Burned Quran Found on North Side of Chicago, was it Result of Burn a Koran Day?

Apparently Pastor Terry Jones was taking too long to make a decision about Burn a Koran Day and someone in Chicago decided to speed up the process. According to Chicago Breaking News, a burned Quran was found outside of the Muslim Community Center located at 4380 N. Elston Ave., on Chicago's north side. The Quran was found one day after Sept. 11.

While there's no real way to know whether the Quran would've been burned without Pastor Terry Jones announcing to the media that he was going to burn a Quran regardless of never reading the material inside, the idea sure did spread because of him. No one is currently in custody over burning the Quran, and under the Freedom of Speech law, it's unlikely that the person would be punished for burning the religious book anyway.

I still find it rather odd that it's legal to burn a book or even an American flag. While people are entitled to their opinions, burning a book because you don't care for what's inside is disrespectful and conflicts with the Freedom of Religion law. If it's okay to burn a Quran, why isn't it okay to burn down a prayer center, too? It can always be rebuilt just like another Quran can always be printed. (That's sarcasm, folks.)

Remembering the victims of 9/11 is reasonable. They should be remembered. They were innocent victims caught up in terrorism. But the entire Islamic population is not responsible for the suicide bombers on the airplane so they shouldn't be punished for their religion. It's easy to assume that the Quran preaches hate.

But did we forget that slaveowners rationalized owning human beings (i.e., slavery) and treating them like cattle by using the Bible? Did we forget Christian churches were burned down by other "Christians" because they were considered meeting centers where someone could possibly be literate enough to educate those who aren't? Everybody has the right to interpret religious text however they like, but it's not okay to ruin someone else's sacred material. And no one religion is better than another.

Burning something because you're afraid of change or tolerance is counterproductive. Speaking with those who have differing views than you or educating yourself on the pros and cons of that religions will do society a far better service than burning the Quran. To the person who burned the Quran and left it for teenagers to see on their way to a prayer session, thank you for embarrassing the entire city. I hope these teenagers don't grow up thinking the rest of the city is this ignorant, too.

Source: "Burnt copy of Quran found outside Muslim center"