Oh, fine, let’s talk about burning the Quran.

I’ve been ruminating on this topic for days, now.

Wanting to post, not wanting to post.

As an aside, did you know that the word “ruminating” has its basis in the name of the Sufi poet, Rumi?

Next time you’re ruminating, you may want to think about how if it weren’t for Muslims, you wouldn’t be able to do that.

You’d be newtonating.

Or worse, pasteurizing.

On behalf of the entire Muslim population of the world, may I say, “You’re welcome.”

Ah, were this a world where you and I could sit down and talk about Rumi for three hours instead of some jackass in Gainesville that thinks he’s Richard the Lion Hearted saving Christendom from the horned Moorish devils of the East.

Sorry, correction, saving you from the moors.  I, apparently, am a Moor.  Sans horns.

Sigh.  There are no words.

There is, however, sparse mathematical evidence presented via bullet points that this may not be as scary as we think.

(Should I even use the word bullet, given all this violent context?)

(Someone might think I’m a terrorist.)

(Crap.  I said terrorist.)

(Damn.  I said crap.)

(Jesus.  I said …)

• Population of the United States: 307, 006, 550.

• Population of the Crazy-Burn-A-Koran-Day-Look-How-Stupid-We-Are-We-Cant-Even-Spell-Quran-Correctly-Church-of-An-Alternate-Jesus-With-Whom-We-Are-Unfamiliar: 30.

• Rounded to the nearest 1/1000th, this represents 0% of the American population.

• By the way, zero was invented in India.  So, you’re double welcome.

• Yes, I get to claim Islam, Pakistan, America, Disney World and India.  Don’t hate, appreciate.

• Speaking of Pakistan, number of Pakistanis left homeless by recent floods: 20,000,000

• That?  Is 6% of the U.S. population.

• 100: The percentage of me that is irate over the fact that we’re having to spend all this time paying attention to 0% of the population in our country that wants to burn the Quran when the equivalent of 6% of our population is homeless in a country where people read the Quran.

• Someone mentioned that we should be careful when we go to this year’s Eid festival.  There’s a rumor that this book burning group is going to send operatives to disturb the occasion.  The people who hate terrorists are going to send terrorists to a family festival.  Somehow, I’m not surprised by their complete lack of self awareness here.

• Again, let’s turn to math to quell our fears.  There are 411 cities in Florida.  Assuming that only half of those cities have any Muslims, that leaves us with 205.  We’re dropping the decimal for the sake of sanity.

• Unless these people can clone themselves using the crazy juice they’ve been drinking, each individual would have to visit seven separate Eid festivals alone in order to “terrorize” the people there.

• Given that Eid prayers last about ten minutes, and occur at exactly the same time at various locations, there’s a good chance we’ll be alright.  Also, all that driving would leave them positively exhausted and they need to store their energy up for being idiots of cosmic proportions this coming weekend.  Being stupid takes a loooot of work.

• We have, as a family, made a plan to stick together, anyway.  As if we don’t do that.  All.the.time.

Unfortunately, there’s discussion beyond the math. Numbers don’t quite stifle emotions the way they ought to.  Numbers don’t erase that gnawing feeling that’s been at the entire nation for ten years.

So, let me tell you what, I’ve learned something wonderful from all of this.

Something life changing.

That most people are good.

Yes.  They are good.

When people who are not Muslim hear about the possibility of Qurans being burned, they are prompted to do good.

To do what is right and kind and immersed in love for their fellow man.

Jews, Christians and Muslims come together and say that this is wrong.  It gets them talking to each other.  And saying nice things. Maybe one day, other folks will be invited to the party.  But, for now, this is good.

A woman chooses the tried and true path of peaceful resistance, and her call is willingly and beautifully answered.

Another starts to rethink her position and fills my heart with hope.

Yet another offers the needed reminder that being just plain old American should be enough to warrant respect and love.

Churches and synagogues alike promise to read from the Quran to counteract this act of intolerance.

Students from all over Florida plan to drive hundreds of miles to protest.

The idea that it is wrong to hold an entire group of people accountable for the actions of a few becomes a tangible reality for many. That Christians, Muslims, and everyone else in this country now has the unique opportunity to know what that feels like is a gift.

We officially have the opportunity to be better than we ever were before.

I believe we can be.  I believe, more importantly, that we want to be.

Those other folks, the ones that don’t want to be.  They will.  They will want to be soon enough.  We just have to keep walking this high road, we have to… so that they’ll know that it’s okay to believe in peace, love, and acceptance.

This nation is full of beautiful souls and brave people.  Maybe, sometimes, we need a few hateful people to show us that.

Make absolutely no mistake that I hate that this might happen.  It makes my heart ache.  Figuratively and physically.

But I love that so many people, who are not even Muslim, would stand up and say this is wrong.

Love does, indeed, burn brighter.