I remember September 11, 2001 vividly. It was during a break from work that I was sitting in my truck listening to the radio and working on a crossword puzzle. As I concentrated on figuring out the puzzle, trying to emulate my dad's intelligence, I heard the following over the radio: A plane has crashed into one of the Twin Towers in New York City. As I listened, all I could think about was how horrific that an accident like that could occur. What a tragic accident. As I headed back to work, I heard someone else state "another plane slammed into the other Tower". I immediately knew that this was not an "accident". We are all aware now that it was not an accident, but an act of terrorism. The next news I heard was about the Pentagon and the plane going down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We saw the footage of men and women jumping out of the Twin Tower buildings and the heart breaking 911 calls. Yes, that date is embedded in the American mind. All we could ask was why?
Here's the answer to the question: Terrorism. We, America, were attacked by terrorists who are part of an Islāmic front called Al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden. Americans have seen what transpired after that horrific event and since then. I have one question. Who burned the Koran on September 11, 2001? On February 26, 1993, Islāmic terrorist detonated a car bomb in the Word Trade Center's basement garage, killing six and injuring more than 1,000. Who burned the Koran back then? On January 23, 2002, on his way to an interview, correspondent Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later murdered. His decomposed body was found on May 16th 2002 cut into ten pieces. Who burned the Koran back then? Remember December 21, 1988? A Boeing 747-121 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland while in flight from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International. All 243 passengers and crew members were killed, plus 11 people on the ground. We later learned that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya orchestrated this attack. Who burned the Koran back then? We could go on and on, but suffice to ask, who burned the Koran back then? I believe that if we take a look at the nature of these attackers, we soon learn that if one does not live or believe a certain way, you are labeled an "infidel". If you're an "infidel" you die.
Why do I ask "Who burned the Koran back then"? Lately, we have seen many innocent people killed in Afghanistan allegedly because of the Koran burning act of Pastor Terry Jones of Florida. The Koran is considered the word of god to the Islāmic faith, just as the Bible is the Word of God to Christians. We can have that debate for ages to come. I have seen my Holy Book (Bible) burned throughout the world, but I have not seen Christians behead another human being. Yes, we can go back through the centuries and see wrongful acts done in the name of Christianity. But those acts were done due to the lack of man's knowledge of God's Word and/or his twisting of it. Many say that God "hates the sinner". I beg to differ. God hates the "sin" but loves the sinner. I know, I'm one of the "sinners". I believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ, but I'm not going to kill anyone because they don't believe as I do. In my Christian teaching, I am taught to love the sinner, not judge them. I'll leave that up to God, I certainly am not Him. One can burn my Bible and damn my God, but there's one thing you can rest assured of, you will not die by my hand because of it.
I simply do not understand the actions of the extreme Muslim faith ( let me be clear, not all Muslims follow extreme teachings or doctrine ) There is a hate for Israel, the United States and anyone who does not believe in their way of thinking. I question "honor killings", stoning of women, sharia law and so on. God gives us a free will, we should not have others impose on us what God Himself doesn't. He gives us the choice, follow my path or don't follow. Plain and simple. Atrocities have been performed by all religions because people have taken it upon themselves to play the role of God. So, I'll keep living out my Christian teachings as well as I know how. No, I'm not perfect, but I believe in the One who is. You can burn my Bible all you want. You need not fear me. If you fear my God, it's not us Christian's instilling that fear, it's your conscience.
Robert Wiles
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