The American pastor Terry Jones tweeted in 2010 that he intended to hold a demonstration entitled “burn a Koran day” nine years after the terrorist attacks on September 11th. At the last moment, that action was canceled, but later the pastor burned a copy of the Koran, which led to protests in Afghanistan. The then US President Barack Obama warned that the pastor’s actions could endanger US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and lead to suicide bombings. In 2013, the pastor was arrested with 2998 Korans soaked in kerosene and a large barbecue.
Riots after Paludan burned the Koran
After the Danish right-wing extremist politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran or in other cases threatened to burn it, in the spring of 2022 there were violent riots in several Swedish cities. Hear why it has such explosive power to destroy the Qur’an which according to Muslims is seen as God’s word to the people.
Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses
In 1988, author Salman Rushdie published the book “The Satanic Verses”, the title refers to a few verses in the Qur’an. a number of countries and the “Satan verses” were burned during demonstrations.
The Mohammed Caricatures and Lars Vilks
In 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, for example, Kurt Westergård drew the Prophet with a bomb in his turban. This led to a wave of protests and was described by the then Danish Prime Minister as the most serious crisis in Denmark’s international relations after the Second World War. In 2007, the Swedish artist Lars Vilks drew the face of the Prophet Mohammed on a patrol dog, the picture was published in Nerikes Allehanda. The Mohammed caricature contributed to Vilks being threatened with death and assassinated. In 2021, Lars Vilks died in a car accident when he was traveling with his bodyguards.
P1’s Middle East podcast analyzes why it is so sensitive to touch the Koran, blaspheme and insult the Prophet Mohammed.
Participants: Cecilia Uddén, Middle East correspondent, Nishtman Irandoust, the Kurdish group at Ekot, Samar Hadrous, reporter Ekot
Host: Olle Wiberg
Introduction: Johar Bendjelloul
Producer: Katja Magnusson
Technician: Brady Juvier
Source: ICELAND NEWS