From:The Courier-Mail, AAP
September 13, 2010 1:04PM
A BRISBANE-based lawyer and atheist who videoed himself smoking what appeared to be joints made with pages from the Bible and the Koran expects to lose his job at a Queensland university.
In the video, posted on YouTube, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) staffer Alex Stewart compares cigarettes made with pages from the two holy texts. In the clip, titled "Bible or Koran - which burns best?" the professed atheist says burning religious books is no big deal and people need to get over it.
"It's just a f---ing book," he says.
"Who cares? It's your beliefs that matter. Quite frankly, if you are going to get upset about a book, you're taking life way too seriously."
But the QUT, which employs Mr Stewart, is not impressed. Vice-chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said that the university does not support the destruction of religious artefacts.
"The university is obviously extremely, extremely unhappy and disappointed that this sort of incident should occur," Professor Coaldrake said in Sydney today. "It may have occurred in the individual's private time or on a weekend - it doesn't matter. There is always in the community collateral damage to these sorts of things." Prof. Coaldrake said Mr Stewart met university management today and has since decided to go on leave for an unspecified period.
Mr Stewart had not been sacked, Prof. Coaldrake said after the Sydney news conference, but the university would review the matter in accordance with its code of conduct.
Mr Stewart, an assistant organiser with a group called Brisbane Atheists, was not at his Brisbane home today but in an earlier message on the group's website he said he expected to be sacked.
"I'm screwed. I think I will lose my job over this. Damn it," he wrote.
Yesterday, the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel, slammed the video.
"I think it's highly offensive that he has done this to two of the holiest books in the world," Mr Patel said. "It does not in any way add any value to trying to promote world peace and the consideration of different views - especially when there are heightened tensions around the anniversary of September 11 and the Eid el Fitr (end of Ramadan) celebrations."
However, the president of the Islamic Association of Australia, Sheik Muhammad Wahid, said while Mr Stewart's motives were deeply hurtful to Muslims, his future was for the university to decide.
"We condemn it and our feelings have been hurt by this man," said Sheik Muhammad Wahid. "There is no need for this kind of thing, just to create disunity and disharmony among people living in Australia."
He urged Muslims to turn the other cheek.
”I urge my fellow Muslims to abide by the laws of this country and not take any action which breaks the law," he said. "These types of actions should be condemned by the wider community. He must be asked what was his agenda, what was his purpose? Maybe he was not of sound mind at the time."
Queensland police said they were not investigating the matter.
In the video clip, Mr Stewart says the Bible and the Koran are "just books". He refers to the furore sparked in the United States by a controversial pastor, who had threatened to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
"With respect to books like the Bible and the Koran, whatever, just get over it," he says. "That said, I don't think it's completely appropriate unless it's done for a good purpose, which I've done today."
He gave the Bible a seven out of 10 for its burning qualities, and said it was better than the Koran which left him feeling sick.
As he smokes part of a page from the Koran, he ponders: "I wonder what Mohammed would have thought about this. Is this profanity, is it blasphemy? Does it really matter?"
Mr Stewart has told The Courier-Mail the video was a joke and he does not do drugs. The green substance featured in the video was actually grass clippings, he said.
He defended the stunt, saying basic freedoms, such as freedom of speech, should not be threatened simply because someone might be offended.
Comment was being sought from the Catholic church.
- with the Courier-Mail
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ReplyDeletePersonally speaking, I do not complain about that. For me it is all about a man that needs to grow up. As a professor of a university, he does not have the expected behaviour, he is supposed to be a lawyer, but it seems tha he has not learnt anything. He can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants but in privacy. I do not find any reason to make that action so public (what for?). Perhaps he was lacking of attention and he thought that posting the video on you tube was supposed to be funny, sorry for him, because at the end of the day nobody would like to chat or argue with him. I think it is enough with some celebritiess' polemic actions, but that old man, no please.
ReplyDeleteWhen you buy something, that is from your property and you can do whatever you want with it. The books Alex burnt belonged to him, so I don´t see any problem with his actions. However, I consider he just wanted to call attention to himself. I mean he could do the same alone in his flat, because he already knew his actions would caused polemic.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, in religion you could burn a holy book but to be an excellent person, or you could be respectful with holy things, but to be a pederast priest.
It is interesting how people can react for things that are related with religion, as Karina said when something is your property you can do whatever you want with it and there is not a problem, it doesn't matter if it is a book or not.
ReplyDeleteProbably if he smokes the pages of the original ones, that would be a historical damage, fortunately that isn't happened, so I am sure he is just asking for attention.
It doesn't matter the type of object that had been burnt. The really important thing is that the Bible and the Koran have a strong meaning for lots of people around the world as the teddy bear of a little girl is special for her. What would Alex Stewart feel if somebody had destroyed -and what is worse- laughed at and made fun of something very personal? I'm sure that he wouldn't feel anything because what he did is disrespectful and he didn't care. But there are some others who wouldn't like this to happen and they are those who feel offended and disapprove Stewart's stunt.
ReplyDeletePersonally I dislike to talk about religion why? just because most people can be susceptible, respecfully in my opinion the behavior of Alex Stewart was not correct, I agree, but this kind of things should not have been important because god is not in a book or church if you believe in god is because you believe in something metaphyscal then it does not matter paper and ink that´s all.
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly he has the right of doing whatever he wants. For me the fact is not about burning pages of a sacred book but respect the feelings or the beliefs of the other people. I mean, to express your thoughts is not a bad thing, but there are many ways to do it. After all, it doesn’t have enough importance. I hope some day, that things really important like wars, hungry, poverty, inequalities and a large etc will make people get angry and upset in the same way.
ReplyDeleteI think Mr. Stewart`s is a honest person, because he expressed his insatisfaction about the religions. For my is better to do that kind of things that he did and don’t do dangerous things like to injure people o kill them.
ReplyDeleteThat kind of action for Mr Stewart´s and the reaction of the people show us, the controversial of the religions.
Everybody have the right to express their own ideas in pacefully and the other people have to respect that kind of actions, this mean tolerance.
I think, when you respect the actions of the people for express their insatisfaction, it don’t means you are agree.
May be i could say that it's all up to Queensland University of Technology and Mr. Alex Stewart they have to take some conscience in their acts because that was an unintended harm caused to society.
ReplyDeleteWe know that in this world everybody is looking for something, Mr. Alex maybe wants to be the focus of attention because of something irrelevant, also that was the oportunity for the QUT to come up to world eyes and demonstrate the relevance and values in order to capt more students.
It was a controversial situation as the ones that happen in world everyday, so there's no need to make a thing like this a big trouble.
In my point of view, we have to respect the freedom of acting and thinking of everyone, but we should be consciousness about the effects of our acts and respect the others. Mr. Stewart was a stunting person to get popularity and generate controversy in topics that till are polemical for most people. At the same time, this reflects the impossibility to evaluate our own ideals and being lasting with this. By the end, we must to be sure in all the things; persons; idols; ideas in which we believe, just because we have done part of us and feeded it as a belief; if that’s the fact or if doesn’t, what’s the matter? Just respect!
ReplyDeleteReligion is usually an issue because many people become intolerant to others beliefs. I agree with freedom of speech and quite frankly Mr. Stewart has the right of express his ideas whether or not people agree with him. In my opinion people whom got shocked and offended because of his action, fail to realise that burning or smoking paper sheets doesn´t mean that their beliefs can be destroyed.Instead of all their indignation, they could be more self-critical and try to think why people do actions like Alex did.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the ways to keep the peace inside the societies is being TOLERANT. We must be tolerant and respect any kind of belief as one of the members of a society we are. The things exist as many people believe in them. Alex should not show how he thinks the Bible and Koran are just paper for him. However, if he is convinced they are only that, it is OK, but I disagree about the Alex Stewart's stunt. He had to think that many people around the world believe in those books. Those meanings are part of the human culture. I think the lack of criteria and common sense about the culture makes people like Alex do thing like the one he did.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Mr. Stewart, Is showing a lack of respect for other people beliefs, even for no believers the Koran and the bible are just ordinaries books, they represent a very important part in life and culture of musulmans or christians, with his acts, Mr. Stewart is playing down the importance for culture of this people. He can do it to smoke with pages from bible or koran but it´s unnecessary to make public his actions,avoiding with this to hurt some people feelings.
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ReplyDeletePeople should understand that the Bible and the Koran are just books like any other, they are sets of sheets with a lot of words. Religion and all beliefs that people have won´t disappear if the books are burned. It doesn´t matter if you destroy these books because your beliefs are inside you. I don´t like any religion but I think it is something that doesn´t depend on some books, things or objects, religion do depends on something spiritual.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that I didn´t like was that Alex burned paper, and paper is made of trees, so I think he should have been more conscious about nature and our environment. Besides he is crazy because smoking paper is so toxic. In fact smoke paper is more toxic than smoking cannabis haha. :D
I grew up in a Catholic family but I am atheist, I do not believe in any kind of God, and I also believe that the Bible and the Koran are just books, and may be if you ask to somebody who is Catholic or Muslim they would’ve probably tell you the same thing.
ReplyDeleteMost of the problems the humanity has are related with the lack of respect that we have to each other and this is a good example of that. I mean what was the purpose of those actions? He knew that those actions could’ve hurt people that are part of those religions. What for? It was a kind of protest or did he want to express himself? I think he could’ve do it in another way, in a smarter one. I agree with one of the comments that I read, this actions are not different than a radical religious figure forcing their view on the world.
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ReplyDeleteI don't feel insulted by the Alex Stewart behaviour because it didn't hurted my believes, so that is not a problem to me. But I think that religions has been developed by human been since ancient ages, so it speaks about elaborated cosmogonic conceptions that humanity needs in order to feel a back suport in moments of frustation or desesperation.
ReplyDeleteReligion is the "father" of humanity, and when this father gets hurted people feel insulted theirselves.
So, I can only say this: If you don't wnat to be insulted do not do the same to others!
I totally agree with his posture about those books being just paper and as paper they lack of any ideologic value, as he states the value is that that we want to give to it and that from there is where the beliefs are born; however in my opinion it is an outrageous act to behave as he does since as I said it is true that the book is not the belief but just paper, but as a book it contains the knowledge where a whole way of live is stated and as a compendium of ideas to be shared it looses all its conceptual value when it's used as a source of paper to make marihuana cigarettes and besides the value of something is which everyone gives to it and it could represent an offense to others beliefs not for being directly attacking the ideas but to destroy an object that those ideas may turn sacred, such as what would happen if someone attempts to destroy the Mexican flag which is a federal fault, or spiting over a dear being's grave.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion what Alex Stewart did, was just another easy way to get attention in a grand scale for his group or whatever purposes he had. It doesn´t matter if he burn the Bible or Koran or just another religious figure, at the end, some people are not being respected. I'm not really offendended by it, I'm not a religious person, but people should understand that tolerance and respect are essential for a useful dialogue.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Alex Steward is not making something illegal, strictly speaking, because the books are his property and he can do whatever he wants whit them. In fact, I think that this guy is just looking for attention and his 5 minutes of fame. He was trying to provoke religious people and, according with the comments on line, he was successful on it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think that even though he cannot be punished legally, what he did had consequences, and maybe he will understand that that the rights of the people from the community is the limit to his freedom.
I think that comments advocating for freedom of speech and property rights in favour to Mr Stewart's behaviour are missing the point about our gregary nature. As member of a society you must respect someother's beliefs. Your right to express your own opinion is as respectable as someother people's beliefs (and opinions). Acts like those Mr Stewart commited, undermine social coexistance.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that we have liberty to express our ideas, but it is real too that our rights finish when begin the rest peoples´s rights. So is very important that we do not abuse of our liberty because in that case we can affect the juridical sphere of the people aroud us. Unfortunately that eccentrinc person forgot that religion always have been a very important part in all societies around the world because the humanity, since many centuries ago, have believed in a Superior Entity, which was named God, and have searched the form to comunicate and establish connections whith He, so the religion was created by the humans. I think that Alex Stewart will have many difficulties and criticisms because the real problem is not his ideas or opinions, the bad action in opposition to society in general is that he did not respect the things, in this case The Bible and The Koran, that are sacred by some groups of people like Catholics and Muslims.
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