Quran Burning

Quran Burning

Can power be used for good? Unfortunately, there are many events in the past three years that overshadow the good that has been occurring in the world. People use different types of power to achieve the task at hand. The Quran burning, a recent controversial event that was supposed to occur on September 11, 2010, to honor all victims who passed away in the terrorist attacks. However, a small town church pastor named Terry Jones utilizes many powers to attempt to burn a holy book that was significant to a certain race, the Muslims. The question was how can one man who leads a small church of 50 people in Florida have the power to create uproar around the world? Through the United States Constitution, Terry Jones gained an immense amount of power which he abused in order to make an unethical statement about Islamic religion.

First of all, the controversial Quran burning had many Americans debate the power of the constitution. Many people stated that the Quran burning was protected under the power of the first amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech. Jones wanted people to stop believing and worshipping a religion; and his way of expressing free speech was initiating a burning ceremony (Kiser 1). Being a Muslim is the “Un-American thing, according to Jones, and he is using his right of free speech to suppress the rights of Muslims to worship their religion. In Kiser’s article, “The Controversy over International Burn a Quran Day” he writes, “The Constitution of the United States does advocate, ‘Free Speech’, but it remains dim on the offensiveness of that free speech. The Constitution also advocates “Freedom of Religion”, but the United States remains a country where religion is abused and suppressed...

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...nt could have potentially put the whole world at war, especially between Christians and Muslims.

Works Cited

Berry, Wendell. “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear.” Yagelski 474-479.

Dog, Mary Crow. “Civilize Them with a Stick.” Yagelski 429-437.

Kiser, M L. “The Controversy over International Burn a Quran Day.” Helium. N.p., 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.

Levitz, Jennifer, and Jonathan Weisman. “Pastor Keeps Pushing to Tie Protest with Islamic Center.” The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2010.

Rashid, Ayesha. “Burn a Quran Day and the Power of Ignorance.” The Daily Progress. Media General Communications Holdings, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.

Somaiya, Ravi. “Should We Cover the Quran Burning?” Newsweek. N.p., 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.

Yagelski, Robert P, ed. Reading Our World: Conversations in Context. 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. N. pag. Print.