Berkley Condemns Quran-Burning, Religious Intolerance

Press Release

(September 9, 2010 -- Washington, D.C.) Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today released the following statement on the planned Quran-burning event in Gainesville, FL by a resident of that city, Terry Jones, and his band of followers on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
"Book burning has long been an ugly manifestation of ignorance, intolerance and hatred -- entirely un-American qualities we have fought hard to eradicate from our great nation. This hateful and disgraceful plan to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of September 11th flies in the face of the ideals of religious tolerance and freedom that America stands for.

"We cannot forget the lessons we have learned from the discrimination other religions have experienced -- from the violent oppression of the early Christians by the Roman Empire to the genocide endured by Europe's Jews during the Nazi reign of terror. Under the totalitarian reign of the Soviet Union and Mao Zedong's tyrannical rule over China, religious oppression and destruction of scripture and places of worship was also widespread.

"Living in a nation that prides itself on diversity and tolerance, Americans of all faiths must come together to condemn this latter-day Kristallnacht -- the event that began the violent oppression of Jews that led to the Holocaust. The vicious Kristallnacht attacks in 1938 on German Jews included the destruction of Jewish businesses, places of worship and scripture. Every American should be concerned about the planned book burning in Gainesville, which will further endanger our troops serving overseas and stand in the way of our efforts to promote religious understanding worldwide."

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