Why Do They Burn the Quran?!

Al-Ahram, Egypt, April 21

From time to time we hear of crazy incidents in which a protestor takes to the street, typically in a European capital, and burns a copy of the Holy Quran in front of a crowd of spectators. I will never be able to understand such an act, even from someone who isn’t fully sane. There is no doubt that the Quranic text sparked great controversy, not only among those who believe in it but also among many intellectuals who were interested in understanding this miracle. Western thinkers spent years studying and analyzing the Quran, beginning with the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, and Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. All of them were fascinated by the Quranic text and its miraculousness. I remember one day I entered into a long debate with one of the intellectuals who argued with me about the value of the Quranic texts. I told him that the Quran is a book that transcends all bounds of human creativity and that it simply cannot be compared to what humans have created throughout history. It is an exquisite piece of work in terms of its language, history, its teachings, its rules and laws, and the way it articulates the relationship between man and the Creator. Unfortunately, there are many who deal with the Quranic text with superficiality that leads them to doubt its origin and thus miss all of the ingredients upon which true faith is based. Indeed, the Quran will remain the miracle of the Creator, Glory be to Him, in text, spirit, and in creed. It will forever be a guide to all human beings. –Farouk Jweideh (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)