Qur'an Burning Plans Spread Anti-Islam Hate

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/real/blog/hate/hate-091010-01.html

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship for all people.  R.E.A.L. rejects hatred and rejects the activities of those who seek to promote hatred towards identity groups and specific religions. R.E.A.L. rejects the efforts of those who seek to spread hate by burning the Qur'an.

R.E.A.L. remains concerned about the growing spread of anti-Islam hate spreading across America, as evidenced by those across America continuing plans to burn the Qur'an on September 11, 2010.  R.E.A.L. believes that such Islamophobic hate is more than "isolated incidents," and remains a larger problem that America must address. The Dove World Outreach Center's "International Burn A Koran Day" Facebook site has thousands of supporters.  The Facebook page is replete with vulgar references about Muslims by some of the supporters of the Dove Qur'an burning cause. 

Some Dove supporters on their Facebook page are writing comments in determination to burn the Qur'an such as "i just want to burn a koran now to exercise my rights."

The Dove World Outreach Center has long had a campaign of hate against Islam, with signs and shirts that have read "Islam is of the devil."  In November 2009, the Dove World Outreach Center group appeared in Columbus, Ohio at a protest rally wearing shirts reading "Islam is of the devil" with Pamela Geller, who is the leader of the Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) movement leading the protests against the 51 Park Place Islamic Center in New York City.

Image below: Dove's "Islam is of the Devil" campaigners at a SIOA Leader Protest; Second Photo Posted on SIOA Leader's Website

Dove World Outreach Center announced its plans for burning the Qur'an in early July 2010, after protesting a Florida mosque.  On July 29, 2010, Dove's Dr. Terry Jones appeared on CNN and spoke of their Qur'an burning plans to the nation.  After the President of the United States has called for the Dove World Outreach Center to cancel their Qur'an burning plans, the Dove group says they will consider this, and have made their offer to cancel their plans dependent on the ability of New York's Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to meet with them on the planned 51 Park Place Islamic Center.  NPR states that Dove's Dr. Terry Jones gave Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf an ultimatum by 3:20 PM U.S. Eastern Time, which apparently expired. 

In a videotaped press conference, the Dove World Outreach gave two telephone numbers to call a Pastor K.A. Paul (281-830-1040) and Dove Associate Pastor Wayne Sapp (352-562-2244) for Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to call him to negotiate with the Dove World Outreach group. Dove's Wayne Sapp has coordinated YouTube videos urging others to burn the Qur'an as well as a video replete with racial slurs by Dove World Outreach center supporters .

Sky News reported that Dove pastor "Dr Hall said he was disappointed at the imam's silence but still hoped to fly to New York to meet him."  Sky News also reported that "He revealed Pastor Jones had agreed not to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday as planned in the hope of finding a peaceful solution to their grievances about the location of the Islamic Center."

Regardless of the decision by the Dove World Outreach Center, the virus of hate has continued to spread across America with others calling for Qur'an burning on September 11.  Others on the Internet and on Facebook are urging individuals and groups to burn the Qur'an on September 11.  Some behind anti-mosque protests are sending emails to the public urging them to burn the Qur'an.  Some Qur'an burning advocates have also called for the criminalization of Islam. 

Groups and individuals inspired by the Dove World Outreach Center's hate plan to continue with burning the Qur'an on September 11.

In Wyoming, the Wyoming News reports on "Protester plans to burn Quran on Capitol steps" with Duncan Philp, the leader of Wyoming group planning to burn or destroy a Qur'an in Cheyenne, Wyoming capitol steps on September 11, 2010.

In Kansas, the Westboro Baptist Church group plans to burn both the Qur'an and the American flag on September 11, 2010.  The Westboro Baptist Church has been listed as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the WBC has praised terrorism, praised shooting and killing law enforcement officers, praised murder of Christians, praised bombing of mosques, and shown hatred of Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims, as well as Holocaust Denial.  The Westboro Baptist Church allied itself with the Dove World Outreach center in April 2010.

In Tennessee, where mosques have been vandalized, burned down, and protested, Christian Reverend Bob Old tells the Tennessean of his plans to burn the Qur'an, stating: "I will be burning a Koran, I'm not going to change my mind no matter who calls me."

Despite the efforts by Christian and interfaith groups to stop such anti-Islam hate, these are not the only ones planning such Qur'an burning.  Florida's Dove World Outreach Center Reverend Terry Jones told the media that people had sent hundreds of Qur'ans for his group to burn.  Others plan to do the burning themselves.

The anti-Islam virus of hate demonstrated by those who seek to burn the Qur'an has continued to spread.  The anti-Islam hate wave has individuals vowing to burn the Qur'an and put the videos on YouTube on September 11. 

Some of the Dove supporters have also stated on their Facebook site to promote Qur'an burning: "Multiply this by thousands," "The quran will burn because of YOU MUSLIMS," "i just want to burn a koran now to exercise my rights,""EVERYBODY POST : ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL!!!"

One leader of New York anti-mosque rallies sent an email to those against mosques, promoting Geert Wilders' plans, and writing that: "Enough with political correctness! If building up our spirit to defy jihad involves some Koran burning, I for one have no problem with that."

While some media outlets believe that reporting the story of the Dove World Outreach Center's anti-Islam plans promoted it, the more difficult reality is that in the Internet age, mainstream media outlets do not have the control they believe as to what is "news" or even how it is transmitted to others. The anti-Islam hate virus has spread not just across America, but also to the UK and Europe.  One supporter of the English Defence League (EDL) wrote on the Dove Qur'an burning page that " Let's not hang on Pastor Jones word, let us take the initiative and burn the Koran publicly, it is our right."  As previously reported the EDL group, associated with violent protest against mosques in UK, were invited to join the SIOA-led Islamic Center protest on 9/11 in New York City.

The U.S. State Department and Interpol have issued alerts involving potential violence.  In Afghanistan, one protester against the Qur'an burning was killed.

At one anti-Islam website, a group called the "Infidel Blogger's Alliance" calls for "Everybody Burn The Koran" and is "heartened" by others who plan to burn the Qur'an on September 11, concluding "perhaps we should all follow suit." "Christine" on the blog states "if I could get my hands on one, I would burn it. And, I think we all should burn one." A leading contributor on the Anti-Islam blog states: "I may organize a burning myself. If so, I will put it on the internet, and it will be here."

The web site is also the blog of the Brooklyn Tea Party president John Press who has led mosque protests in New York, and who seeks to promote an exclusive "European Judeo-Christian culture" for America.

The Stop Islamization of America's (SIOA) Executive Director is now stating she objects to the Qur'an burning, on the Atlas Shrugs web site she states: "The pastor canceled the qu'ran burning but whatever Rauf may have promised to the pastor is off. Taqiya." Apparently, the SIOA feels that a deal to deny freedom of worship to some is what it takes to justify stopping book-burning.

The SIOA group leading the 9/11 NYC protest against the 51 Park Place Islamic Center, has previously had some of its supporters promoted the Florida Dove World Outreach's "International Burn a Koran Day."

Image below: Screen Shot of SIOA Supporters Promoting "International Burn A Koran Day" (Photo: Facebook)

 

Today SIOA group supporters are promoting a Facebook effort to "Change Profile Picture To Burning Qur'an Day" on the SIOA Facebook site.

Image below: Screen Shot of SIOA Supporters Urging Others to Promote Burning Qur'an (Photo: Facebook)

The problems of hate will not be diminished in challenging only one group or one individual.

The viral hate spreading against Muslims in America and around the world remains the issue that must be challenged.

In a recent poll on Muslims' right to religious freedom in America by Pew Research Center,  25 percent believe that "Local communities should be able to prohibit construction of mosques if they do not want them," with another 13 percent that "Don't know." In the poll, 62 percent of Americans (the clear majority), believe that "Muslims should have same rights as other groups to build houses of worship in local communities." But a combined 38 percent of Americans in the poll who either are against religious freedom, or aren't sure if they support religious freedom, is a serious national problem for the United States of America.  A Washington Post-ABC poll found a majority against the freedom of worship rights of the owners of the Park Place 51 Islamic Center in New York City; a further review of the poll finding by the Washington Post found a direct link of many of the Islamic Center opponents to Islamophobia.

The rational question is why are we polling Americans as to whether other Americans have religious freedom rights defined in the Constitution, and defended by federal law such as the Religious Land Use act that prohibits zoning and other restrictions that make it prohibitive for local communities to obstruct others from their freedom of religion and freedom of worship.

America needs its political and governmental leaders to be uncompromising in support of the law, our freedoms, and in challenging hate.

We must learn the lesson that there are NO COMPROMISES, NO DEALS with hate and with those who seek to deny freedom. Where one hate group leaves off, another will take its place.  Where freedom is denied in one place, others will rally to deny freedom in other places. 

We must challenge hate with love consistently.  We must be responsible for freedom consistently.

We urge all to Choose Love, and to be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.
 

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship for ALL people -- without exception. We reject protests against houses of worship, and we reject violence and attacks on houses of worship.

On September 11, 2001 - nine years ago, America was attacked by those who killed Americans of every identity group and every religion - and who sought to divide and terrorize the United States of America.  New York City and Washington DC were attacked, but also one plane, Flight 93 that was hijacked to attack the White House or the Capitol building - was stopped - by Americans that refused to give in to fear and terror. Today, there are those who once again seek to spread fear and divide Americans on September 11. 

Today, in America we see those who seek to burn the Qur'an.  We have seen from coast-to-coast, from California to Florida, a series of protests against those who seek to freely worship in Islamic mosques, in California, in Tennessee, in Wisconsin, in North Carolina, in Kentucky, in Florida, in Connecticut, and throughout New York. 

In Florida, we have seen a pipe bomb attack on a mosque, in Texas a children's playground in a mosque was burned down, while children are harassed, in Tennessee mosque properties have been vandalized and people have been convicted of arson attacks on mosques.  On our national airwaves and media, we see and hear those who call for bomb attacks on mosques, and those who seek to spread open intolerance and hatred.

Responsible for Equality and Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights to freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience for all people of all faiths, including the freedom of religion supported under Article 1 of the United States Constitution. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

We are deeply concerned about the escalation of intolerance and hate that we seeing growing around the world, including in America today. We will be inviting the public to join us in a freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience event on September 11 at 2 PM in Freedom Plaza in Washington DC to give Americans an opportunity to publicly show their support for such freedoms.

There is more information at 911Freedom.com -- see also Facebook Event: Public Rally for Freedom of Religion, Worship, Conscience.

We urge those who promote hate and intolerance to unburden the hate from their hearts.

We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.