An Example of Muslims Positively Responding to Controversies: Burn a Koran Day

See below the positive response to the “Burn a Koran Day” controversy that was supposed to be held on September 11th in remembrance of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to stand against the “evil of Islam”. This positive response shows that Muslims should not only express a strong message against such controversies but also follow it with action and positive engagement.

Expressing a Strong Message Against the Controversy

Here is are some excerpts of the Press Release that was sent out:

iERA’s media representative Hamza Tzortzis states “This whole campaign reminds us of the book burnings in humanity’s dark history. For instance in the 1480s Tomas Torquemada promoted the burning of non-Catholic literature, especially the Jewish Talmud, and in October 1526 William Tyndale's English translation of the New Testament was burned in London by Cuthbert Tunstal, Bishop of London. iERA believes that people should read and positively engage with other people’s heritage which is in line with the Qur’an’s injunction ‘so you may know one another’”

Saqib Sattar, Vice-Chairman of iERA says “With the distribution of thousands of these books on the Qur’an in the world’s international capital, London, we hope this will be a symbolic move to show that the Muslim community is proactive and seeks to positively engage with the wider community. If people do not understand the Qur’an or have questions our organisation is dedicated in clarifying and demystifying our way of life.”

Click here to read the whole press release.

Action & Positive Engagement

Here is the video showing Muslims responding positively on the same day that the burning was supposed to take place. They distributed thousands of books called “Quran: a small selection of verses” across London and had a literature stall on Oxford Street presenting Islam to the wider community.