BURNING THE KORAN

I am saddened and disgusted by the violence and deaths in Mazar-i-Sharif northern Afghanistan and further protests and deaths in southern Afghanistan. Likewise, I am saddened and disgusted by the actions of so-called "Christians" who have shown such disrespect for the Koran by burning it. Media have stirred up anger among Muslims in India and Pakistan. There is suspicion that what began as a peaceful protest in Mazar-i-Sharif was intentionally manipulated into a deadly event.  My heart goes out to those families that now grieve the death of family members.

Now following on the murder of those in the UN compound in Afghanistan there are calls from the same small Christian group for retribution. My memory is that Jesus' response to violence was not a call for retribution but a prayer for forgiveness -- Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Here is a consideration: To understand the depth of the offense that burning the Koran occasions one must appreciate a difference between Islam and Christianity. For Christians Jesus is the Word of God; for Muslims the Koran as the heavenly book recited in pure Arabic speech is the Word of God. The centrality of Jesus in Christianity is paralleled by the central place given to the Koran in Islam. For the Muslim the Book is central.  A Christian understands Jesus as revealing the way God is to the point that Jesus the Christ is considered at the very heart of the holiness of God, the Word of God.

 The Koran affirms Jesus as a holy prophet and no Muslim would be tempted to show disrespect for Jesus or for the Bible without fear of offending against the Koran.

On our way to buy groceries this afternoon Cathy and I drove by the local "Muslim Association" and noticed that the parking lot was full. I recalled that Friday prayers are a regular practice in Islam. A google search concerning the Belleville Muslim Association turns up an exchange of e-mails concerning what kind of Islam is practiced there. The conclusion of the conversation has this as a Sunni site. The Muslim Sunni traveller along the 401 can conveniently turn in here Friday afternoons for Juma prayer -- obligatory for men and permitted for women.

May the prayers of all people today be for mutual forgiveness and peace!