Fanatics took burning of Quran to the extreme

Bob Jack, North Las Vegas

Monday, April 11, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.

Gen. David Petraeus in Afghanistan has severely criticized the Quran burning incident in the United States that has led to explosive protests in Afghanistan and the Middle East. The general has stated that the burning was “hateful, extremely disrepectful and enormously intolerant.”

Let’s give the general, one of the great generals in military history, the benefit of the doubt. He was urgently concerned over the violence of the local protests, and for the safety of his troops and civilians.

Nevertheless, in a much broader context, isn’t the reason for being in Afghanistan to fight for and protect America’s interests in its way of life, its liberties, freedoms and its values? The burning of the Quran, as repugnant as it may be to millions of Americans, was a free expression of beliefs by the person burning it.

For more than 200 years, America has been standing up to totalitarian, intolerant, murdering regimes for the purpose of protecting our cherished freedoms. Why should this situation be any different? After all, it was the reaction by intolerant fanatical Islamists to the burning that caused barbarous decapitations and murders. The burning did not itself harm anyone.

We must place this incident in context, and redouble our efforts to defy and repel the ugly face of fanatical Islam. That is our proper and just cause.