Qur'an burning - Questions for Muslim protesters

Several burnings or other destruction of copies of the Qur'an have been reported recently.  Some, like the burning of the Qur'an at a Florida church were done in stupidity and malice.  Others were done thoughtlessly, sometimes ironically by those who would be very upset by a burning of the U.S. flag.

Whenever one of these thoughtless incidents occur, a story is sure to follow of a riot somewhere protesting these incidents.  What end do these protests accomplish?  They only reinforce the prejudices of those who destroyed Qu'rans.

To Muslim protesters:

Is your faith so weak that it can't take the insults of the ignorant?

How many Muslims are killed when you riot?  How much property owned by Muslims is destroyed?

Have you considered that your riots also reflect on those Muslims who are trying to lead peaceful lives among non-Muslims?  Many of these Muslims state that Islam is a religion of peace.  Are you undermining them when you protest in a non-peaceful way?

I assume every mosque has several copies of the Qur'an.

When a mosque is bombed by Muslims, often killing other Muslims, do you protest that bombing and the destruction of copies of the Qur'an?

There is enough stupidity, intolerance, and violence in this world.  Please don't add to it.

“...and you should forgive And overlook: Do you not like God to forgive you? And Allah is The Merciful Forgiving.”
— Qur’an (Surah 24, "The Light," v. 22)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule#Islam

See also "Muslims do speak out; anyone listening?"

Occupy Democracy!

These were the closing words of Robert Reich in "The REAL Public Nuisance".

It isn't till we all speak up and vote that we can regain control of our country from big-money interests.

Maybe the first thing to do is to stop blaming big-money and start changing our own behavior. "As Seen on TV" does not define truth. As long as we vote for the big-money candidates or as long as we stay away, we just give more power to the big-money interests.

Occupy Wall St. and evictions

I posted the following on a Coffee Party Facebook item encouraging people to decry the eviction of OWS from encampments on public spaces.

Consider that OWS has behaved just like corporate America; they have taken over public space for their private interests. It doesn't matter if OWS thinks it represents the 99% or not; it is the few who are making it difficult for others to use public space.

A much better tactic would be to have demonstrations all over town at rush hour and at noon. When I stood with about 100 others at a busy corner in Duluth, we got lots of friendly honks.

Then the action (or inaction) moved to the Civic Center that does not see as much traffic and that busy corner only had one or two people.

A second thing to do is to encourage people to vote, either actively with registration or indirectly by reminding people again and again to vote. Let's stop government by 51% of the less than 60%.

Solidarity - an overused word?

When I lived in Sweden in the early 70s, I saw many a poster proclaiming "solidarity" with this group or that group.  Somehow it seemed to me that claiming "solidarity" without doing much more than making a poster or holding a meeting was an empty gesture.

With all the protests, rebellions, and revolutions going on now, especially in North Africa, many people are claiming "solidarity" with the people in North Africa.

I've thought that solidarity as a concept gained currency with the labor movement.  If the union voted for a strike, all members went on strike in solidarity, whichever way they voted.  If one union at a factory went on strike, other unions might go on strike in solidarity with the first.  It was a one for all and all for one attitude.

Now people in many countries go out on peaceful streets and hold up signs of "solidarity" with the people of North Africa.  Where was their "solidarity" when Western countries were kowtowing to these dictators for oil or for "national security"?

Well, better late than never.  These demonstrations do give some hope to those struggling against dictators.  Their struggles are not going unnoticed.

If you really want to show "solidarity", hop on a plane and help get supplies into Libya.  If you can only show "sympathy", attending a demonstration is helpful.  But even more help is to send a check to one of the many organizations that are actually doing something on the ground.  Choices include the International Committee for the Red Cross, Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) , and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

A little thing to help the Egyptian people

On June 23, 2009, President Obama made a strong statement in support of the Iranian people protesting against the official election results.

His concluding remark was:

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent and not coercion. That's what Iran's own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/06/23/presidents-opening-remarks-iran-with-persian-translation

What you can do is send web-form email to the president asking him to speak out more strongly about Egypt in the same way.  You'll find a "contact us" button in the upper right hand corner of most White House pages.

My own message was

Please make strong remarks about the situation in Egypt similar to those you made about Iran on June 23, 2009.

Our quest for "national security" has made us more insecure.

What's happening on the streets in Tehran?

From most of the news available, it would seem the people of Iran have been quiet while Ayotollah Khameni presents Ahmadinejad with a decree confirming the latter's election to a second term and while a trial of over 100 accused is proceeding.

All is not quiet. The Lede in the New York Times has many photos and videos showing otherwise. See http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/four-years-ago-in-tehran-a-more-united-regime/

More cracks in the Iranian government

Melody Moezzi reports that many Basiji are getting tired of enforcing prohibitions on demonstrations. They moved from being heros when they helped in disasters to being villains for their street actions. People in opposition often ask Basiji to join them, and some do.

See "The Basij Are Cordially Invited to Join the Opposition".