Disappointment (for some) regarding Quran burning

Disappointment (for some) regarding Quran burning
by Ari Siletz
04-Apr-2011
 

As the Afghanistan protests over the Florida Quran burning enters its third day, I ran into the following comment exchange in Huffingtonpost:

Commenter 1:

As a Muslim, I find the actions of all sides of the conflict deplorable­.

Terry Jones burned a Quran despite people warning him and despite knowing fully well that it would result in violent reactions and possible deaths. However, I fully acknowledg­e his right to do so, and I would never support restrictio­ns of freedom of speech or expression in this country.

As for the reaction of the Afghanis, I feel outraged and disgusted. The killings of the UN workers especially still makes me feel sick. I just can't for the life of me understand their mindset... American Muslims rolled our eyes and went on with our daily lives while half-way around the world, people broke out into violent hysteria. I suspect it has a lot to do with poverty, uneducatio­n, desperatio­n, and living for decades in an unstable society, as well as a mob-mental­ity that directed pent-up rage towards a scapegoat.

Commenter 2:

I appreciate hearing a Muslim's point of view and thoughts on these horrific acts.


Commneter 3:

It is my hope that a pluralisti­c American Islam will become a beacon for Islam elsewhere. Persons like you are the ones which will make it happen.


Commenter 4:

It takes both people like Arsalannn [commenter 1] who can make it happen, but equally it is up to others to give him/her the chance. 
************************************************************************************************************

Perhaps I disappoint that this was not an action packed comment sequence. Call it a poetic interlude. 

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Princess

Ari,

by Princess on

Great observation about the target being American Muslims. Very true.

To carry my point further, in response to your comment, the Christians, and indeed even Muslims, in the West have a choice, at any point if they decide they have had enough, they can always step out and live their lives the way they see fit. In Afghnistan, people don't have that choice, even if they come to the realisation that Islam is not for them, they have to keep on pretending, because the alternative is not a real alternative.


Kaveh V

  As a precaution, one

by Kaveh V on

 

As a precaution, one should note that while a minority in the US may make wishful statements such as: " It is my hope that a pluralisti­c American Islam will become a beacon for Islam elsewhere." The tide of resentment against Islam will continue to grow throughout the world by the obvious inhumane instructions of their holy book and the doings of their ever more ignorant and violent disciples in places like Afghanestan and Pakestan. While many western residing muslims still create resentment by practicing their costumes and rituals that are mostly inhumane and repressive. Also, worthy to note are the extreme Jihadist minority in the west who are constantly conspiring to commit random mass murder against the innocent and have brought numerous daily inconveniences and restrictions on otherwise free societies.


MM

taboos are being broken (See priest&Iranian women burning Quran)

by MM on

next are khoraafaat.


Ari Siletz

Valuable first hand insight, Princess.

by Ari Siletz on

My first hand experience with Christian fundamentalists in the US differs from your take on Afghan Muslims in a significant way. Although Christian fundamentalists are dogmatic about their religion, in other aspects of life such as "what to wear, who to marry, what to name their children, who to associate with, etc etc," they have more autonomy. Less than seculars but nowhere near what you describe regarding Afghans.

On a separate line of thought, despite all the goading to incite American Muslims into rash action the group has shown forbearance. Jones' target of provocation may have been American Muslims, not Afghans. His calculations were wrong, perhaps as you suggest becasue of Muslim immersion in a secular and tolerant society, and perhaps because they are smart enough to know what would happen if they reacted. At any rate, the incident shows that a Muslim's connection to the Koran is mediated by the surrounding context. This negates the idea that Islam and violence are inseperable. Kept in a cool dry place the religion seems to be physically harmless. By the way, cool dry places (so far) include the sophisticated Iran where modern literature is more provocative than Koran burnings and even Denmark where the refined Muslims are devoted criticis of the visual arts.


Princess

thinking for oneself.

by Princess on

"I suspect it has a lot to do with poverty, uneducatio­n, desperatio­n, and living for decades in an unstable society, as well as a mob-mental­ity that directed pent-up rage towards a scapegoat."

Although I agree with all that is mentioned in the above statement, I would like to highlight the ability to think for oneself and make one's own judgment as a big difference between the majority of Muslims in the US for example and the majority of Afghans. The majority of Western Muslims have benefited from the impact of secularism on their mind and probably even their approach to religion.

We in the West cannot even begin to comprehend how little Afghans are allowed (raised to) think for themselves and to make their own judgements. In this counrty people are told what to do, how to think, what to wear, who to marry, what to name their children, who to associate with, etc etc. to the point that they have internalised this process fully. The slightest deviation from what is considered to be the norm or the expected, is frowned upon at best, and chastised and condemned to the point that it can lead to taking someone's life, at worst.

People don't look at the Qur'an burning and decide they want to go out and demonstrate and possibly kill people. It's the traditions and the half-baked Mullahs preaching during the Friday prayer sermons, which dictate their actions. The masses follow like sheep, because they are never taught to question the "authority".

You can't sit down and discuss religion with Afghans, not even with the educated ones, because they don't learn to question anything, instead they are thaught to believe that posing questions and discussing some even hypothetical senarios about the principles of their religion is a sin. It is exteremly sad and frustrating....


Maryam Hojjat

Sad! Afghanies do not realize that their miserable

by Maryam Hojjat on

lives are caused by ISLAM itself.