Desecration - or just dense?

There is something weird about the US government burning Bibles in Afghanistan, but requiring US military personnel to observe great care when handling the Koran. Apparently, US Army officials fretted that having such a dangerous book as the Bible in a Muslim-dominated country was too risky, and so it must be eliminated as soon as possible. Not even The Onion could come up with something so wacky.

Key quote from the article:

A new video at the website AnsweringMuslims.com expatiates on this contradiction:

1. “You don’t burn the Koran, because if you do, Muslims might go on a killing spree.”

2 “You do burn the Bible, because if you don’t, Muslims might go on a killing spree.”

Actually, the contradiction is only apparent. The reason it’s OK to burn Bibles while the Koran must be handled as if it were a “fragile piece of delicate art” is that Muslims and their sacred scriptures have priority over Jews and Christians and their scriptures. That’s what it says in the Koran, and that’s how the U.S. government is proceeding.

It extremely unlikely that the actions of the US Army in burning Bibles were a deliberate desecration of Christianity's most cherished book (although given the present secular-minded leadership in Washington I will stop short of saying it is flatly impossible). But it is an excellent illustration of near-complete isolation from reality much of our political and intellectual leadership lives in. It would be like the government and the media, in the midst of World War II, calling for Nuremberg-style racial laws and herding Jews into concentration camps so that Germans living in American and abroad would not be offended.

As I have said before, I don't think the sudden respect for Islam by the US government and the secular media represents a genuine tolerance of viewpoints that disagree with their own. Rather, many secular progressive (the one group that dominates both government and media) nurse a deep hatred for Christians and Jews, and see Islam as a convenient rival to those two groups. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is the principle at work here.

There are many ironies here, but chief among them is the fact that in a battle between secular progressives with all of modern technology at their fingertips and primitive 7th century barbarians who shriek "Allah akhbar!" while lopping off the heads of infidels, it is the latter group that will win easily. Give the Islamofascist maniacs their due: they know they are in a war, and are willing to do whatever it takes to win it. Secular progressive, on the other hand, are well-credentialed and hold most of the levers of power in the US, but are a pretty dense lot. Perhaps never before in history have so many with so much power have squandered it so badly.

Respect for me, not for thee

That seems to be the attitude of many Western governments, journalists, and intellectuals that make up our self-anointed ruling class.

A recent editorial by the Calgary Herald expressed concern for this bizarre double standard. A key quote from the editorial:

When Florida pastor Terry Jones announced plans to burn the Qur'an on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, he was roundly, and rightfully, condemned. Christian groups worldwide were at the forefront of the protests, denouncing Jones and calling on him to respect the dignity of Islam. In 2005, allegations that U.S. military personnel had desecrated copies of the Qur'an at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp sparked an internal investigation to ensure no repeat.

The recent murder of Christian aid workers in Afghanistan, the deaths of 58 Christians in Iraq, the continuing persecution of Christians worldwide has sparked little outcry among the ruling class. But any hint of "Islamophobia" (real or imagined) seems to provoke endless hand-wringing.

The editorial goes on to say:

Not one of these incidents has garnered even a fraction of the attention the proposed Qu'ran burning caused. This begs the question: Why?

Perhaps it's because Christians rarely riot in difficult circumstances. They should not have to. In an enlightened world forever preaching equality and justice, no group should have to resort to death and destruction to get injustices remedied.

I think the editorial writers are wrong here. It is my opinion that the largely secular ruling class is not motivated by sympathy for Islam, let alone being secretly Muslim itself. It is highly unlikely (for example) that President Obama is a closet Muslim seeking to impose sharia law. Nor is it fear of attacks by Muslim extremists that are behind this new "tolerance" for Islam. Rather, I believe that the antipathy of the ruling class towards Christianity and Judaism is fueled by the claims of both that God's law is superior to man's laws, that humanity is sinful by nature and needs a Savior that is not a mortal President or Prime Minister. Such a view conflicts with the ruling class's messianic desire to remake society in its own image.

The ruling class's tolerance for the actions of Muslims - a tolerance they would not in a million years extend towards Christians and Jews - is nothing but an old political strategy: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Islam is seen as a rival to Christianity and Judaism, and thus benefits from the ruling class's desire to divide and conquer. If the ruling class ever came to believe that Islam could threaten their hold on the nation's government, universities, and media, they would attack Muslims just as savagely as they now go after Christians and Jews.

I think that it may come as a shock to many, but the secular ruling class tends to view Muslims the same way they view Christians and Jews - as a bunch of ignorant, reactionary Bible-thumpin' (or Koran-thumpin') bigots. But for now the ruling class seems to view Islam as a useful political weapon against those they hate, and therefore Muslims benefit accordingly.

Martyrs: Afghanistan

Ten members of a Christian medical team were slaughtered in Afghanistan by Taliban forces.

Please pray for the families of those who were slain.

Witnesses to the Faith: Kabal24

Kabul24: The Story of a Taliban Kidnapping and Unwavering Faith in the Face of True Terror.

Christians never know if they will be called upon to defend the faith in the way these did.