Burned texts left at Islamic Center

Roanoke Times ^

[AppyPappy]

Burned texts left at Islamic Center

Blacksburg police have not determined if the Qurans were burned as a hate crime.

By Joe Eaton 381-1665 The Roanoke Times

BLACKSBURG - Members of the Islamic Center of Blacksburg were stunned when they arrived at the building for prayers Saturday afternoon.

Outside the building, a plastic shopping bag filled with burned copies of the Quran sat in front of the door. Blacksburg police say they do not have any leads on who left the burned religious books, but they are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

On Tuesday afternoon, as a group of men gathered at the center, 20-year-old Idris Adjerid said he was disgusted about what happened to the sacred books.

[6ppc]

Blacksburg police have not determined if the Qurans were burned as a hate crime.

Since when is burning books of any kind a punishable crime? It's a moral crime if you are trying to suppress knowledge (as in Hitler's book burning), but is not a criminal act.

The most serious infraction I see here is littering.

[tkathy]

A book of hate is going to get hated.

[freedomson]

We need to organize a;

BURN THE KORAN DAY!

[bill1952]

I'll do it. And have a neighborhood barbecue, as well.

[AppyPappy]

Ya'll are so messed up.

[tomkat]

(it's a koran, but i'm a photoshop retard ;-)

[SlowBoat407]

Al-Qatami said the best way police can help stop hate crimes against Muslims is to treat all religions equally.

[milford421]

LOL...good point

[freedomson]

Ya'll are so messed up.

Only someone who believes the koran would say that. Get him!

: )

[tomkat]

Ya'll are so messed up

..and yet, here you are, amongst us.

[Issaquahking]

Yes we do! I don't advocate hate, for hates sake, but a day in which we speak out against the left for trying to ban our freedom of expression has arrived! Let's think about when a good day kind of like the Fourth of July would really seem appropriate.

[AppyPappy]

It's a weakness.

One of the local hippies will burn the Bible now to show it is wrong to burn holy books.

[freedomson]

It's your idea, maybe you should start a new thread.

[SlowBoat407]

Too bad we didn't catch it while they were still burning. I'd have been happy to show them how I douse a small fire. I have to drink lots of ice tea, though.

[tomkat]

One of the local hippies ..

.. as long as the female versions thereof don't start w/the whole flaming bra thing again !

[RSmithOpt]

I once threw a worn-out inexpensive bible into the garbage. Is that a "hate" crime?

Not if you disliked its physical condition because reading the Bible became more difficult and you didn't forget The Words.

It's THE WORD that never wears out. It's the meaning, like that of the US flag and what it stands for. You'd might be inadvertently taking away from The Word if some pages were accidentally lost.

However, if the Bible you were talking about was worn from use by you or you and many others, then that old book would be a neat testimony sitting on your bookshelf.

The way I see it, the paper and the cover (paper or leather) and the gold leaf trim and lettering came from the earth, so, you'd just returned its physical properties back to that from which God gave us in the first place.

[relictele]

Oh! Well, if it's a HATE CRIME then by all means pull all cops off the street until it's solved.

[RSmithOpt]

Hmmm....well trained pup. Most be a breed trained to sniff out BS.

[Issaquahking]

Perhaps tomorrow...right now gotta get out of here and go finish a job!

[RSmithOpt]

So, is not burning the US flag an act of intimidation against Americans who are of an ethnicity too?