‘Be careful with the Quran!’
I begin with the name of Allah the Kind, the Caring Written by: Dr Musharraf Hussain
Book burning is a heinous crime that shows utter disregard for others’ beliefs, and traditions. It’s an expression of hatred. When the book is a religious scripture, it becomes a violent act against the faithful. Book burning was widely practised by the Nazi’s in 1930’s to suppress Jewish writings, it was a display of hatred and violence. The Muslims love the Majestic Quran, the Book of Allah, they read, memorise, and recite it morning and evening. It’s a miraculous book that changed the tide of Human history fourteen hundred years ago, and today it has the same power and appeal to change humans who love it. So, in response to Quran burners the British Muslims call for ‘sharing the Quran’s message of peace and tolerance’ but also warn ‘be careful with the Quran!’
Right wing extremism is on rise in Europe, fuelled by the media’s negative reporting about the Muslims. On Saturday 21st January 2023, the leader of the far-right Rasmus Paludan of Danish political party burnt a copy of the Holy Quran with the permission of the police authorities in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Why outside the Turkish Embassy? Since Sweden’s application to join NATO, Turkey has been opposing it, without Turkish agreement NATO cannot admit Sweden into NATO. So, there is tension between Sweden and Turkey, the right-wing extremists are exploiting this to make things worse.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristensen also criticised this act, he said “Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy, but what is legal is not necessarily appropriate, burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act.”
The Foreign ministries of many Muslim countries have condemned the barbaric act: the Turkish called it a “vile act”, saying the Swedish government’s decision to allow the protest to go ahead was “completely unacceptable”. The Iranians said, “Some European countries under the pretext of free speech and freedom of expression, are allowing extremist groups to spread hatred and discord,” The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister warned that this sort of conduct would incite Muslims all over the world and would make for a very dangerous provocation.” The Bangladeshi foreign ministry said, “The act of insulting the sacred values of Muslims globally in the guise of ‘freedom of expression’ is unacceptable.”
British Muslim organisations, Imams and scholars have joined in to condemn this sacrilegious act. The Jamaat Ahlusunnah, the world Muslim federation and British board of Imams and Scholars are calling for this Friday to be dedicated to celebrating the glory, majesty, and the beauty of Allah’s book. The imams are being urged to speak about the Quran’s message of peace, tolerance, and human brotherliness during the Friday Sermon.
