Post date: 05-Apr-2011 17:46:23
The incident in which ‘Pastor’ Jones allowed his ‘colleague’ to place the Qur’an on trial moved beyond an issue of freedom of speech the moment that they decided to perform a non-judicial punishment which they knew would put innocent lives at risk. They had been warned by leading US politicians, diplomats, soldiers and analysts that such an act would put the lives of US citizens working overseas at risk because of the high probability of an angry and violent reaction in countries where the US presence is already a cause for political and religious resentment. However, Jones & Co decided to ignore expert, political moral and humanitarian advice; ignore legal and rational opposition and stage manage a ‘show trial’ that had the sole intention of committing a deliberately provocative act with no concern for its expected consequences.
The fact that these so called pastors took actions which they knew would impact upon so many human lives does not of course excuse any one guilty of criminal actions in response to this callous provocation. No system of justice endorses or may ever endorse the punishment of the innocent or the killing of human beings under any circumstances except those approved by law. Death may universally only be considered as legitimate in the defence of life and for criminals convicted by due process of capital offences which are also subject to argument and appeal. Yet our repulsion and horror at the unlawful response to the Qur’an burning should not blind anyone to evil intentions of people who, using freedom of speech as a cloak for their goals, deliberately mocked legal due process to illegally instigate a situation harmful to their fellow citizens and good order.
The US has legal provisions to prosecute and punish those who cause death or injury to its citizens overseas whatever the nationality of the offender. Since it is unlikely that the US would not be willing to send any of its citizens to Afghanistan to stand trial, even if Afghanistan could bring a charge and guarantee a fair trial, is it unreasonable to hope that someone in the US justice system might consider bringing charges of culpable homicide against the ‘pastors’ in a US court?
American foreign policy and its subsequent actions is inevitably open to the scrutiny of the world’s public. This frequently leads to, often unjust, criticism of the American people as a whole just as criticisms against the whole Islam are often responses to the acts of a deviant minority but in cases where sufficient reliable evidence of criminality has been assembled against members of its armed forces overseas prosecutions have been brought and convictions made. Whatever our political or religious position it has to be recognised and applauded that the majority of Americans consciously and actively desire truthfulness and justice to be prominent in the affairs of their nation. Many of these people must be sitting uneasily while men who have caused great harm to their nation and fellow citizens hide from justice behind the farrago of a belief in freedom of speech. A freedom, and treasure, which they have wilfully mocked, and cast into the gutter of world opinion. Freedom of speech is a precious right that must be defended from those who only use it as a shield for their criminal desires and actions. It is a right that must be defended by the justice system prosecuting those who use it to break the law so that all may safely enjoy the right to speak their minds without fear of rabble rousers and mobs.