Pakistan

'Burning the Quran, a form of terrorism'

The Imam of Mecca said that the pastor's threat to burn copies of the Quran was an incitement to "terrorism."

Afp September 10, 2010

MECCA: The imam of Mecca said on Friday that a US pastor's threat to burn copies of the Quran was an incitement to "terrorism."

"The call to burn copies of our holy book is a form of terrorism and an incitement to terrorism," Saleh bin Humaid said in a sermon marking the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, ending the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

With Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri among the sea of worshippers thronging Mecca, Humaid said that burning the Quran would be "aggression against Islam."

"It is shameful to attribute this act to the freedom of expression," he said. "This is an act of aggression against Islam and its followers," added Humaid, who also heads the Supreme Judiciary Council.

"We call for more solid relations, bonds of understanding, mutual respect and cooperation among people," he said in the televised sermon, emphasising that Islam is "a religion of tolerance."

Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida has threatened to burn dozens of copies of Islam's holy book on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

On Thursday, he first announced he had cancelled the Quran burning ceremony, but later reiterated his threat after his claims of a deal over the proposed Islamic cultural centre near Ground Zero in New York dissolved in acrimony.

Muslim and non-Muslim leaders around the globe have condemned the project, with US President Barack Obama calling it dangerous and saying it could trigger a wave of extremist violence.

COMMENTS (16)

Ayesha Siddiqui | 14 years ago | Reply So in a way, our sentiments are deadly. Our sentiments get hurt people die. Happened with the purported cartoons of the Prophet. Purported since I have never seen the Prophet or his actual pictures, but perhaps people so riled up had and were so upset since they did not feel the pictures carried his likeliness. Unfortunately when people die, most of them are Muslims. They are killed at the hands of angry Muslim mobs. Not only that, other people's (usually also Muslim) property is burned or vandalized. Why?

Amna Zaman | 14 years ago | Reply Truly is hurting the sentiments of Muslim when we are fighting this war on the frontline and demand all the encouragement we can get.

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Anoop | 14 years ago | Reply @Nausherwan, Fine. Follow the path of eye for an eye, tit for tat. Pakistan has been following that since ages. Look what has happened. Pakistan doesn't have proper judiciary or the means to enforce. But, India does. The judiciary is under heavy load but effective. Violence should be condemned in all forms. There are multiple tools in India to get justice. Media is on of them, elections is another and the final resort is the Judiciary.

Nausherwan | 14 years ago | Reply @Anoop DUDE, you seem so obsessed with throwing flowers.Put your self in the shoes of those men who were humiliated and i will ask your family if they throw flowers on security men.

Taimoor Hassan | 14 years ago | Reply Condemn extremism (9/11) by Extremism (Burning a Koran) is not justified

pathfinder | 14 years ago | Reply Ammad - I understand your anger. If someone threatened something very dear to me I would feel the same. Kamina - I dont understand your post too good looks like bad translation. Rev. jones is not jewish hes christian but leads a divergent church. Watchdog from UK - your first line is an insut of bigotry. This is what the west sees majority of the time from a muslim spoke person usually folled by an accusation of being intolerant. Mateen - To Americans it is a religous book honored and respected, but only a copy, not the original. I sak you what is more imporant the message inside or the book that carries it? Waqar - he is acting on his own. But some people thought he was doing it to help a political party to cause muslim / american conflict. There will always be ppl who want to futher there own goals through the suffering of others. MujahedulIslam - lol too much clint eastwood Nowsherwan - "it is a useless thing to do,burning a book will do no good to anybody." i fully agree with you on this. As for your other statement there are alot of injustice in the world we can all hope for a better future. Ishaan - I agree with your statement and wish america could hear imam spokemen with simular messages of true tolerance but majority of the ones we get later turn out to be connected to radicals. Anoop - " The American way of life IS their religion." your partily right for the majority of americans it is country and faith nither is held as high as islam to muslims because america is about freedom of choice in all things. This is my personal view on this situation. Americans see radicals actions on television and videos we see area of england, france and other european countries being taken over by sharia and are told to be tolerant of muslams, that there are moderate members of the muslim community but we never hear from them and when we do see a professed moderate like Imam rolf he shows himself to be a moderare radical by making statements like "america needs to be more shriea compliant" and refuseing to move the building site of a mosque, located 2 blocks from ground zero, which appears to be a monument to the 9/11 terrorist. Going so far as to state if he was unable to build it, it could cause radicals to endanger american security. I think rev Jones with his frustration and lack of understanding of islam thought he could get the imam to move the building location of the cardoba mosque.

Anoop | 14 years ago | Reply @Nowsherwan, "I want to inform friend anoop that Quran is the holy book of Muslims all over the world not just Muslims of Pakistan.Secondly, it is a useless thing to do,burning a book will do no good to anybody." --> Dude, Indian muslims dont go crazy for these petty things. And, thats the reason I didnt use the word Muslim world. It IS a useless thing to do. "A great piece of advice indeed , i would really like to see this happening in Indian Held Kashmir where recently a group of youngsters were paraded naked surrounded by men in uniform." --> I agree. The Indian state has not adopted Gandhi's teachings. Well, for example the nuclear bomb is directly opposite to what Gandhi preached. Hope the Kashmiris adopt the Gandhian way and throw flowers to the security guards who parade them naked and beat them. The state is vulnerable to embarrassment as India is a democracy. It'll hurt it more badly than any violent stone throwing rally.

Ishaan | 14 years ago | Reply Burning a religious book is an act of an extremist, just like any kind of terrorism associated with Islam, now if somebody gets angry over this and burns this guy alive, he'll be an extremist too. Why we the people of Pakistan don't understand the just by burning a Qoran nobody can destroy Islam? Why in Allah's name are we so sensitive to everything? I'm not shielding the burning of Qoran, but I'm trying to emphasize the fact that we have forgotton the Islam ourselves, and it's about peace and tolerance....just like every other religion in the world... Forgive them...and embrace Allah!

Nowsherwan | 14 years ago | Reply “Something sacred to Pakistanis should not be burnt and is considered “terrorism” but something sacred for the Americans should be burnt?” I want to inform friend anoop that Quran is the holy book of Muslims all over the world not just Muslims of Pakistan.Secondly, it is a useless thing to do,burning a book will do no good to anybody. “Adopt the Gandhian way of protest and send the pastor some flowers and copies of US constitution. That will certainly prove a point to the whole world. Gandhi was not a perfect man, but his ideas and methods were and are revolutionary.” A great piece of advice indeed , i would really like to see this happening in Indian Held Kashmir where recently a group of youngsters were paraded naked surrounded by men in uniform. I am sure Gandhi is hailed a revolutionary in India much more than here in Pakistan, so it will be a great example for us to follow if the Indian government adopt the Gandhinian way of dealing with “cross border terrorism”

Anoop | 14 years ago | Reply Some Americans love their country more than their Religion. The American way of life IS their religion. But, American flags get burnt all the time in Pakistan. Isn't this hypocrisy? Something sacred to Pakistanis should not be burnt and is considered "terrorism" but something sacred for the Americans should be burnt? Adopt the Gandhian way of protest and send the pastor some flowers and copies of US constitution. That will certainly prove a point to the whole world. Gandhi was not a perfect man, but his ideas and methods were and are revolutionary.

MujahedulIslam | 14 years ago | Reply If Terry Jones has read history of the world, he would never burn the quran., You know why? All those nations in history that burnt our book were conquered by us...take that...go ahead...make my day.

Waqar | 14 years ago | Reply On a live TV interview, Terry Jones was asked by the panel whether he actually read the Quran, he admitted he had not read it at all. If he had read it he would have realized the many references to beloved Jesus (peace be upon him) and his virgin mother, both highly revered and respected in Islam. Would he as a Christian still have burned the Quran knowing this? I believe there is 'Problem, Reaction, Solution' modus operandi at work here and may not be the agenda of a lone lunatic person. Create a problem, get the Muslims to backlash, splash the front covers of the media with images of the 'Angry Muslim, burning flags and possibly an 'unknown' protestor with his face covered up burning a copy of the Bible and then perpetuate and reinforce people's hatred for Islam. It seems that the pastor has had a very poor reponse from the public to join him in his book burning and has not had an effect he had hoped for from the radicals. Interestingly, when the Danish cartoon debacle was publicised to humiliate Muslims more Quran's were purchased from Non-Muslims in Denmark than any other time and as result there were many converts. The newspaper that first publicised the the cartoons had links with the very anti-muslim, Islamophobic Daniel Pipes writer, although this was denied. http://www.erichufschmid.net/TFC/Bollyn-Muhammad-cartoons.html

Syed A. Mateen | 14 years ago | Reply .Burning of Quran is not a form of terrorism but it is a terrorism which invites people to reciprocate terrorism. The punishment of burning the Holy Book of Muslims “Quran” is death penalty in Islamic Countries.

watchdog from UK | 14 years ago | Reply West is following policy of bigotry. In the name of freedom of expression people like an mentally deranged American Pastor is threatening holy Quran. I sincerely hope that this maniac does not go ahead with this. This will be deliberate provocation of the muslims throughout the world. This will have far reaching complications. I agree with Imam of Makkah that this a form of terrorism.

Kamina | 14 years ago | Reply I know many people who were born into Muslim families but they don’t beleive in God. As a ‘nationalist’, they defend Muslims and they feel angry when someone does horrible acts to instigate Muslims. I think those ATHEIST (who have Muslim families) should start making Cartoons of Jewish prophets and announce to burn jewish books. I promise you all these things will stop! They are only doing this because they know Muslims regard their prophets in high regard and will never do that. When Muslims threaten them they call Muslims beasts. So don’t threaten the alive (which is a crime in the west), target the dead ones (religious figures!) Come on CULSTURAL ‘MUSLIMS’. Defend those who are not able to defend themselves (ordinary Muslims). The reason Muslims don’t burn their books are: These books are by God (answer: by your faith, these books are not pure, adulterated and more like Fitna themselves) Doing such acts will encourage others to do same things to your religion (they are already doing that!!!!!)

Ammad | 14 years ago | Reply This fool will be killed himself, if he ever tries to do this.

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