The state of world peace is maintained by a delicate balance. It is also maintained by a tolerance of the actions of others and an acceptance of beliefs that may not be your own. It is, often, as simple as respecting other people’s feelings.
Nothing seems to demonstrate this more than the recent publicity given to a small time US ‘preacher’ who threatened to burn copies of the Koran, outside of his church, in a demonstration against the 9/11 attacks and the Muslim faith. He is someone who has a tiny following but who has found headline status across the globe due to the reaction of the press, and public criticism of him made by the US president.
On the other side of this balance is the plan to build an Islamic Centre near the site of the fallen World Trade Center in New York. When so many died at the hands of people who claimed they were fighting in the name of Islam it is understandable some in the US are genuinely outraged.
The Imam responsible for the New York project claims it will supply facilities for all religions and support reconciliation of all faiths; critics claim it is an insult to the memory of those killed in the 2001 attacks.
There lies the balance.
If the preacher had carried out his threat, the repercussions would have been felt across the globe as Muslim radicals carried out reprisal attacks on Americans and American interests. The US would then be forced to respond in kind and the whole thing would escalate from such a small beginning to affecting a large part of the world.
Maybe, I missed out one of the most important ingredients in maintaining the balance of world peace – common sense!!
From a small spark comes conflagration!
