10 Reasons NOT to Burn a Koran–and How to Fight Bigotry

Opposition is mounting to the “Burn a Koran Day” scheduled for September 11th in Florida. General David Petraeus said it could harm our troops, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it unrepresentative of Americans. Attorney General Eric Holder called it “idiotic and dangerous,” and the Vatican has called the planned demonstration “outrageous and grave.”

But the event planners, Terry Jones and the Dove World Outreach Center, are moving forward in spite of the outcry. In fact, they posted five MORE reasons to burn a Koran on their blog just yesterday.

Human Rights First has compiled our own list–we asked our supporters to submit reasons NOT to burn a Koran. We received over 5,000 responses. Below is the Top 10 list:

Ten Reasons NOT to Burn a Koran

1. Book burning! Do I really need to say why?
2. By not burning a Koran I’m not burning a bridge to communication.
3. Burning the Koran because of extremist Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists makes no more sense than burning the Bible because of the Ku Klux Klan or Nazis.
4. Hatred breeds more hatred and that is not going to solve any of our problems.
5. That type of hate-filled religious intolerance has no place anywhere in the world, and is especially abhorrent in a country where religious freedom is one of the pillars of its foundation.
6. It’s a sacred book to millions of people. We should respect all people’s beliefs.
7. It will only inflame. I’d like people to understand each other.
8. I may not believe in the words of the Koran but I would never burn one out of respect for my fellow humans who do.
9. Support our troops!
10. We must learn to coexist. We cannot continue to live in fear and suspicion.

You can make a stand with us. Show the fearmongers and the world that Americans don’t stand for bigotry by ordering your free “Americans Don’t Burn Books” bookmark (you just need to cover shipping and handling).

Help us urge other leaders–including former President George W. Bush–to speak out against bigotry. He and members of his administration spoke out for tolerance and freedom of religion during his presidency. George W. Bush could make a difference by speaking out now.

We need everyone to speak out—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Join our efforts–get your bookmark and carry it proudly!