If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past month or so, you must have heard about Florida pastor Terry Jones’ plans to hold a Quran burning on the anniversary of 9/11.
It’s so unfortunate to see someone heartless enough to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, a day on which was committed one of most heinous, hateful, and violent acts our nation has ever seen, by yet another heinous, hateful, and violent act. In the name of the First Amendment, Jones plans to hold this event to send a message to Islamic extremists. However, the only message he is sending is that he is an idiot who is basically placing a sign on America’s forehead saying “please attack us, we’re asking for it.”
While politicians and journalists have been extremely vocal about both the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy as well as Jones’ Quran burning plans, from idiots like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich to the more intelligent like Anderson Cooper, Keith Olberman, US military leaders, and even our very own PRESIDENT, it doesn’t seem like Jones is backing down.
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Despite all the discourse in the media, one thing we haven’t seen is celebrities speaking out on this issue. Russell Simmons is quite possibly the only celebrity figure who has spoken out, and he has done so on numerous occasions very vocally, passionately, and eloquently. Russell has given his most sincere support to the Muslim community and has continuously bashed the bigotry that is now running rampant in our nation. I speak on behalf of everyone when I say, it is greatly appreciated.
However, the latest celebrity to join Russell and speak out is Muslim rapper Lupe Fiasco. Lupe recently tweeted the following tweets in regards to Jones and his Quran burning event:
- “If this occurs then it is ANOTHER fire that you should truly be concerned about!”
- “True destruction of the Quran cannot be done with fire it is destroyed when we fail 2 remember & practice it’s lessons in our daily lives.”
- “If they burn a book have no worries…the book will feel NO pain so neither should you!”
It is refreshing to see another celebrity figure speak out against Islamophobia. Many a youth would rather read the twitters and facebooks of their favorite rappers and singers rather than watch CNN or read an article on the New York Times. This is why I stress the importance of celebrities getting involved in our nation’s most prominent issues because they have the ability to sway minds and influence our nation’s future. Lupe is quite a successful and well respected rapper, despite openly being a Muslim. Those hip hop fans that may have negative feelings towards Islam because of its erroneous presentation in the media may read Lupe’s tweets and recognize the fact that he, a rapper who they love, is a Muslim himself and is condemning the actions of Pastor Jones. This may spark an interest, and something as simple as one tweet could change the min
