News media fans the flames over Burn a Qur’an Day

Last night ABC World News reported that the small fringe group of fundamentalist Christians led by Pastor Terry Jones, who planned the International Burn a Koran Day on Sept. 11th, at the Dove World Outreach Church in Gainesville, Florida had fewer than 30 members attending services. Yet in spite of the insignificance of the size and influence of this little group the news media everywhere is exploiting the event almost hoping it will generate an explosive response from radical Muslims around the world. This irresponsible press coverage in the name of journalism is similar to a reporter choosing to cover an accident scene waiting to write about the agony and death taking place in front of him instead of putting down his camera and helping the victim. There are numerous whacko groups in our country today and what they all do is try to get a few moments of publicity. Fortunately, most of them don't so only local residents ever hear about them.

Meanwhile, groups of people who have been trying to shed light on the looming dangers of Islam in America through discussion and dissemination of factual information, in spite of being labeled Islamophobes by that same news media, have all spoken out condemning this irresponsible act of burning the Qur'an (Koran).

Brigitte Gabriel, is one of those prominent people who have spoken out to condemn the book burning. Ms. Gabriel is a former news anchor for “World News”, the Arabic evening news broadcast for Middle East Television seen throughout Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon and the founder of ACT! for America, a non-profit issues advocacy organization dedicated to educating millions of uninformed citizens about the threat of radical Islam to world peace and national security. ACT! for America has hundreds of chapters across America and members in 20 countries outside of America.  She is also the founder of American Congress for Truth, a non-profit organization providing education, information and research about the threat of radical Islam. Ms. Gabriel is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Intelligence Summit and lectures nationally and internationally on Global Terrorism. Ms. Gabriel’s expertise on the subject is sought after by world leaders and organizations. She has addressed former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard, Members of the U.S. Congress, The Joint Forces Staff College, The U.S. Special Operations Command, the FBI and members of the British Parliament/House of Commons in London.

Yesterday, Brigitte Gabriel sent out this email message of her Press Release:

"We at ACT! for America denounce and condemn, in the strongest terms, the upcoming Koran burning event organized by Pastor Terry Jones and members of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. Their proposed event is ill-conceived, counter-productive and unwelcome in a world where ideas and philosophies are best debated in the context of the issues and the facts. We find this an archaic act that serves no useful purpose, and as such is a regrettable instance of an inability or unwillingness to discuss the issues facing us in a reasonable and constructive manner."

"ACT! for America is, and has always been, committed to exposing the threat of the political ideology of radical Islam and its sharia law through constructive debate, illumination of the facts, and a reasoned analysis of the implications of the threat."

"Pastor Jones and his congregation are stooping to the tactics of and joining the inarticulate who express their anger and opposition through destructive and spiteful acts of denigration. What is the difference between his actions and the actions of Islamists destroying synagogues in Gaza or churches and Bibles in Lebanon, Bosnia and Egypt? We are better than that as Americans."

Another prominent leader in the fight against Islamic radicalism is Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs who is also co-founder of SIOA Stop Islamization of America said this on her web site:

"My position on the Koran burning in Florida by a whacko church aligned with the vile anti-military, anti-semitic Westboro Church that defiles the funerals of our honored fallen soldiers:

1. This church's plan to burn the Qur'an does a grave disservice to the cause of spreading awareness about Islamic teachings and the threat that Sharia poses to our way of life.

2. The burning of books is wrong in principle: the antidote to bad speech is not censorship or book-burning, but more speech. Open discussion. Give-and-take. And the truth will out. There is no justification for burning books."

Robert Spencer, founder and director of Jihad Watch, said that while he condemns the burning of the Qur’an he would prefer that the contents become known and the way those contents are used by jihadists for the justification for violence around the world. Mr. Spencer also disagrees with the reason Army General David Petraeus has condemned the burning of the Qur’an by comparing it to a WWII Donald Duck cartoon called “Der Fuehrers Face” that ridiculed Adolf Hitler saying General Eisenhower wasn’t worried it would endanger our troops.

Mr. Spencer adds, “The idea that in wartime one should be careful not to do anything that the enemy is likely to respond to with irrational and even murderous anger may seem tactically wise at first glance, but ultimately it is a recipe for surrender. One is already accepting the enemy's worldview and perspective, and working to accommodate it, instead of working on various fronts, not just the military one, to show why it is wrong and should be opposed.”

I agree with all the above. The only way we will convince anyone of the danger of Islam is to conduct a respectable dialog and do so in a calm and controlled manner and stick to presenting nothing but provable facts.