Quran Burning Aimed at Spreading Islamophobia

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Chief organizer of Nusrat-ul-Quran International Quran Competition in Iraq said the desecration of the Holy Quran in small Florida church was aimed at spreading Islamophobia and the culture of violence in the US.Sheikh Mazzin As-Saedi added that the sacrilegious move by Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, and similar actions by others aim to deal a blow to Islam by insulting its sanctities.“They should know, however, that defiling the Holy Book of Islam will not harm the status of Revelation but will lead non-Muslims to learn more about the Quran.”He said reaction to such sacrileges should be in the form of cultural activities, adding that cultural officials and activists in the Muslim world should implement programs to promote the Quranic culture.Elsewhere in his remarks, As-Saedi pointed to the naming of 2011 in Iran as the Year of Supporting the Quran in reaction to Terry Jones’s Quran burning that year, saying that a great number of Quranic activities and programs were carried out in Iraq and elsewhere in that year as a response to those who disrespect the Word of God.He further said there should be a global plan to prevent desecration of religious sanctities and condemn such actions.The Muslim world, meanwhile, should promote the pure Islamic culture, civilization and ethical values so that everyone realizes that Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, he noted.“We, Muslims, support Christians and followers of other faiths and respect their faith and their holy books,” the Iraqi cleric underlined.He expressed hope that all Muslims implement the teachings of the Holy Quran in their lives because it contains the solution to all problems.On April 28, 2012, Terry Jones set copies of the Quran and images depicting Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) outside the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. /129