Defaced Koran angers Nashville Muslims
Police investigating possible hate crime
By LEE ANN O'NEAL
Staff Writer

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050623/NEWS01/506230419

A Muslim holy book was found yesterday covered with
flies, with a torn-out page mashed into what appeared
to be feces and burned around the edges.

The Koran was discovered on a doorstep about noon by
an Islamic man who lives nearby in the LeNore Garden
Apartments complex. He was walking to his home in the
community, largely populated by Islamic immigrants
from Somalia. A neighbor told police the book had been
on the steps since at least 5 p.m. Tuesday.


The Koran is regarded as a direct connection to God,
and ill treatment of copies is considered by the
Islamic community to be a grave act of aggression.
Highly publicized recent accounts of Koran desecration
at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba have
sparked protests throughout the Islamic world.

"It's in the heart of every Muslim. We respect and we
love (the Koran) more than our families," said
Ab-dishakur Ibrahim, imam of the Al-Farooq mosque. "I
don't know why anyone would do this. I can't
comprehend it."

About a dozen Muslim men waited outside 647 Crutcher
St. throughout the afternoon, taking breaks from their
watch only to pray and to notify other friends.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime
and are consulting the FBI. A suspect could be charged
with misdemeanor desecration of a venerated object or
civil rights intimidation, which can be a felony or
misdemeanor charge, said Metro police Capt. Mike
Hagar. The district attorney would make a decision
whether to pursue criminal charges.

Ali Salad Mohamed had parked his car on Crutcher
Street and was walking to his home about noon when he
spotted the Koran.

"It seems that it's been put in feces, bleached and
burned," he said. A Metro policeman said last night
that it was unclear whether the substance was feces.

Two imams examined the damaged book and said they saw
no apparent pattern in which pages had been burned and
torn. The timing of the crime within the Islamic
calendar also did not seem significant, said
Abdulhakim Ali Mohamed, imam of the Islamic Center of
Nashville.

A neighbor, Mona Grigsby, 33, who lives at 649
Crutcher St., said she noticed the Koran on the steps
Tuesday when she came home from work.

She said it didn't seem like something to be worried
about."I didn't know really what it was."

Ibrahim asked his community to show their concerns
through peaceful means. Some 15,000-20,000 Muslims
live in the Nashville area, one leader said.

"This city has been peaceful, nice, respectful to
everybody. So let us not forget that," Ibrahim said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Agency monitors Quran defilement
Islamic leaders to offer copies of holy book
By LEE ANN O'NEAL
Staff Writer

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050624/NEWS01/506240401/1\
006/NEWS

A Metro agency that works to resolve complaints of
discrimination stepped in yesterday to assist Islamic
leaders, the day after a defiled Quran was found on
the steps of a Nashville apartment.

Staff from the Metro Human Relations Commission met
with religious leaders yesterday to document their
accounts of the Wednesday incident, said David Perez,
a compliance inspector with the commission and an
attorney. Perez also contacted the Metro Police
Department to gather information about police
response, which religious leaders have criticized as
too slow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tolerant oath -- Courts should allow Quran
Rocky Mount Telegram
Thursday, June 23, 2005

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2005/06/23/2\
0050623rmtoath.html

An Islamic group is asking North Carolina court
officials to allow the use of the Quran when
administering courtroom oaths.

The request stemmed from an incident last week, in
which judges in Guilford County told a Greensboro
Islamic center that they would not permit people to be
sworn in on the Islamic holy book rather than a Bible.
At present, the most commonly used method of
oath-taking is with the Bible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Judge's statements spark controversy
6-22-05
By Eric Collins, Staff Writer
News & Record

http://www.news-record.com/news/local/gso/quranreax_062205.htm

GREENSBORO — The decision by local court officials to
deny the use of the Quran for oaths has garnered
national media attention and the scrutiny of a
Washington-based Islamic civil rights group.

Officials with the Council on American-Islamic
Relations said Tuesday that statements by Guilford
County's top judge seem to endorse a particular
religion and could be a violation of the U.S.
Constitution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More about Quran at:
http://www.islamawareness.net/Quran/




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