We don't need to burn Qurans or Bibles to show they are flawed texts
While we should celebrate our freedoms in modern democracies, events like the Quran burning in Sweden show there is also common decency to consider.
I don’t care if you believe that the Quran or the Bible are the absolute TRUTH regarding life and the afterlife. That’s not to say I want you to change your belief if you believe a collection of writing over, say, facts. If that’s the ride you signed up for in life, best of luck to you. Personally, I see structured religious belief as a form of conditioning and brainwashing that takes advantage of a certain human tendency to require something to ‘worship’ or serve. But that’s beside the point. I could be wrong (and I’m ok with that as well) the Bible or the Quran could be the absolute truth and sent directly from God above, as opposed to say being sent from very human writers (many suffering various states of mental illness) as a way to describe what they thought of as “God”.
Seeing the reality of the Bible and Quran as simply collected writings of a religious nature simplifies things. Does burning one of these cause any harm? In a logical world no, it doesn’t, it is simply a book (that you can freely purchase) and just like any other book, it is highly flammable. However, in the real world (which is often illogical) burning a Quran has real world consequences, which Sweden is discovering with its embassy being raided by a religious mob in Iraq.
Does that mean we shouldn’t be allowed to burn a Quran because it angers Muslim believers? No, of course not. We should be allowed to do that as much as we want. Should we do that outside of a Mosque? No, because you are purposely inciting others by carrying out that action in that specific location. Are we able to slaughter a sheep that we own? Yes, of course. Are we able to slaughter a sheep that we own in the middle of a shopping centre? Of course not.
We can’t as logical beings try to apply our logic to illogical things like faith and religion. We can discuss the contents of holy books and the actions (and misdeeds) of the “Saints”, “Prophets” and “Messiahs” that make up the stories of both the Bible and the Quran. We can also choose to do that in a respectful and polite manner. I don’t need to speak this way inside (or at the entrance to) a Mosque. If a Muslim was to become offended by my words, then at least I have placed them in a proper forum and not sought to confront anyone of a particular faith.
So while we must be respectful and understanding of others’ beliefs and cultures, we must also stand ready to defend rights that have been built slowly over centuries. We have broken the shackles of organised religion and no longer have to worry about blaspheming against god or anything else deemed “holy”. But we have also progressed as a society and as such there should be no place for targeting certain groups (such as Muslims) in order to purposely cause offence.
It serves no purpose other than to drive divisions within otherwise functional multicultural societies in Europe and across the western democracies. We can live without organised religion but it’s important to remember and respect that some people cannot.