[I] don’t support the casual, routine burning of the Koran. I don’t wish to see Americans burning Korans everywhere. That would be gratuitously insulting to Muslims, many of whom are good and decent people. Jones has made a political gesture by the public burning of one Koran and that political gesture, which is aimed precisely at the violence and intolerance you describe, is what I support.

                                                    — Comments —

Here is an article from Asia News reporting on a Christian couple in Pakistan who were each given 25 year sentences for allegedly touching a Koran with unwashed hands. The article is dated 03/03/2010 – a little over one year ago.  This was before Pastor Jones was in the news.  The article is also discussed at Jihad Watch.

Islam is going to treat Christians and other non-Muslims very badly even if no one ever destroys a Koran.  Even touching this book with unwashed hands is an insult to them.

So, Muslims and Western liberals, please stop blaming Mr. Jones for inciting Musilm riots and for inciting Musim violence against others.  The violence was well underway before Mr. Jones appeared on the scene.  In fact, it has been underway for the past, oh, 1400 years.

Charles adds:

Here are some additional pieces of information for consideration.

Wikipedia has an entry on blasphemy law in Nigeria.  There are several documented cases of Muslims rioting and murdering in this country simply on the rumor of a Christian doing something that Muslims do not like.  The cases are documented with 18 footnotes at the end of the article.

There are two cases I remembered offhand that are documented in this Wikipedia entry.  This article describes an attack against a teacher who took a Koran away from a girl who was reading it during class lecture.  The teacher was attacked and before the day was over 20 Christians were dead and two churches had been burned.  This article is date 3-29-2006, five years before Terry Jones.

This article, dated 3-28-2007, describes how a teacher was beaten to death in Nigeria because she touched a bag that had a Koran in it.  She had collected the student bags before an exam to prevent cheating.  When the student who had the Koran in her bag saw the teacher touch the bag, she complained.  The teacher was then murdered by other Muslims.  This was four years before Terry Jones.

Churches are burned and Christians murdered over someone touching a Koran, over someone touching a bag with the Koran in it.  Not a peep from the Western liberals.  Certainly nothing out of the Muslims.  To say that Terry Jones provoked Muslims to violence ignores all of their previous history and conduct towards non-Muslims.  Mr. Jones simply exposed what is already present in Islamic culture, i.e., blind, uncontrolled hatred for anyone who is not a Muslim.

This is only Nigeria.  Take a look at this blog, The Religion of Peace.  The folks running this site do an excellent job of documenting the daily violence that occurs in the Muslim world; both against other Muslims and against non-Muslims.  The photos and the descriptions of Muslim crimes are ghastly.  Yet, I do not think there is any way to tell the story of past and current day Islam without documenting what this religion incites its followers to do to others. The world of Islam is violent and has been for 1400 years.  I do not hold out any hope that this will change by giving in to Muslim demands for respect and tolerance.