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An Army Reserve recruit from upstate New York is taking some flak for his online contest to create a papier mach? pig out of a Quran.
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The contest is the creation of Jon Alvarez of Baldwinsville, N.Y., who posted the event on his website, pabaah.com, which is an acronym for Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood.
"The requirement for all entries is that the material used for all entries must be comprised of pages from the Islamic Book of Peace (or is it Piece, as in body pieces?)" he says on the site. "Originality in design will carry great weight with the judges."
He even includes links to get free Qurans and instructions on papier mach?.
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The winning entry will be auctioned off, with the proceeds to be split between the winning artist and a charity benefiting children of U.S. soldiers killed in action fighting the war on terror.
Alvarez, a staunch Republican, believes the event is meant to display the hypocrisy of Muslim extremists.
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"They haven't apologized for burning our flag, yet they expect people to apologize for supposedly desecrating the Quran," he told the Syracuse Post-Standard.
Some comments on his website include:
It's unclear if the contest will have any impact on his fledgling career in the military, as he's scheduled to report for basic training in two months.
Maj. Jeff Wildeboer, operating officer with the Army Reserve 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion in Mattydale, N.Y., told the Post-Standard the contest only serves to be hurtful and stereotype Muslims, and is 180 degrees from the battalion's mission.
"We don't do stupid things to mock or punish a theology," Wildeboer said. "It shows poor taste."
