"This is America, the beacon of freedom"

Yep.

That is why Americans are free to burn their own property.

They can burn a flag. They can burn a bible. And they can burn a koran.

It's called freedom.

The many Muslims who enjoy freedom in America and Australia that they could never experience in Muslim majority countries (like Iran) need to understand that freedom includes the freedom to do things they may not like.

I do not like you preaching your loathsome religion here. But I respect your right to do it.

You do not like people burning copies of the koran but you need to respect their right to do it.

More importantly as the Bible "says for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." For years now Muslims have been burning effigies of American Presidents and the American flag. What do you expect? Again the Bible says "for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Unfortunately the burning of Koran is just another step in the conflict which is going to get worse.

The real problem is that Sharia Islam is a totalitarian belief which does not allow freedom of religion. There are no Christian Churches in Saudia Arabia. It is the duty of Muslims to execute apostate Muslims. These actions are incompatible with the Western ideals of freedom. I am not sure that there is a non-violent answer.

I think your wrong about burning bibles in USA being legal.
You must be a bit twisted to respect anyone who burns bibles or any other Holy Book .
None of the Holy Books do anything for me but I respect others of lesser intellect than myself.
If I was a War Equipment Sales Person I would use the Holy Books as "Sales Tools" benefiting the worlds biggest Industry and major Employer.
Anyone who destroys Tools has intellectual problems , even the Apes appreciate 'Tools'.

To Kourosh Ziabari,

PART I

You say: “Muslims around the world are subject to the most unfair convictions and unjustifiable discriminations.”

I challenge you to give me just ONE example of a Muslim-led nation every in history where non-Muslims were treated as equals in all sense of the notion. Iran forbids Christians and other non-Muslims from being in leadership positions in government and military, even though their family may have lived in Iran for thousands of years. All the gulf states make it illegal to build any religious building at all that is not Muslim. Non-Muslims are not even allowed to enter the city of Mecca for a visit.

The Quran states explicitly on many occasions that only people of the book shall be tolerated, other religions must convert or die. But even the Christians and Jews must pay special taxes for non-belief, as well they must wear symbols clearly marking them as “Dhimmis” like Hitler did to the Jews in extermination camps.

In fact, Muslims are so “tolerant” of non-Muslims that if one them decides to change to another faith, it is stated in the Quran and hadith as law that that person shall be killed.

How dare you even attempt to try to argue that Islam is tolerant, let alone MORE tolerant than other cultures. This is an affront to all the millions upon millions of people who are subject daily to its totalitarian, barbaric ways; to all the homosexuals who apparently “don’t exist” to nations like Iran, Saudi Arabia and every other Islamic country; to all the women to are treated like possessions that the men own; to all the foreign house maids any factory workers from poor Asian countries such as Philippines who are treated no better than dogs by their masters in some of the wealthiest countries on earth – the gulf states.

This one isn't going to go away any time soon, is it.

"Burning a holy book is the clear manifestation of an uncivilised and barbaric action for which there can't be any justification or explanation."

Agreed. But it is one of those acts that we are required to tolerate, in order to protect - much larger, and vastly more important - freedoms.

It is totally inappropriate behaviour for jumped-up nobodies to disrespect other members of the human race in this way. But it is equally inappropriate behaviour to use such stupidity as a justification to play victim.

"Muslims around the world are subject to the most unfair convictions and unjustifiable discriminations."

A little introspection might be required here, Mr Ziabari.

What is it about the external face of Islam that generates such antipathy amongst the fanatics of a different religion? Because - as you very well know - the Qur'an burners are far from representative of US citizenry as a whole, in the same way that exploding martyrs do not represent, I suspect, the totality of the Islamic world.

Or even a small fraction thereof.

So, ponder on this for a while.

You write:

"As a vanguard ideology, Islam has always emphasised the essentiality of behaving with the followers of other religions with respect and admiration"

These are words. Christians use similar words, insisting that the New Testament is devoid of any threatening behaviour, and full of charitable thoughts and deeds towards others.

Until each side matches their deeds with their words, neither is going to convince the other of their good intentions. So each will continue to find ways to instil fear and loathing in the more deliriously fanatical amongst their followers, each targetting the other.

"Thank God, Muslims have always treated the followers of other religions respectfully."

Even those Muslims with bombs strapped to their bodies?

Unfortunately this article is as one-eyed as any Pastor Jones. Which isn't going to help anybody, is it.

Pericles,

This is not about whether Islam is good or bad. Even if Islam were the wonderful, saintly, charitable belief system its adherents claim, even if the koran was as chock full of wisdom as Muslims believe, even if Muhammad really was "the best of creation" Terry Jones would STILL have the right to burn a copy of the koran.

Jones is a sleazy scumbag but he STILL has the right to burn a copy of the koran.

Burning a book is a barbaric act but Jones still has a right to burn his property.

In the US, in case you're interested, the Supreme Court affirmed this in Texas vs Johnson. The case actually concerned the right to burn an American flag. However the language of the decision makes it clear that all such symbolic acts are protected by the first amendment.