Update

[poliphilo]

Events have moved on. Pastor Jones has suspended his book burning. In a statement to the media he said he'd done a deal; in return for his backing down the controversial New York mosque (only it's not a mosque) will be moved away from Ground Zero. A spokesperson for the Ground Zero mosque said it was the first he'd heard of it.

What I'd like to believe is that Jones' meeting with real-life Muslims- who seem to have treated him with respect and courtesy-  has knocked him off balance. Of course there's been pressure from all over. It must be disconcerting (even as it feeds your vanity) to turn on the TV to hear the President of the USA denouncing you.

In a country that cares less about liberty and free speech Pastor Jones would have been arrested or firebombed or mysteriously made to disappear by now. Last night I called this story "a carwreck of the human spirit". I spoke too soon. What we've seen over the past twelve hours is the application to a festering psychic wound of reason, courtesy, kindness- and they seem to have made a difference.

Comments

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

Thirty people in Florida are members of this fanatic's church.
Thousands of fanatics in the mideast are again calling for death to Christians and are burning American flags. I guess they are including anyone who is Western, non Jewish or non Arab in their death decree. This is supposed to be OK, based on their cultural background of Sharia law (and jihad?) while for the USA to house thirty such nuts is unconscionable in the eyes of the world.
Doesnt anyone sense the irony in this?

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Thousands of fanatics?

No, it is not ok, but IMHO it is to be expected of a mediaeval culture living in ignorance of the West, which is not their fault, and inflamed by those running a political agenda to preserve their own corrupt regimes.

We in the West can and should do better, one would like to think, and illustrate what Western values are really like.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

One needs to remember that- thanks to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the USA's backing for Israel- a lot of people in the Muslim world have formed the opinion that America is out to get them. They have some justification, I think.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

The difficulty is that such activities are condoned - and sometimes orchestrated - by the governments of those countries. Their populations therefore have difficulty understanding why Obama can't simply shut this idiot down, and most likely assume Jones has the White House's support.