CODEPINK publishes Ten Reasons Not to
Burn the Qur'an in response to Dove World Outreach Center's plan to burn
copies of the Qur'an on the 9th anniversary of 9/11. We hope our
Ten Reasons will help bring about greater awareness, understanding and
healing on this sad anniversary.
We call on the Dove World Outreach Center to abandon hate mongering for
the true ideals of peace-building -a cornerstone of our democracy and
our many faiths.
We call on the Dove World Outreach Center to recognize that like Mohammad,
Jesus counseled love and forgiveness, not hatred and symbolic burnings.
His teachings should not be used as sources of self-satisfaction and hatred
of others. Those of us who believe in God , whether they are Muslim or
Christian or followers of another faith, would do better to hold on to
the beautiful teachings of their faith traditions than to commit acts
of hatred and destruction, whether they be symbolic burnings or otherwise.
Rather than burn scriptures, let us learn more about each other, to know one another better.
Ten Reasons Not to Burn the Qur'an
One
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: The Koran*
teaches that Jesus Christ, the Crucified, Risen Son of God, King of Kings
and Lord of Lords was NOT the Son of God, nor was he crucified (a well
documented historical fact that ONLY Islam denies). This teaching removes
the possibility of salvation and eternal life in heaven for all Islam's
believers. They face eternal damnation in hell if they do not repent.
CODEPINK:
- Islam is not a new religion, but traces its roots to Abrahamic monotheism,
which teaches that God is one. God is one means that God has no parents,
spouse, son or daughter. Therefore, God is considered indivisible and
incomparable in any way, shape or form to any other living creature.
- This idea can also be found in the Hebrew Scriptures in the form of
the first of the Ten Commandments and elsewhere in the Bible.
- The belief that Jesus was not crucified also predates Islam. For example,
the Docetans were among Jesus' early followers, who also claimed he
was never crucified and that another was crucified in his stead. The
Gospel of Barnabas, also known as the Gospel of Truth, is a pre-Islamic,
non-canonical gospel, which contains fuller accounts of the life of
Jesus, and which tell of the crucifixion of Judas instead of Jesus.
After the council of Nicea, the Catholic Church declared it heretical,
burned its copies, and forbade Christians from reading it.
- Only God decides who attains salvation and who doesn't, be they Muslim
Christian or Jew and no human being or institution has the authority
to judge another.
- The Qur'an also teaches that Jesus, peace be upon him, is a prophet
and a messenger of God, equal to Mohammad himself. Other than the New
Testament, the Qur'an is the only holy book to mention Jesus so profusely
and so positively. For example, Jesus is not mentioned at all in the
Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas or the teachings of Buddha. This is one good
reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Two
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: The Koran does not have an
eternal origin. It is not recorded in heaven. The Almighty God, Creator
of the World, is NOT its source. It is not holy. Its writings are human
in origin, a concoction of old and new teachings. This has been stated
and restated for centuries by scholars since Islam's beginnings, both
Moslem and non-Moslem.
CODEPINK:
- The Qur'an is considered to be God's word, delivered to Mohammad via
Gabriel, and recited by Mohammad to his followers. Scholars tend to
diverge greatly in their opinions on this subject. While some Muslim
and non-Muslim scholars attest to the book's extraordinary qualities
and divine origins, others do not. The Qur'an is a guide for humankind,
and a proof of God's loving-kindness and other wonderful attributes.
Its teachings are replete with forgiveness, kindness to others, and
other exemplary values and morals.
- Muslim belief in the scripture's divine origins is not baseless, but
is supported by the very verses, which are unparalleled in sentence
construction, and by its references to scientific miracles and kind
teachings. Whether one believes in the book's divine origins or not
does not diminish the value of its teachings.
- The Qur'an is also among one of the only holy books that attests
that the Bible is of divine origin, and the first to ever do so. That
is a second good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Three
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: The Koran's teaching includes
Arabian idolatry, paganism, rites and rituals. These are demonic, an ongoing
satanic stronghold under which Moslems and the world suffer.
CODEPINK:
- The Qur'an is unequivocally against idolatry and satanic worship.
Anyone who makes these claims cannot possibly have read and understood
the Qur'an and should at least thoroughly read what he/she is attempting
to disparage.
- The Qur'an eliminated idolatry in Arabia, led to the cleansing and
purification of the ancient Abrahamic temple in Mecca, and returned
the people to the worship of the one true God of Abraham, their forefather.
- The Qur'an also contains many hymns and praises to the God of Abraham,
and condemning such texts is not something a devout monotheist of any
faith background would encourage. That is a third good reason not to
burn the Qur'an.
Four
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: The earliest writings that
are known to exist about the Prophet Mohammad were recorded 120 years
after his death. All of the Islamic writings (the Koran and the Hadith,
the biographies, the traditions and histories) are confused, contradictory
and inconsistent. Maybe Mohammad never existed. We have no conclusive
account about what he said or did. Yet Moslems follow the destructive
teachings of Islam without question.
CODEPINK:
- The Qur'an is an independent text and is very different from the Hadith,
histories and biographical literature.
- The Hadith, histories and biographical literature were compiled at
a later date and should not be confused with the Qur'an.
- There are whole manuscripts of the Qur'an which date to the first
century of Islam, as indicated by carbon-testing and other evidence
provided by some of the top Western scholars in the field. See, for
example, Codex Sanaa 20-33.1 found in Yemen under the big mosque in
Sanaa.
- The Qur'an is one of few prophetic books that have been so well
preserved and that give an accurate rendition of the prophet's communication.
It is thereby one of the world's greatest treasures. That is a fourth
good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Five
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: Mohammad's life and message
cannot be respected. The first Meccan period of his leadership seems to
have been religiously motivated and a search for the truth. But in the
second Medina period he was "corrupted by power and worldly ambitions."
(Ibn Warraq) These are characteristics that God hates. They also led to
political assassinations and massacres which continue to be carried out
on a regular basis by his followers today.
CODEPINK:
- Mohammad lifestyle was exemplary and he lived very simply, preferring
to give his money to the poor. Few can match his kindness towards his
enemies. For example, when he and his followers conquered Mecca, he
did so peacefully and did not punish its pagan inhabitants, even though
they had tortured and oppressed them. There is no evidence that he ever
ordered a political assassination or a massacre.
- The Qur'an teaches forgiveness of Jews, Christians and people of
other religions, even when they harm Muslims. See, for example, "And
you will hear much harm from the people who have been given scriptures
before you, but if you are patient and pious, then that is a way to
determine the issue (3:186), … pardon and forgive … (2:109,
5:13). This is a fifth good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Six
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: Islamic Law is totalitarian
in nature. There is no separation of church and state. It is irrational.
It is supposedly immutable and cannot be changed. It must be accepted
without criticism.
CODEPINK:
- Islamic law is a pre-modern system of law, which served Muslims very
well for centuries. It is a human product, developed by individuals
such as Abu Hanifa, Ja'far al-Sadiq, Malik ibn Anas, al-Shafi'i, and
Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
- Islamic law changes all the time, depending on circumstances, and
there are many books and articles written by Muslims which critique
some of its rulings.
- It should not be confused with the Qur'an, which is unchanging,
even though its interpretation can vary.
- The Qur'an is the one scripture that teaches not to take up rabbis,
priests and other clergy and give them the authority to delineate religious
law. See, for example, verse 3: 64, "Say to the People of the Book:
Let us worship none but God, let us not associate partners with him
and let us not take each other up as rabbis other than God." If
they then turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims (wholeness-makers,
monotheists, peacemakers)."
- Thus, the Qur'an teaches a distinctive monotheism, which makes
all human beings equal before God, and does not privilege one human
being over the other, particularly when it comes to religious authority.
This is a sixth good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Seven
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: Islam is not compatible with
democracy and human rights. The notion of a moral individual capable of
making decisions and taking responsibility for them does not exist in
Islam. The attitude towards women in Islam as inferior possessions of
men has led to countless cases of mistreatment and abuse for which Moslem
men receive little or no punishment, and in many cases are encouraged
to commit such acts, and are even praised for them. This is a direct fruit
of the teachings of the Koran.
CODEPINK:
- The Qur'an does not delineate a particular political system for Muslim
to follow, other than outlining that their governance should be conducted
by taking the counsel of the community. "Their governance is a
process of taking mutual counsel among them" (42:38). Democracies
are therefore highly compatible with the Qur'an.
- The Qur'an is also known for giving rights to minorities and other
vulnerable peoples. For example, it has given women the right to life,
independent ownership of property, wages, divorce, marriage, inheritance,
maintenance, good treatment, etc. For example, in North America, laws
concerning domestic violence date only to the 20th century. The Islamic
tradition is therefore a pioneer in giving women the right to divorce,
alimony and other financial provisions in cases of domestic violence.
- Despite a variety of patriarchal interpretations of the Qur'an which
are widely available in the media, intensive research and contextual
understanding reveals that the Qur'an asserts over and over again the
fact that women are equal and autonomous human beings.
- While Islamic law is distinct from the Qur'an, it also does not
delineate women as men's possessions or chattels. Like all communities,
the Muslim community is not devoid of men who abuse their wives or daughters-the
legal systems in many countries, whether Islamic or otherwise, contain
many loopholes and often do not allocate adequate punishment for cases
of domestic violence and other infringement on women's rights. However,
the Qur'an is an inspiration and a hope for many Muslim men and women
who work in the women's movement. This is a seventh good reason not
to burn the Qur'an.
Eight
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: A Muslim does not have the
right to change his religion. Apostasy is punishable by death.
CODEPINK:
- A Muslim has a God-given right to change his/her religion, if they
should so choose-the Qur'an clearly states "Let there be no compulsion
in religion" (2:256).
- The Qur'an should not be confused with Islamic law, which was developed
under different circumstances and which contains a plethora of legal
opinions, not all of them as tolerant as the Qur'an. This is an eighth
good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Nine
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: Deep in the Islamic teaching
and culture is the irrational fear and loathing of the West.
CODEPINK:
- The Qur'an does not endorse hatred of anyone and does not privilege
any human being over another on the basis of race, origins or country.
"O Humankind, we have created you from a male and a female and
have made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another.
The most honorable among you according to God is the most pious. God
is all-knowing, experienced" (49:13).
- Even when faced by hatred, Muslims are counseled to forgive (2:109;
5:13) and to deal fairly with everyone. "do not let the hatred
of a people lead you to deal unfairly" (5:8) "support each
other in kindness and piety and do not support each other in sin and
in attacks. (5:2) This is a ninth good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
Ten
Dove World Outreach Center's Claim: Islam is a weapon of Arab
imperialism and Islamic colonialism. Wherever Islam has or gains political
power, Christians, Jews and all non-Moslems receive persecution, discrimination,
are forced to convert. There are massacres and churches, synagogues, temples
and other places of worship are destroyed.
CODEPINK:
- These claims are not supported by historical fact--if non-Muslims
were forced to convert, there would be no Christian and Jewish minorities
in Muslim-majority countries today. It is within Muslim lands that Nestorians,
Monophysites and other minority Christians managed to survive, while
they were eradicated in Europe in the Middle Ages and Late Antiquity.
There is no Muslim equivalent for the Roman and Spanish inquisitions.
During the crusades, European Jews found safe havens in Muslim lands,
when they were being massacred by crusading Christians.
- Believing Christians would do well to remember the words of Jesus,
peace be upon him: "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's
eye, and not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matt. 3),
before they embark on a verbal campaign to disparage Muslims and Islam.
- As for "Arab imperialism", Mohammad's last sermon states:
"An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has
any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black
nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good
action."
- Islam literally means "peace-making"--it is the causative
Form IV of the root "salam," which means wholeness, peace,
well-being and safety.
- Persecuting religious minorities and burning their books is not an
act of peace-making. It recalls some of the actions of medieval churches,
which have a history of intolerance and burning the gospels of minority
Christians.
- Muslims have never embarked on a campaign to burn the Bible in
any of its forms. It is the Qur'an's insistence on freedom of worship-"Let
there be no compulsion in religion"-which has contributed to the
safety of many Christians and Jews and their scriptures across the ages.
This is a tenth good reason not to burn the Qur'an.
This article is greatly indebted to the work of Nevin
Reda, who has provided us with much of the information in these
responses. Our thanks to CODEPINK Canada for helping us compile these
responses, and to CODEPINK Gainesville, Florida for spurring us to take
this awareness-raising action.
* The correct reference is "Qur'an",
not "Koran"
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