Qur'an desecration

Qur'an desecration

Qur'an desecration is defined as insulting the Qur'an, by defiling or defacing it.

Most traditional schools of Islamic law dictate that a Muslim may not touch the Qur'an, which is regarded as the literal word of God in its untranslated Arabic form, unless he or she is in a state of ritual purity "(wudu)". 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. [ [http://www.ourdialogue.com/q4.htm Back ] ] Respect for the written text of the Qur'an is an important element of religious faith in Islam. Intentionally insulting the Qur'an is regarded as a form of blasphemy. Desecrating a copy of the Qur'an is punishable by imprisonment in some countries (life imprisonment in Pakistan, according to Article 295-B of the Penal Code) and, reportedly, by death in others.

History

In 2005, allegations of deliberate desecration of the Qur'an in front of Muslim prisoners at the United States military base in Guantánamo Bay fueled a widespread controversy and were blamed for deadly riots. A US military investigation confirmed 4 instances of Qur'an desecrations by US personnel (2 of which were described as "unintentional"), and 15 instances of desecration by Muslim prisoners. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/03/AR2005060301654.html Pentagon Details Abuse Of Koran] ] According to CBC News, "The statement did not provide any explanation about why the detainees might have abused their own holy books." [ [http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/06/03/quran050603.html U.S. admits abuses to Qur'an in Guantanamo ] ] The issue of desecration has also arisen in the context of interfaith dialogue and publication of Qur'anic texts by non-Muslims, such that allegations of Qur'an desecration have been made by some Muslims against St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate in London. [ [http://www.stethelburgas.net St Ethelburga's Quran Desecration and Fraud Allegation] ] These were based on principles of Islamic sharia which establish that desecration of the Qur'an occurs if the sacred text is published using money which has been obtained dishonestly, or which is derived from sources (eg. usury, gambling, alcohol) which are forbidden by Islamic law. [ [http://www.scripturalreasoning.co.uk/ Fatwa on Interfaith Dialogue and Quran Use by Non-Muslims] ]

References


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