Quran desecration

The term "Quran desecration" is defined as insulting the Quran by defiling or defacing it.

Most traditional schools of Islamic law require wudu (ritual handwashing; also spelled wazoo) before a Muslim may touch the Quran, which is regarded as the literal word of God in its untranslated Arabic form. Muslims must always treat the book with reverence, and are forbidden, for instance, to pulp, recycle, or simply discard worn-out copies of the text; instead, burning or burying the worn-out copies in a respectful manner is required. Respect for the written text of the Quran is an important element of religious faith in Islam. Intentionally insulting the Quran is regarded as a form of blasphemy. Desecrating a copy of the Quran is punishable by imprisonment in some countries (life imprisonment in Pakistan, according to Article 295-B of the Penal Code) and has been punishable by death in Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan.

History

Main article: 2005 Quran desecration controversy

In mid-2005, allegations of deliberate desecration of the Quran in front of Muslim prisoners at the United States military base in Guantanamo Bay fueled a widespread controversy and were blamed for deadly Muslim riots. A US military investigation confirmed 4 instances of Quran desecrations by US personnel (2 of which were described as "unintentional"), and 15 instances of desecration by Muslim prisoners. According to CBC News, "The statement did not provide any explanation about why the detainees might have abused their own holy books."

In May 2005, a report in Newsweek (9 May 2005), claiming that U.S. interrogators desecrated the Quran at Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), led to deadly Muslim protests sparked by the article.

In 2007, a Nigerian Christian teacher, Christianah Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin, was stabbed to death after allegations she had desecrated a Qu'ran.

In 2010, Rev Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, a church in Gainesville, Florida, provoked international condemnation after announcing plans to burn a Qu'ran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The plans were subsequently cancelled. However, on March 20, 2011, Terry Jones oversaw the burning of a Quran. In response, Muslims in Afghanistan formed a riot in which 12 people were killed.^{[citation needed]}

Saudi Arabia continues to destroy Qurans of pilgrams if these Qurans fall short of state standards.

See also

• Flag desecration

References

  [s] - The major sources about punishment are:

External links

• "Newsweek says Koran desecration report is wrong", David Morgan, Reuters (Washington, DC), 15 May 2005, webpage: WTFrep-185 (access 2009-12-03).
• Afghan protest over 'burnt Koran', BBC, 25 October 2009.