It is about time someone reacted sanely to the burnings of the Quran in Flordia. This whole international 'incident' was caused because news reporters in general are unable to seperate small events from big events. Why should a small group of people acting out their beliefs in a manner that doesn't physically affect anyone have any effect on the world as a whole? This should be rhetorical question that has an answer of, "these actions should not affect the rest of the world." Sadly, the church in Florida has highlighted the failings of the world that reads or hears about the daily news.
There are a few factors that combined to create this big furor. First, this event involves a clearly defined group making a dedicated stand again Muslim extremeism in a way that can be twisted to be an insult on all Muslims. A percieved insult against Islam is instantly newsworthy and ridiculed if it happens in the US, as opposed to insults and law suits against splinter groups like the FLDS.
The second issue are news reporters that don't have the wisdom to choose what issues are and aren't important in the big picture of the world. The issue of a small church burning Qurans should never have risen higher than the local newspaper. Eh, it just seems pointless to talk about this issue, and further discussion just fans the flames, or would if this was read by more than 2 or 3 people. As a personal effort, I already refuse to bring this issue up in workplace discussions or participate in any conversations.
Update: A similar viewpoint on Christian Science Monitor.
