Baghdad’s Christians say Quran burning plans run counter to their faith

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Christian local residents of Baghdad denounced plans by a U.S. church to burn books of the Quran on the 9th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Iraqi Christians in the capital Baghdad agreed that the plans to burn the Muslim holy book are running counter to the teachings of the Christian faith that respect all divine religions. Sabah Mikhail, 49, who resides in New Baghdad neighborhood, southeastern Baghdad, said this act is totally rejected by all Christians. “The Quran is a holy book we highly respect and deem as a heavenly book. Its burning in public would provoke the anger of Christians before Muslims all over the world as it is an assault on God and His venerated word,” said Mikhail, who is of Basran descent. A Quran burning ceremony to take place at a Florida church on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks has provoked international condemnation from military and political leaders to celebrities. It is feared the event at the Dove World Outreach Centre, an evangelical church in Gainesville, will put the lives of coalition forces serving in Afghanistan at risk and inflame religious tensions worldwide. “We appeal to that church to reverse its decision on the grounds that this would be an assault surpassing in magnitude that assault on the World Trade Center in New York. As far as I know, al-Qaeda Organization does not represent Islam as it has targeted unarmed civilians, Muslims and Christians alike,” noted Mikhail. Tanya Jalal, a local resident of al-Saadoun neighborhood, central Baghdad, said plans to burn books of the holy Quran, regardless of the reasons, would be a flagrant assault on the sanctities of more than one billion Muslims all over the world. “These plans are against the spirit of the Christian teachings and tolerance,” added 25-year-old Jalal, who is originally from Mosul, northern Iraq. Senior figures in the US have denounced the ceremony, which marks the ninth anniversary of the terrorist atrocities, as contrary to American values, while religious figures from around the globe branded the move “abhorrent” and “disrespectful”. However, Terry Jones, the church’s pastor has remained defiant, insisting that the plans to burn 200 Qurans on Saturday will go ahead despite mounting pressure. U.S. President Barack Obama said: “This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities. This is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda. “If he (Rev Jones) is listening, I hope he understands that what he’s proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans. That this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance.” Athir Kolyana, a 36-year-old resident of the western Baghdad neighborhood of al-Mansour, said Christians in Iraq are vehemently condemning this act. “This is pure extremism. Even the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, has rejected these plans,” he said. AmR (I) 2