There are only a handful of occasions that unites all political parties in Canada. Death, terrorism, national sports, and holidays are among the most common of these occasions. The burning of a book of faith can now be added to that list.
All political parties in both Canada and the US have denounced the burning as a “despicable, disgraceful” act, and many top political and military leaders have expressed concerns over the repercussions of the burning.
The top NATO commander in Afghanistan has warned that the burning could have negative effects on the mission as the Taliban could have an easier time recruiting new troops.
Prime Minister Harper, who doesn’t speak often on religion, had this to say, “I don’t speak very often about my own religion but let me be very clear: My God and my Christ is a tolerant God, and that’s what we want to see in this world.” Michael Ignatieff says, “It has been rightly denounced by the American President and by the Secretary of State as a despicable, disgraceful act, and one that runs counter to the sense of mutual respect and tolerance that are the core foundations of all faiths.”
We at Real Canadian Politics have to agree with our political leaders in this matter. The Qur’an is a book of faith, much like The Bible. There are a lot of people in the Muslim faith that are not radicals and do not agree with terrorism, and they should not be punished for the actions of others.
Update
Earlier this evening, Terry Jones announced that he had come to a deal with the New York Islam group responsible for building the ground zero Mosque. He stated that his Qur’an burning event was cancelled, and in exchange the Mosque would be moved to a different location.
He later retracted the statement, alleging that he had been lied too about the relocation of the Mosque. He is now saying that the event is suspended, but not cancelled.
