The media frenzy over Terry Jones, a pastor who had been threatening to burn the Quran in commemoration/protest of 9/11, recently caught my eye. People of practically every background and political persuasion agree: it's a terrible, terrible idea. So why would he even consider it? Cui bono?
As far as I can tell, there are exactly 2 constituencies who would benefit in any concrete way:
1. Anti-Americans, who could use frame this incident as an emblem of how Americans feel about Islam to recruit and inspire insurgents and terrorists.
2. Terry Jones, whose audience has increased from a congregation of 50 to everyone who is plugged into the global media. I think it's fair to presume that there would also be a financial benefit to his ill-gotten fame.
So here's where I think it gets very interesting: is Jones a man of faith, trying to strike a symbolic blow against a religion he sees as evil, or is he a media-savvy cynic who saw an opportunity for fame and fortune? Should we ignore the words of Mike Mansfield, who warns us to "never question another man's motive--question his judgment, but never his motive."
I think it's clear that every American has the right, if not the duty, to question Terry Jones' judgment, but should we be questioning his motive?
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why should we not question his motive? The only thing I think we should not do is give this man more airtime.
ReplyDeleteAnd my 2 cents, I think he is a religious fanatic (then again what religious person isn't a fanatic) who believed he was doing the right thing by his threat and hoped it would stir up a little attention. My guess is he guy never thought BBC would be covering his shenanigans.