You all know how I feel about burning (or banning) books -- about the same as tossing puppies off a bridge -- and that's just one of the reasons I cringe at the move by the Dove World Outreach Center to sponsor a Koran-burning on September 11.
The whole publicity stunt has a bizarre "1984" feel to it. The Florida church uses an image of a white dove, but it's stance toward Islam seems anything but peaceful. It questions whether Mohammad even existed, saying there is "no conclusive account about what he said or did," while basing its absolutist faith on "the truth of the Bible." And even as the church calls for burning religious books, it describes the event as a symbol of freedom of speech.
Ironically, the planned event falls in the same month that the American Library Association sponsors Banned Books Week to highlight the issue nationwide. Many classics, including "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Catcher in the Rye," have faced removal from library bookshelves in the United States within the past year. During Banned Books Week, Sept. 25 – Oct. 2, participants will read from banned or challenged books and will discuss the impact censorship has on civil liberties, the association says.