Florida Pastor Burns Koran, Inciting Riots in Islamic Nations

Jennifer - posted on 04/19/2011

What he did constitutes the freedom of speech, but with freedom you have responsibility. Unfortunately he is responsible for many people losing their lives, people who are overseas protecting his rights. It bothers me when people use freedom of speech to promote hate and hurt with no disregard to the fallout of their actions. Burning the Koran to show dislike for Islam, is just like cutting off your nose to spite your face, a needlessly self-destructive over-reaction to a problem...

Amber - posted on 04/17/2011

@ Sarah~ The court upholding their rights didn't make a change or exception to the rule...I'm not sure I understand that comment.

I was referring specifically to the inticement of violence by speech, not speech laws in general when saying they are determined by the reaction of an average American. Sorry if I did not make that clear, my fault.

And I completely agree that he is making us look ignorant...and that we do enough of that on our own not to need help.
I'm really not disputing that it's something we should all be ashamed of or that it's something that we should try to educate people on so that we can stop having things like this happen. It's just as disgusting to me.

Jen - posted on 04/16/2011

Yes he's an idiot but you just have to sit back in wonder that people freak out to that extent over a book. Really makes me long for the day that our species outgrows religion.

Sarah - posted on 04/13/2011

I never meant to imply that we should ship our citizens to a foreign country for something that is not a crime here, but is there and I'm relatively certain there are no American's really considering deporting our citizens for foreign punishment. However, if the Koran burners had performed their act on foreign soil, their punishment would be at the discretion of that country.

Additionally, crime Can be murder, American riots do generally include deaths, like riots everywhere else. Not to mention, lets look at the rampant Islamaphobia in the US that is leading to more and more crime and the infringement of the rights of Muslim Americans across the States and yet, Muslim American's aren't rioting.

Lastly, you are wrong about exception to the first amendment being, "baseed on the average American's reaction to the words/actions...". Changes or exceptions ot hte first amendment are made only by the Supreme Court- as evident by its recent upholding of the 1st Amendment for those sick people who picket military funerals with their anti-gay bulllshit.

I am honestly so sick of this reactionary, fear-based, tit-for-tat, anti-Muslim American sentiment. It really makes me ashamed of our country. And people like this so-called minister in Florida do nothing but make us look like ignorant bigots, as if we needed the help.

Amber - posted on 04/12/2011

Public outrage, indignation and crime aren't murder though.... If right wing Christian's stormed a building and killed Muslims because of the Bible being burned in a Middle Eastern country they would be punished.

Americans as a whole would be angry with them and be demanding their imprisonment; we wouldn't be asking for the Bible burners to be shipped to us so that we could punish them.

I think that's the big difference. We can't base our laws and freedoms on what people in other countries are doing.

If they start asking for us to ship over every American who speaks out against their government should we do it? No! Because those aren't the freedoms that we believe in.

Exceptions to speech laws are based on the average American's reaction to the words/actions, not radicals from other countries or even our own.

Pansy - posted on 04/12/2011

I agree Sarah ... which is why I tend to think all religious extremists are crazy.

Sarah - posted on 04/12/2011

Although I believe the mans actions are protected, I agree that he's a complete moron. (Just out of curiosity, did he have to give the car back??) And although I think rioting over book burning may be extreme I wonder what the religious right here in the good old USofA would do if Muslims were out publicly burning the Bible? (Betcha there would be an awful lot of public outrage, indignation and probably some crime too!)

Pansy - posted on 04/12/2011

Go to jail?? Because he burned a book? He's an idiot ... and a douchebag ... but maybe people need to start to realize that religion is the real problem here. Big fucking deal, he burned a book. The idiots are the people who are killing people because someone burned a book. Unreal.

Pansy - posted on 04/12/2011

Go to jail?? Because he burned a book? He's an idiot ... and a douchebag ... but maybe people need to start to realize that religion is the real problem here. Big fucking deal, he burned a book. The idiots are the people who are killing people because someone burned a book. Unreal.

Barb - posted on 04/09/2011

I agree Brittany and good point.

Brittany - posted on 04/09/2011

I think he should go to jail. I don't see it as freedom of speech, I see it more as a hate crime. Hate crimes are illegal therefore he should go to jail.

Barb - posted on 04/08/2011

Amber, no, burning a book does not prompt people to riot, i agree.
But when told burning the Koran will prompt people to riot, that adds some responsibility to that action.

Barb - posted on 04/08/2011

omg, i don't think i want to watch this

Lacye - posted on 04/07/2011

I found the video of them burning it if anybody wants to watch.

Amber - posted on 04/07/2011

I didn't say that he didn't have an idea of what the reaction might be, or that he wasn't warned.
I'm saying that the action of burning a book does not prompt people to riot, which is why it is not considered the same as yelling "fire" in a crowded theater.

I'm also not disputing that he is an absolute moron for what he did. I think that he is. He obviously was not thinking about anything but his "cause" when he made these statements. Actions like his, as well as many other factors, are the reason why America is a terrorists' target.

But being an idiot who doesn't think about anything besides your own agenda when being filmed isn't against our laws.....Democrats and Republicans do it every day without being arrested.


Depending on what he actually said in the video (which I haven't seen) it might be hate speech.

Barb - posted on 04/07/2011

i do beg to differ that he didn't know what the results were going to be after doing this heinous act.

He was warned time and again by Admirals, Generals, the President, very credible people, that doing this would incite violence. It isn't just "don't give them an excuse". This is a whole reason. I mean, people who are normally peace loving that wouldn't get involved are saying "this is it, this is the straw that breaks the camels back, i've had enough!" This is unforgivable to them.

Karzai of course used this to push his own corrupt agenda. But he would never have been able to if the jackwagon wouldn't have done it in the first place.

Just like the WBC, i just can't believe someone hasn't killed them yet.

Lacye - posted on 04/07/2011

OMG! How horrible! I hate to say it but is is protected by the freedom of speech act. It really sucks though. He is the cause of all of those deaths and he probably feels no remorse about it. He was told that if he did it he would be putting people's lives in danger. I would love to say that we should send him to Afghanistan and let them have at him but that wouldn't make me any better than him. All it would do is spread hate. I do think he should be held accountable for it though. I think some kind of charges should be brought up against him but that's just not going to happen. Unless people get together and push for this to be prosecuted as a hate crime, nothing is going to happen.

Khadijah - posted on 04/07/2011

Wow, he's an Idiot! How selfish of him and his congregation to put our American troops in harms way. They are already over there fighting for us, including Terry Jones! I am just sickened by his reckless actions.

Amber - posted on 04/07/2011

It does incite violent behavior, but it differs from the "fire" type exception. In that situation, you can be sure that everybody will be making movement towards exits. That type of speech specifically invokes the reaction.

Without prompting from Karzai, this physical violence might not have manifested itself in the way that it did. So, there is not direct correlation between the burning of the Quran and the riots. It is indirect because it took a third party's intervention to make it happen.

That is why I don't believe it is a violation of free speech or break a law. It makes him an ass hole, and he should be held civilly (monetarily) liable though.

It's like the burning of American flags. It makes them a hypocritical douche bags, but as long as they didn't take somebody else's flag...the country they protest about so much has giving them the freedom to do it.

Barb - posted on 04/07/2011

My baby just graduated from the Marine corps. I know he'll be going somewhere soon. He has buddies in Afghanistan right now. Friends that have stayed the night here that i've cooked breakfast for, wiped their runny noses, put band-aids on their skinned knees.

I want to hurt this idiot. In the worst way.

In the article it pointed out the violence erupted in a normally peaceful area of Afghanistan. And then you have to think.. most of these people are very poor farmers who half the time don't have clean drinking water, let alone electricity and internet, how did they even know about this youtube video?

The article points out that their president, Karzai saw it and spread the word to everyone inciting the violence, using it as an example of how much America hates them. When he knew America condemned the acts of this lunatic.

I know we have to take the good with the bad.. but.. there just seems like when there is something so morally wrong that incites others to violence, that someone should be held accountable.

Almost along the lines of not being able to shout "fire" in a movie theater.

Amber - posted on 04/07/2011

Unfortunately it is protected under freedom of speech.

While what he did may not have been against the law, I sincerely hope that the families of those who were killed due to his actions will sue him, his church, and all others members who were a party to this.

The were warned that it would be dangerous for soldiers overseas and chose to do it anyway. They made the decision, people were killed, they should be held financially accountable.

Chad's best friend is in Afghanistan right now, along with other soldiers that he is friends with. We worry about these men and women on a daily basis, and when ignorant racists choose to put their lives in danger it really pisses me off!