The US constitution cannot stop Pastor Terry Jones from burning 100 Korans to mark the 9th anniversary of 11 September, and neither should it – the right to free speech is absolute
when within the law. But free speech comes with responsibilities. Just as it is unwise to build, with provocative intent, a mosque near the site of Ground Zero, so too for a Christian
minister to burn the Koran as a publicity stunt. Such mindlessness is grossly offensive to the peace abiding majority, and it also furthers endanger US and Allied troops abroad and the population
at home by inciting contemptible extremism.
Common sense and the tenets of Christian faith aside, Jones should desist and be tolerant. The war against Islamism must not become a war against Islam; not least because the forces of moderation could not win such a war. Islam, for all its faults, can, and often is, on the side of moderation – embodied recently by President Abbas offering a hand of peace to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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