Quran Burning in Florida Condemnation Bipartisan

The Quran burning in Florida may or may not happen on Saturday. Yet due to the Quran burning in Florida plans, Quran burning condemnation has actually been bipartisan. Despite constant arguments over the treatment of Muslims in America, and the "Ground Zero mosque" bitterness, it seems that the left and right are agreeing on this issue. So far, Pastor Terry Jones has been denounced by figures like President Obama, the Pope and Sarah Palin. But although the Quran burning in Florida is uniting traditional enemies, that might not signal to Jones that this is an unwise idea.

After Gen. David Petraeus warned that the burning might endanger U.S. troops, and after Attorney General Eric Holder came out against it, President Obama stated his opinion on Good Morning America today. The President echoed Petraeus's warnings about troops being in danger, and asked Jones to listen to his "better angels" and call the event off.

Jones wants to hold a Quran burning in Florida in order to protest radical Islam on the 9/11 anniversary. But his overall message is being lost, due to the universal ire against his methods. In fact, important figures from the left and right, and from various religions, are all asking Jones to change his mind.

John McCain and Sarah Palin also came out against the plan, as Palin feared that it would appear to be "mean spirited religious intolerance" She also compared the potential Quran burning in Florida to the plans for the "Ground Zero mosque" believing both plans to be "an unnecessary provocation."

The Vatican, Interpol, and political and religious figures from all over the globe have also expressed fear over Jones' plans. If the Quran burning in Florida was to take place, they all expect serious riots to occur in the Middle East. It happened when the Prophet Mohammed cartoons came out, and when there were inaccurate reports of Qurans being flushed down Guantanamo Bay toilets.

Since such diverse figures are united against this event - figures that usually disagree on everything else - it is a sign of how unpopular Jones' idea is. That alone might be enough to show that it shouldn't happen, yet Jones has shown no sign of backing down. He appeared to put some thought into Gen. Petraeus's warning about the safety of U.S. troops, but there is no indication yet that plans have changed.

It says something that the Quran burning in Florida is what brought everyone together against "Islamophobia" after months of disagreements over anti-Muslim protests. But the issue of free speech still hangs over this issue, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg conceded that Jones has a First Amendment right to do this.

If Jones remains committed to performing the Quran burning, then the First Amendment limits the options to stop him. As such, people that are usually not united have to stay that way for a while longer, in hopes that Jones will give in voluntarily.

Sources

CNN.com- "Reaction to Quran burning pours in from around the world"

CBS News- "Palin Condemns Quran Burning, Likens to 'Ground Zero Mosque'"

Washington Post- "Obama urges Fla. pastor to call off Koran burning"