Of Race and Religion

[Number Six]

I'm launching my bid to have the shortest-lived thread ever!

 

Actually I've just read the story about the muppets in Gateshead (well, 7 specific muppets anyway - I'm sure there are more) who set fire to a copy of the Koran.

 

It would seem that the burners have been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.

 

I'm not sure how that works though.

 

I'm pretty sure I could burn a bible, a torah, a gur granth sahib or pretty much any other book I'd bought with my own money and not be arrested for anything.

 

I'm absolutely sure that I wouldn't be arrested for inciting racial hatred because religion and race are two different things, aren't they? Or are they?

 

I don't really want to get into a debate about who is the most childish - those that are offended by book burning or those that burn books in order to offend - suffice it to say that I'd put them both on the naughty step. What I'm interested in is the distinction between religion (belief in a specific set of 'teachings') and race (being from a specific place).

[andyofborg]

I'm pretty sure I could burn a bible, a torah, a gur granth sahib or pretty much any other book I'd bought with my own money and not be arrested for anything.

 

 

try it and see

[Number Six]

I don't really have any desire to burn any books at the moment - but if it gets any colder I might give it a go.

 

Do you think I'm likely to be arrested for burning any of them?

[convert]

I've got a PDF copy; would you like one burning?

[plekhanov]

What I'm interested in is the distinction between religion (belief in a specific set of 'teachings') and race (being from a specific place).

You and I might see a distinction I get the impression many don't, the 20% or whatever it is of US citizens who think Obama is a Muslim clearly seem to think you inherit not follow a religion (in reality most people obviously follow the religion they in effect inherited from their parents but anyway).

 

Personally I think people should be free to burn their own books if they want to and I don't see how burning the koran counts as 'inciting racial hatred'.

[willman]

Its not the burning, it's the recording and uploading to youtube which will be classed as incitement - surely.

[Number Six]

Its not the burning, it's the recording and uploading to youtube which will be classed as incitement - surely.

 

incitement to what though? Religion and race are two distinct things - they've burned something apparently scared to a religion, but they've been charged with inciting *racial* hatred.

 

EDIT - and it won't have taken all 7 of them to upload it to youtube, even if they are from the North East.

[andyofborg]

incitement to what though? Religion and race are two distinct things - they've burned something apparently scared to a religion, but they've been charged with inciting *racial* hatred.

 

EDIT - and it won't have taken all 7 of them to upload it to youtube, even if they are from the North East.

 

we don't know what they said before, during and after the burning

[Number Six]

we don't know what they said before, during and after the burning

 

I guess not - but all anyone knows is what was on the youtube video. Presumably if that for which they have been arrested was verbal, the reports would have mentioned that?

[boyfriday]

I don't really have any desire to burn any books at the moment - but if it gets any colder I might give it a go.

 

Do you think I'm likely to be arrested for burning any of them?

 

I don't think it's the burning that causes the problem, it's why and where you burned them, you might be arrested for a public order offence, just as Abu Hamza might be for burning a photograph of a dead soldier in Wooton Basset for example.