Gary Bauer: Quran Burner Terry Jones is 'Stupid' but Radical Islam is 'Evil'

On Monday, social and religious conservative activist Gary Bauer, best known for his leadership of the Family Research Council and his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, offered his thoughts on Terry Jones, the Gainesville preacher who has been leading Quran burnings.

The Florida pastor of a tiny church who burned a Quran on March 20th is making headlines again, Bauer, now with the Campaign for Working Families PAC, wrote to supporters on Monday. You may recall that Terry Jones dominated the news for a brief period last year after threatening to burn Islam's holy book. Ultimately, he backed down. But last month he followed through with his threat. Last week riots erupted in Afghanistan, leaving 20 people dead, some decapitated and scores injured.

For those of us battling radical Islam, Jones is an impediment to our work, not an aid, insisted Bauer. Americans do not like book burnings, whatever the book is. As I suggested last year, Jones should have read passages from the Koran out loud. That would at least be educational, helping to explain why the jihadists decapitate babies and blow up buses in the name of Allah.

Having said that, we must not surrender to liberal political correctness. Jones is not responsible for the riots and deaths in Afghanistan, added Bauer. His actions merely provided an excuse for the Islamic radicals to go on yet another rampage of death and destruction. There is no moral equivalence whatsoever between the two acts. Jones is stupid; the Islamists are evil.

I understand why General David Petraeus would condemn the burning of the Quran, continued Bauer.He has a war to fight and his soldiers are on the front line facing the jihadists, who are eager to kill the infidel. But President Obama and other politicians so ready to bow to Islamic demands are betraying America's traditions."

Bauer pointed to recent comments from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., attacking Jones and suggesting that, in times of war, free speech needed to be limited.

In this country we let people burn the American flag, wrote Bauer. We allow extremists to demonstrate at the funerals of our fallen heroes. We permit these offensive things because all speech is protected in America. Reid and Graham are suggesting that things dear to the Islamists should somehow receive a special exemption. They are essentially embracing one of the essential demands of Sharia law -- no insults of Islam.

Bauer referred to a number of Muslim attacks on Christians and Jews and noted the senators remained silent.

If congressional liberals try to condemn Jones' burning of the Quran, I hope a Republican member of Congress will demand an amendment condemning the many acts of violence committed by Muslim extremists, Bauer noted in conclusion.