Headline from the LA Times today: Obama urges Florida pastor to drop plan to burn Koran on 9/11 anniversary
According to Obama, “This is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda.” I can think of bigger bonanzas. Like bombing, invading, and indefinitely occupying their communities. He elaborates: “You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities.” Serious violence, folks. If we’re not careful, a war might break out.
Meanwhile, this story’s buried: 4th missile strike in Pakistan in 24 hrs kills 5
Were I a potential recruit, I’d likely be more influenced by foreign military presence and my dead countrymen than by people burning my sacred book thousands of miles away.
3 Comments
last i checked, obama wasn’t president when the united states invaded iraq, pakistan or afghanistan. i can understand his concerns about not wanting to make a fubar situation even worse.
and i know you know better about how religious zealots function. as perplexed as religion makes me, i understand that to devout muslims, setting the quran aflame isn’t something to take lightly. it’s the same reason why westboro baptist church exists. and why iraqis choose to burn the american flag.
It makes no difference to me who was in charge when invasions started. My point is that it’s absurd to assert that some book-burning will have any significant impact on terrorist recruitment while the US military is still over there killing people. Whether those killed are actual bad guys or “alleged militants” or “suspected insurgents” or civilians, they are all real people, with friends and families who are rightfully really pissed off at the killers. I suspect one wouldn’t have to be religious at all to achieve the mindset of a suicide bomber when one’s community has been destroyed by some foreign entity that can’t be held responsible.
Here’s another of those bigger bonanzas: Army: 12 soldiers killed Afghans, mutiliated corpses
That part that bugged me most was that people kept telling Pastor Jones that he woud endanger U.S. troops if he burned the books. Are they not already in danger?
This guy better stop going back and forth on whether he’s going to do it. If he doesn’t do it now he’s a giant pussy.