Unfortunately, the Terry Jones who has planned on burning a stack of the Koran on Saturday is not the one attached to Monty Pythons. Even if Python were at times equally controversial, they were never so artless and crude.
The Rev Terry Jones. a Pentecostal preacher from Florida is currently defying all denominations of the American churches, the whole of Congress and the Government, General Petreus, the Vatican and Nato by his desire to contront "extreme Islam." As the General in charge of the 100,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan put it, this act of idiocy and extremism would "incite violence and put our troops in danger."
It is pretty poor the Republicans have sought to make some political capital out of this highly tense situation. Rather than condemn it outright for the outrage it is, Boehner and Palin have equated it as equally "unwise" as building a Muslim Centre in Manhattan.
At any rate Jones is unmoved. He does not appear to be the usual kind of media whore. It's possible he really means it. Certainly the only way he will alter his memorial to 9/11 by burning holy books is by "praying" and seeking divine intervention. Give me strength.
In America everyone respects Jones's right to freedom of speech, even if the cost is tearing up all the mediation built between Islam and Christianity in recent years. At least in this country we draw a line on what is unacceptable as a protest.
Of course the British police can go too far and use powers to quell legitimate protest. But if Jones were in London he would stopped as it was considered anti-social behaviour, unconducive to the public good, a breach of the beach or a simple public order offence. Or they just go down and put the frighteners on him.
Rights should be balanced against responsibilities but in this situation the world can only wait for God to locate enough of Jones's few brain cells to get him to chuck it in.
Or with any luck strike him down.
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