I woke up today to an awful news story. It wasn't breaking news, and it wasn't a humanitarian disaster. No instead a small Christian church in Florida have decided that the best way to commemorate 9/11 is to have an organised Koran burning. Yes indeed, these "Christian" people have decided that to protest against the Islamic extremists they need to desecrate the texts of an entire religion. Reading further into the article, I am saddened further in that earlier this year an opinion poll found that over half of Americans view Islam unfavourably. Just take a moment to consider that, half the population of one of the largest and most influential nations, has a bias against a religion that shares many values with all the other religions of the world.
It just baffles me that anyone could possibly think this is the right thing to do, or that Islam is evil. People seem to just associate the atrocities that a few extremists have committed with millions of innocent and good willed Muslims across the world. Do they not understand that this is effectively extremist Christianity and they are adding more reasons for the extremists everywhere to attack again?
I'm just wondering now, if I am naive in thinking that this probably wouldn't happen in England? Yes we have our own extremists here in Britain, for example the BNP or UKIP, but do you remember the reception Nick Griffin got on Newsnight? Can you remember the very low numbers they got in the general election? I don't know know what you think, but the British people seem to generally like sticking two fingers up to ridiculous people like that, don't they?
Tell you what, interactive poll time, tell me if you think Britain is generally more accepting than America on the form to the right.
xxxx
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