Outrages here and afar

Opinion: April 9, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Chicago Tribune: When Florida pastor Terry Jones burned the Quran, Islam’s holy book, in an Internet-streamed publicity stunt March 20, he surely knew he was igniting more than just paper and ink. More than 20 people, including seven U.N. workers, have been killed in violent protests in Afghanistan sparked by the actions of Jones and his dwindling band of followers.

Last year, Jones threatened to burn the Quran on Sept. 11 to protest a proposed mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan, but he abandoned those plans at the urging of religious and political leaders, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The media went away, and apparently Jones missed the attention. This time, his 30-member church in Gainesville conducted a mock trial of the Quran and set a copy of the book alight, the proceedings streamed live with Arabic subtitles.

He got the reaction he wanted. Outraged crowds in Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar and elsewhere rioted in protest. Taliban insurgents reportedly used the riots as cover to mount attacks against Western and Afghan government targets.

That’s one of the mixed blessings of the Internet age. The press had largely ignored Jones since he called off his Sept. 11 stunt. But any crackpot with a camera and a laptop can beam a message around the globe, as Jones did. Still, Jones had odd assistance. Why did Afghan President Hamid Karzai draw attention to Jones’ stunt several days after the Quran burning? That’s a turn still to be developed.

Jones has potentially endangered U.S. troops and made the mission more difficult.