Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Something Kinda Cool About a Hot Topic

I'm not a political blogger, but I couldn't help but notice something in the wake of the last week's firestorm over a tiny Florida church's plan to burn the Quran, the sacred book of Islam. Like many people in this country who would like to see an end to hate and religious persecution, I breathed a sigh of relief when the church changed its plans on Saturday. I won't say more about the church's agenda because I don't think they deserve another ounce of our collective attention.

What I do think is fascinating is how a tiny church of 50 misguided people (or perhaps it was just one very loud misguided person) garnered so much national and international attention, and arguably could've endangered the lives of U.S. service men and women around the world, not to mention adding fuel to the fire of extremism both here at home and on foreign soils. There were worldwide protests, including a demonstration in Afghanistan where two people died..... and nothing happened to him.

Other churches nearby read from the Quran to demonstrate that religions have more in common than in conflict. Interfaith councils, Islamic advocacy groups, and other proponents of peace and respect spoke out against this man and his horrible idea. Secretary of State Clinton, General David Petraus, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and even President Obama himself pleaded both publicly and directly with the pastor of this church not to carry out his reckless and disrespectful plan.

But never, not once, was the pastor of that little church arrested. No one put a lock on the door of his church or tried to stop its congregation from assembling. This man's family did not disappear in the middle of the night, taken away by secret police; nor were journalists (foolish though they might be) prohibited from telling his story or taking his picture. And even though I and others might have wished desperately that someone would shove a sock in that idiot's mouth last week, no one did.

Can you think of another nation on earth where someone who is essentially creating a potential threat to national security would simply be asked nicely to stop by top military authorities, and the leader of our country himself? Is there any other country in the world where we are all free to experience such tension between the right to free speech and the right to free practice of religion?

This incident and the cultural context in which it occurred bring up painful and complex questions for us as a nation. How do we balance freedom against fear, and respect for differing opinions and faiths against what some of us might perceive as the collective good? There are no easy answers. But I can say for sure I'm glad to live in a country where we are free to ask the questions.

2 comments:

hoodawg said...

I am a political blogger, and I love this post! In a similar vein, I recommend this article:

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/246447/how-obama-gets-our-first-principles-wrong-andrew-c-mccarthy

M.J. Pullen said...

Thanks for the kudos!

That is an interesting article, too -- not sure I agree with all the conclusions but worth reading!