Should burning the Quran and building a Mosque in New York be compared?

Recently, Republicans have been stating that "though Americans have the right to build mosques at ground zero, it doesn't mean they should do it." They have also been associating that phrase with "though Americans have the right to burn Qurans, it doesn't mean they should do it."

These phrases are spoken in a way that attempts to make a correlation between the two issues and that they are similar. However, is burning a Quran, a sacred religious manuscript, and building a mosque, the place where Muslims go for worship services?

Burning a Quran is a clear act of discrimination that will lead to hatred and possibly violence towards our nation and its people. The building of the cultural center, which includes a mosque amongst other things, does not discriminate and will only lead to violence due to the Islamophobia of some of our citizens.

I don't think the two should be linked in such a manner. In a rational and honest world, there is only one way to evaluate the two: one has a peaceful purpose and the other's purpose is to instigate violence and portray hate. What do you think, should burning the Quran and building a Mosque in New York be compared?

Tom Fisher