response to the burning of a Koran by an American "pastor." Two UN workers were beheaded, others were shot to death. The blood spilled by the rioters is on their hands but also on the hands of the pastor, that despite almost universal and bipartisan condemnation, proceeded to burn the Holy book of Islam, the Qu'ran.
Terry Jones is at it again. At 5PM Eastern, Jones has vowed to not only burn the Qu'ran but also images of the Prophet Mohammed. Jones claims to be fighting for the freedom of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor in Iran sentenced to death for apostasy. Nadarkhani converted to Christianity as a child and led devotional services in his home, and with fellow Christians in Iran.
Nadarkhani's desire for religious freedom is courageous. Extremists in the Iranian government may find Jones' irresponsible and incendiary act as reason enough to carry out the death sentence given to Nadarkhani by the court in Gilan, Iran. Jones' threats to the Iranian government may hasten the death rather than prevent it. He knows this and chooses to disregard it.
Freedom and equality require reciprocity through calm, deliberative actions and speech. If Jones' extremism and seeming desire for fame proceed as scheduled this evening, any blood spilled will be on his hands as much as the extremists who commit the crimes. He will be partnering with those who commit heinous attacks on innocent civilians, and is in fact, embodying the evil he pretends to fight.
There are people of good conscience in every country, in every faith. To save lives we look first to fundamental rights, respecting sovereignty and the power of diplomacy and passionate advocacy. Nadarkhani deserves to live, be released from prison, rejoin his wife and sons, and practice his faith. That is a freedom Jones' enjoys, with no consequence beyond the public scorn and shame he earns by jeopardizing a man of faith.
And of course the blood of each innocent person who dies when he incites a riot.
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Comments:
Mar '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
While Jones is an extremist fruit-loop, the blood is only on the hands of the Moslems who have, and will, commit the murders. To say otherwise is to concede that the behavior of a large portion of Moslem believers is appropriate. You are basically saying that the West should give Moslems greater respect than we do any other religion. I have to disagree vociferously.
Feb '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Unless compelled by force (and even then in some instances) the violent actions of any human being is entirely on them, no exceptions.
Jun '10
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Ditto.
Murderers murder. They need very little excuse to do it. The Westerner that's trying to domesticate Islamic radicals is the one playing with the fire.
Mar '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Were the Jyllands-Posten cartoonists equally guilty of the violence that followed the publication of their work? Was Theo van Gogh complicit in his own murder?
Edited on April 28, 2012 at 9:20pmRe: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Here at home, within the comfort of our homes, I would tend to agree. Murderous thugs rarely need a reason to kill, but giving them a reason - as they see it - is not responsible. Jones is as bloodthirsty as those he incites, he gains fame with each death. This time it could be a Christian pastor who might otherwise have been released. What Jones is doing is appalling and indefensible.
Feb '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
I think you are confounding two things, (1) scorn for pastor Jones whose speech is contextually idiotic, and (2) inculpation for the taking of a life. The former belongs to pastor Jones, the latter is the sole property of those who would kill Nadarkhani. The heckler's veto is not consistent with free speech for all - especially umpopular speech.
Edited on April 28, 2012 at 9:31pmJun '10
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
"Jones is as bloodthirsty as those he incites..."
What????? Do you also blame the woman for the rape? "She should've known not to wear that miniskirt?"
Mar '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
When Jones starts beheading folks, I'll be more than happy to revisit the question of moral equivalence. Until then, I'll consider his actions unwise and provocative, but on an entirely different level from that of the murderous retaliation they provoke.
Apr '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Do you think that he is being disingenuous in his claim to be acting in defense of the unjustly persecuted? If not, do you believe that threatening to torch an Koran in that cause is really indefensible. I agree with the appalling, but I don't think I'm with you on the latter. Then again, I think condemnations of suicide bombing sometimes go too far, a view that many claim to disagree with and a smaller many actually disagree with, so it may be my internal compass that is out of whack.
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
As the survivor of a brutal gang rape, Etoiledunard, I would note that horrible episode had no bearing on international relations or religious freedom. Jones is causing problems for innocent people, it will be others forced to deal with consequences. If he wants to have a dialogue about the Iranians holding Nadarkhani for questionable reasons, there are a millions ways to do that without burning images of Mohammed or the Qu'ran.My story is on HuffPo, it's called A Hunger for Justice, if you'd like to look it up.
Jun '10
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Now I'm sorry that I used that example. I just picked it out of the air. But, you of all people should know that monsters don't need any excuse to behave like monsters. The rioters might cite Jones as the cause, but chances are they'd be doing the same things anyway. And without Jones, the press wouldn't be nearly as interested in the violent event, or the motives.
Mar '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Should we pass an Amendment that bans the burning of the Koran, or any other anti-Islamist grandstanding? Sure, Jones' behavior is counter-productive, but American society thrives on counter-productive, narcissistic symbolic gestures. Just join Facebook, if you don't believe me. You can't punish every misbegotten rube just because Moslems will take offense.
Second, if Jones' acts weren't publicized, they would have no impact. Are you implying that the press has blood on its hands?
Nov '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
"As much as"? Really? I always enjoy equivalencies such as this, because anyone who raises objections is inevitably portrayed as defending some idiot like Terry Jones. As a conservative, I tend to believe that individuals are primarily responsible for their own actions (although I suppose if a man I'd never met in a foreign country decided to say, burn a Bible, and by some miracle I learned about this incident, I just might fly into a murderous rage. I managed not to murder any random strangers when President Obama was sneering about the Texas wildfires, though, so it seems highly unlikely.)
Mar '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
But it does have a bearing on the question of whether it's appropriate to assign equal guilt to the provoker and the ones who react to the provocation with violence. I'm sure that the Egyptian men who attacked reporter Lara Logan were provoked by her presence and mode of dress. This does not mean that she was equally to blame for the attack.
Edited on April 28, 2012 at 10:20pmNov '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Also, I fail to see similarities between Terry Jones and Jim Jones (other than narcissism and perhaps a bit of insanity). Unless Terry is also a Communist...?
Edited on April 28, 2012 at 10:10pmRe: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Terry Jones leads a cult-like church that promotes behaviors in the name of Christianity that are similar to other figures, like Jim Jones or other radicals that use their religion to incite violence or other awful acts that are then perpetrated on innocent people caught in the cross hairs. His desire to engage other violent extremists in Islam, by torching their Holy book and images of Mohammed, demonstrates his willful and knowing participation in events that will lead to mayhem. If more riots break out, he has invited the world to blame him - or at least include him - on the short list of reasons why. What he's doing is an appalling breach of morality. Contrast his behaviors and words with Franklin Graham and the folks at Samaritans Purse, who do amazing work in countries where Islam is a dominant religion. Not once have they been so irresponsible. They, like so many faith based organizations, are responsible and wise stewards of faith, freedom, dialogue and diplomacy.
Jul '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
I downloaded pictures of the prophet Mohammed a while back. I threw them in our fire pit for fun. Either those primitive idiots are going to leave their over sensitivity in the dustbin of history or a few hundred million of them will be killed this century. Being so naive as to blame Jones ignores the cancerous murdering filthy sick twisted disease riddled idiocy of radical Islam.
Jul '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
Meanwhile the world sits by while Christians are eradicated across the globe. Within 10 years there will be no Christians in Islamic dominated societies. Radical Islam is incompatible with anything else. Either it dies or we die. This is a truth. People think they can alter the behavior by being nice, polite and having a dialogue. They are wrong.
Oct '10
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
I think you expose the flaw in your thinking right here: 'as they see it'. You're accepting their rationale.
Nov '11
Re: The Qu'ran, Kool Aid and a modern Jim Jones
I really wish more people would study Jim Jones. His cult of personality was based on Communist/Maoist propaganda, and had little to do with Christianity. I am not just claiming that cult leaders never follow the "true teachings of the Bible" - I recognize that cult leaders such as David Koresh or Warren Jeffs primarily based their organizations on their interpretations of Scripture.
That Jim Jones is associated with religious fanaticism, and not political insanity, is one of the great victories of the Leftist propaganda machine. This is why so many people know the name Joe McCarthy, and so few know the name Alger Hiss. Of course, religious fanaticism and belief in Communism are quite similar - but this must not be discussed.