To the burning of Koran
Friday, September 10, 2010, 3:30 pm ET
The intended burning of Koran on September 11, the anniversary of the 9/11 attack, is in the news these days. We are addressing this event because starting at the very moment the intent became known, an irreparable damage was done to the interests of the United States. Let us get into the elements of this contention.
What is that irreparable damage? In one of the recent interviews, Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, defended the decision of the United Kingdom to join the United States in the military actions in Iraq. Then, he was asked what, with the benefit of the hindsight, would his overall assessment be now? His answer was that he and other key decision makers were not able to foresee the emergence of the powerful anti-Western Muslim movement sprawling many countries. We contend that at the moment the Koran-burning intent became known, a powerful boost to the movement occurred.
Some newsmakers say the damage is a product of the media frenzy. Let us suppose the mass media kept mum. Still, it would be enough for having the same impact if one person, unhappy with the intent, be it a Muslim or not, posted about it on Facebook or anything else of this kind. Besides, it is the media’s job to keep the public informed of the events of significance.
What could have countered the boost? Again we contend, that this could be one action only, namely, that the United States government stated on the same day that the burning of Koran would not be permitted. Would this be in compliance with the United States law? Probably not. Could this happen with the conflicting views swirling in the media and the government functionaries being slow to assess the impact on the constituencies in the mid-term November elections? Definitely not. What would then our general conclusion be? The political and judicial system, as it has evolved in the United States, is not conducive to protecting effectively interests of the country.
Does it matter whether or not the burning will take place tomorrow? If the intent is abandoned, it will still take years to repair the damage, as compared to practically no damage at all if the government action presented above were taken. If the burning takes place, the consequences of course will be worse.
Page created on September 10, 2010