Man thwarts plan to burn the Quran

Kudos to the citizens of Amarillo who stood up to a religious fanatic Saturday.

David Grisham had planned to burn a copy of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, on September 11 in Sam Houston Park. Grisham, the leader of Repent Amarillo, has built himself a reputation as a radical nut, and this action was supposed to be a sign of solidarity with another crazy man, Rev. Terry Jones of Florida.

Jones reportedly has the sum total of about 50 followers and recently made international waves by planning to hold a Quran burning. He was rightly condemned by many sources, even including the White House and top military men who worried it would incite violence.

Jones finally bowed to the pressure and put a halt to his plans, but Grisham soldiered on in Amarillo.

But then an amazing thing happened. A couple of hundred people showed up to object. Some carried signs with a message from Jesus – “Love thy neighbor.” Others confronted Grisham verbally, and still others placed their hands on top of the barbecue grill where he was preparing to ignite the Quran.

Even more interesting, a skateboarding atheist named Jacob Isom then ran up, distracted Grisham, and took off with the holy book, handing it over to a local Muslim leader.

“I believe in freedom for everyone and not to mess with everybody’s beliefs,” Isom told the Amarillo Globe-News. “I don’t believe in the Quran. I believe you shouldn’t burn it in front of people that do.”

The 23-year-old has become something of an overnight hero across the country as news of his actions spread across the media and the Internet.

Now some would say, as Grisham did, that burning a book is his Constitutional right. And it is. Just like it’s your right to burn the American flag or burn the latest Harry Potter novel or burn the Bible even. But that doesn’t make it the morally right thing to do.

It is a constitutionally protected form of free speech, but it also is distasteful and an example of being small-minded. If Grisham and Jones had carried out their plans, they would have been the moral equivalents of the people in the Middle East who danced in the streets and burned American flags on September 11, 2001.

Islam is a peaceful religion. But there are bad people who have perverted it in the same way that Grisham and Jones and others have sometimes committed horrible acts in the name of Jesus Christ.

Burning the Quran won’t convert any Muslims to Christianity just like burning a Bible would never convert a Christian to Islam. In the same way, burning the American flag doesn’t dampen the spirit of the patriot. It inflames that spirit and breeds hatred.

As America prepares to celebrate Constitution Day this Friday, we should all consider that freedom includes not only enjoying your own liberty but respecting the liberty of others. We are not free unless we are all free. People like Jones and Grisham would put their beliefs above all others even to the point of exciting violence and trying to destroy the beliefs of others.

The strength of this nation rests with people like Isom and the hundreds of other people who exercised their free speech louder than Grisham could Saturday and, in so doing, helped bring the Amarillo community closer together rather than tear it apart.

We are fortunate – or some would say “blessed” – to live in a land where people can believe what they choose and not have to live in fear of persecution based on your faith – or even your lack of faith. We all owe special “thanks” to Isom and the others who stepped up Saturday to make sure that our region stayed true to the American promise of religious freedom.

Meanwhile…
The Obama administration is coming up with turn the economy around with just less than 50 days to go before the November elections. Last week, while celebrating Labor Day, he said the country should embrace a plan to spend $50 billion on 150,000 miles of roads; 4,000 miles of railways; and 150 miles of airport runways.

First of all, is spending more money always the answer? We’re $13 trillion in debt! It’s time to stop digging this hole.

And secondly, maybe we should just spend existing infrastructure funds more wisely and build things that last. Take a look at US 287 from Washburn to Amarillo. That stretch of road is being redone for at least the third time in six years. It was under construction when my nephew was born in 2004, it was under construction last year when my mother was hospitalized, and now it’s under construction again. It’s ridiculous.

Maybe if we didn’t have to repave the same stretch of highway over and over again, we could afford to maintain the low-tech 1960s-era rest areas that are currently being bulldozed in the region or possibly have resources to mow the right of way. Just a thought.