Koran banned
In a move that’s bound to irk the recently-formed Christian Muslim Forum, the UK’s foremost Christian book chain SPCK (Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge) has decided to stop selling the Koran in its stores.
The majority stake of SPCK was recently sold to the Eastern Orthodox St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust, headed by Texan businessman Mark Brewer. He says:
Stocking books which are inimical to Christianity, which without question the Koran is, could well create the wrong impression among some that we endorse the belief systems of other religions as equal or viable alternatives.
Ibrahim Mogra, who chairs the inter-faith committee of the Muslim Council of Britain (an organisation which the Times still thinks should be consulted on such matters, for some reason), is dismayed:
Islam is currently under the spotlight. It is misunderstood and has been abused by some who have carried out violence in its name. Now is the time for people to have access to the Koran and the writings of Islam. This will help people understand the faith and what makes Muslims tick.
Isn’t encouraging people to read the Koran a bit of a risky strategy for someone who wants to promote Islam?
“This will help people understand the faith and what makes Muslims tick.”
What poor use of language when talking about countering attitudes to suicide bombers.
Don’t they have the SPCK equivalent? And I’m sure the thing is on sale at mainstream bookshops. Or is it? Maybe it’s a ‘desecration’. Allah forbid that it should find its way onto the bottom shelf! But expecting a Christian bookshop chain to stock it is a bit like asking the Al-Masjid al-H?ar?m to stock Gay Times and the Pink Paper.
In the not too distant past the SPCK bookshop was the epitome of backstreet harmlessness; OK, its shelves were stocked with all kinds of religious codswallop, but also some more “interesting” general philosophy books too. Guess we have to thank the general increase in religiosity, currently plaguing our society, for its sudden appearance on the radar.
The Koran is not the same as sharia law, the latter being mans interpirtitation of the koran, and from what I can gather the bible is a bit on the violent side. The problem is banning the sale of books because one dislikes them, disagrees with them, because they do not fit into ones veiw of the world of how it is or should be.
Censorship enlightens as much as it discusts, you read a book by , for instance, a fundy, it just makes one think that they are barking mad and stay away from them. Books should never be banned by anyone (exept Babs Cartland ones, but thats a personal veiw!)
[…] (Hat tip: MediaWatchWatch) […]
[…] Koran banned: MediaWatchWatch, 04/12/2006 […]