Planned mass burning of the Holy Koran outrageous and disgraceful

Reports that Terry Jones, an American evangelical Church pastor named Dove World Outreach Centre intends to burn copies of the Holy Koran to commemorate September 11, 2001 are not only sacrilegious but extremely dangerous.

The anticipated action portrays extreme bigotry, religious intolerance and ignorance. NATO Commander General David Petraeus has correctly stated that such action will endanger the lives of American troops and civilians worldwide.

The truth is that it has the potential to endanger the lives and well being of all Christians. The misguided individuals behind this grotesque project should be cautioned and bonded to maintain the peace before they endanger the lives of innocent law abiding persons worldwide

DAUDI MWENDA, Nairobi

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Forgive him

Pastor Terry Jones in the US State of Florida who’s caused an international storm with his plan to burn the Muslim Holy book on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York, is being widely condemned for inciting religious hatred.

Yet he is hardly an original thinker.
History is filled with book burning, censorship and persecution of those who espouse different religious, political or artistic beliefs.

During the inquisition in Europe, the Church routinely burned Jewish books of faith. “Where they have burned books,” the German Jewish writer Heinrich Heine wrote in 1821, “they will end in burning human beings.

This predictions and prophecy has been fulfilled during the second world war when thousands of Jews ended up in Nazi gas chambers in Germany and other European countries.

Despite these act of bigotry, as a Muslim, I would strongly urge my fellow Muslims to show utmost restraint and avoid acts that might lead to further portraying of Muslims as violent people.

Throughout history such acts of intolerance against Muslims only made Islam and Muslims stronger in their faith. So let’s leave this pastor alone and pray for him so that God the Almighty shows him “the straight path” and not the path of those who have gone astray (Koran 1:5).

SIMBA GULEID, Nairobi