You've probably heard about this nutcase
"Dove World Outreach" preacher in Florida who's announced "International Burn a Koran Day". (The
Qu'ran (or Koran) is the holy scripture of
Islam, which has at least 1.5 billion followers worldwide. There are numerous paths and factions within Islam, from the
Sunni to the
Shi'a to the
Ahmadiyya to the
Nation of Islam.)
His publicity stunt has managed to stir up millions of people into new heights of hatred against America, and even the President has urged him to reconsider, fearing his actions will incite violent reprisals and terrorist attacks.
At press time, supposedly he's announced that he's changed his mind and is withdrawing his plans for the book-burning event. But of course, he probably well knows that a lot of the yahoos out there that he's inspired will go ahead and hold their local book-burnings anyway, whether he's in or out.
Here in Kentucky, fortunately, cooler heads are prevailing at
Highland Baptist Church in Louisville. They're countering the book-burning with an "Honoring Sacred Texts" event, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The service is offered by
Interfaith Paths to Peace, a Louisville organization that promotes religious freedom and tolerance.
Meanwhile, while the world is arguing endlessly over just how many blocks away from the site of the 9-11 attacks a Mosque should be allowed to stand, there's a
new Mosque in Louisville. The Muslim Community Center on Westport Road is nearing completion and I'm pleased to say, there's been no outcry, no protests, no threats made.
The Dove World Outreach website is down as I write this, but the Google cache is viewable
here. You can also find a Google cache of their charmingly simple-minded treatise "Ten Reasons To Burn A Koran"
here.
