Desecration of Holy Koran
The Muslims believe in every man's right to follow his own faith and never disregard any religious book of others faiths. But the followers of other faiths have not always followed suit.
History tells us of horrible incidents of brutality and cruelty on the Muslims of Spain. Hundreds of Muslims including children had taken shelter in different mosques on the advice of the then King of Spain and the king promised to save their lives and send them to other countries safely. But it was a trickery and treacherous drama. The Spanish set fire on the mosques, which were tightly closed, and the innocent Muslims were burnt alive to death. But these horrible killings had never saddened the hearts of the international community. Now we see that history is repeating itself in the new millennium. Muslims all over the whole world are being persecuted, tortured and killed on lame excuses.
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Hardly anybody missed the news that some American soldiers desecrated the Holy Koran. The news was circulated by the US Newsweek. The entire world denounced this atrocious act. The heinous act was committed by the Americans at the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay. Prisoners went on hunger strike in protest. Former prisoners have narrated other experiences. The Red Cross has also confirmed other incidents ( May 30, 2005).
We are saddened in our heart beyond expression. Holy scriptures of all religions are respected by all, irrespective of their faiths. No Afghan or Iraqi has ever dishonoured the Bible.
What pains me more is that our leaders, especially the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, who never tire of criticising each other, and denouncing wrongs done the world over, have remained silent on this issue.
Muhammad Anisuzzaman University of Chittagong
I understand why many people are eager to believe that US jailers desecrated the Holy Koran. In the context of proven US atrocities, it sounds credible.
However, I question the practical possibility of flushing any book down a toilet. Think about it: you'd have to do it page by page, for hours. I doubt that it happened and I lament that those people died in Afghanistan on May 10 because of their credulity and a wrong news story.
Sid Tupper Baridhara, Dhaka