BURNING QURAN IS UNCONSCIONABLE, SAY SCHOLAR

ABU DHABI - A prominent Muslim scholar in Abu Dhabi has termed plans by the leader of a Florida church to burn the Quran as a symbol of protest on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks "unconscionable behaviour".
Imam Jihad Brown, an American scholar who leads the prayers at Maryam Bint Sultan Mosque told Gulf News that the desecration of the timeless sacred articles of Islam, foremost among them the Quran, is unconscionable.

• "Attacking books is an illogical way of expressing dissatisfaction with the actions of a fringe group of people who have been disowned by the mainstream of that religion. If this flawed reasoning were applied to across all situations in the world we would be returned to the dark ages but with post-modern abilities to inflict destruction on each other," Imam Brown said.
• He was reacting to announcements made by the head of a small church in Florida, Terry Jones, who has refused to call of plans to burn hundreds of copies of the Quran tomorrow despite angry reactions from across the globe.
• The White House joined in the condemnation of Jones' plans fearing its implications on American troops stationed abroad.
• "We would like to see more Americans stand up and condemn the church's plan," a State Department spokesman said while US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton described Jones' plans as "disgraceful".
• Brown added that it was interesting to see how the entire American establishment had come forward to condemn this incident as both despicable and un-American.
• "They've marginalised this lone evangelical preacher and warned him of the harm that his actions would cause. The Vatican has just put out a statement condemning the violation of sacred symbols of any religion," he added.
• Imam Brown explained why the US government was powerless to stop the action despite opposition from the majority.
• "It's an unfortunate by-product of the constitutional principle of freedom of speech as crafted by the American founders. That doesn't make it right; I don't believe it has to be like that,"
• He added that Muslims have every right to feel incensed. "However, they should never feel that such an outrage gives them carte blanche to violate the very teachings found in the Quran — that's exactly what Terry Jones is trying to prove. Muslims need to ask themselves if he's right. If he's not — they need to prove it.
• Dr Omar Abdul Kafi, another Islamic scholar in the UAE, said: "Some people do things that only provoke grudge and hatred instead of calling for a cohabitation of all humanity in peace and love."

Christian authorities too are opposed to such an action. "One can think he is free to do what he wants but this is deceiving as the real freedom stops where others' start. We have to respect others' beliefs even if they weren't part of ours," Priest Issam Barsoom, in charge for the Arab Evangelical Church in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News.
Eman, a university professor, said: "The Quran is a holy book that deserves utmost respect."
Darine, a student questioned the need for such an action. "This is a downfall that reveals shallowness. The basic rules of life rely on being respectful and tolerant to other religions," she said.

Source: Gulf News