Toby Atkin-Wright

The BBC has been covering the story of the proposed Floridian Koran burning with footage of some middle-eastern folk burning an American flag. Could the BBC be inviting us to draw a parallel? Burning a national flag and burning a religious book are both calculated insults. Burning symbolic items is a common form of protest, in the USA, in the middle east, and around the world.

It strikes me that attaching meaning to the destruction of commonly available, factory-made products like books or flags is futile; these items are abused and destroyed, whether purposefully or not, all the time. I wonder whether all of the fuss was some kind of publicity stunt.

The BBC has been covering the story of the proposed Floridian Koran burning with footage of some middle-eastern folk burning an American flag. Could the BBC be inviting us to draw a parallel? Burning a national flag and burning a religious book are both calculated insults. Burning symbolic items is a common form of protest, in the USA, in the middle east, and around the world.

It strikes me that attaching meaning to the destruction of commonly available, factory-made products like books or flags is futile; these items are abused and destroyed, whether purposefully or not, all the time. I wonder whether all of the fuss was some kind of publicity stunt.