Although I'm a Muslim, I don't really feel hatred towards this man so much as pity for his lack of reasoning and knowledge. He's most likely doing this as a publicity stunt, and his cheap stunt is costing lives. His true aim is to provoke Muslims, then label them as terrorists and violent people. By reacting violently to these people, Muslims are simply falling for the taunt. Incidents like this have happened many times in the past, especially towards Muslims. Usually, I don't fall for these taunts. I'd rather approach these people with a level head rather than barge in fuming.
I don't know much about Terry Jones myself. In the interviews I've seen with him, he's proven to be inarticulate and unsure of how to express himself properly, which does make me question his intelligence relative to other public figures. The media has given him a heavy dose of attention for his threat, and that may very well be what he wanted. But how can you know what his "true aim" is? He very clearly said his true aim was to put the Qur'an on trial, and all we can really do is take him at his word. He seems to have issues with the religion and he was expressing them. That's that. The barbaric response, whether anticipated or not, is so disproportionate to the act itself that Jones simply can't be held responsible in the least.
Also, what about Bible burning? It's happened before and it will happen again, and the only way Christians ought to think to respond is with speech (since Bible burning is symbolic speech). Worse has been done to Christian symbols and buildings. When Black Metal bands sing about defiling Christ, or when the artists themselves actually burn churches, how many Christians respond by killing metalheads? I'm not talking just about the church burnings here, which is a criminal act, but the people who actively support it, actively submerge crosses in urine, actively desecrate other Christian symbols.
Do these artists--whatever their motivations, whatever their message--deserve to be killed? Absolutely not. Society demands that we share our thoughts about our own religions as well as others, and sometimes sharing thoughts means being provocative. As a Christian, I believe Terry Jones was unChristlike and a terrible representation of what he claims to be his faith. As an American, I view this as just another exercise of freedom of speech. The book he burned was, I can assume, not stolen. He committed no act of vandalism. This is free speech.
Whether other people responded violently or not is not his affair. We certainly can't know whether he deliberately provoked them, and this isn't even comparable to fighting words, a threat, etc. because he threatened no violence, nor did he tell anyone to commit violent acts.
In the end, what this man did was ignorant and careless. Whatever he'll get he deserves. I would actually use this as an opportunity to teach non-Muslims about Islam and try to spread knowledge in the face of ignorance.
He deserves nothing more than the full protection of the law that peaceful Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Atheists enjoy. As a Christian, I feel a special obligation to pray for him and if possible communicate with him so that he is persuaded not to do something like this again--not because it may cause violence, but because it reflects badly on Christianity and
I am appalled at his acts. Whether that is actually successful is another matter.
I do agree with you to some extent, but you have to understand where Muslims are coming from. Islam is not just a religion for many Muslims, but a way of life and a core belief. When someone attacks this core belief carelessly, many Muslims become offended and outraged. After all, their core belief, what they live their life by and what they are aiming for, has been attacked, and while their actions can't be accepted, understanding has to be shown.
I take my religion just as seriously--seriously enough not to violate its core tenets like these extremists do. I believe that any Christian who would kill senselessly because his feelings were hurt is not a Christian. The same is true for Muslim extremists. Their actions should not reflect on the Muslim community as a whole, but on themselves.
I'll say this to you, and to others as well. Islam is not a violent religion, Muslims are. I'm a Muslim myself, as I've already mentioned, and I know for a fact that Islam preaches for peace and reconciliation. There is nothing in Islam that condones violence under this pretense. When Muslims riot under the pretense that people have attacked their religion, know that it isn't Islam that orders them to do so, but that they are simply following their emotions.
There should be no reason for you to have to say this. Unfortunately, people like to make generalizations so disclaimers like this are necessary. I have nothing against Islam, but the attacks perpetrated by Muslim extremists are inexcusable, just as attacks perpetrated by Christian extremists are. My only point is that I am not interested in spreading blame around--it falls squarely on the people who have committed violent acts.
