Religious leaders condemn Quran burning plans

Holy Quran
Brian Ali holds a copy of the Holy Quran during a public assembly for religious tolerance on Saturday Sept. 11, 2010, in Philadelphia.
Joseph Kaczmarek/AP

Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Christian leaders gathered at Hamline University on Saturday to rebuke the acts of a Florida pastor who at one point said he planned to burn copies of the Quran on September 11.

That pastor has canceled his plans, but speakers at the event, including Bishop Rosilyn Carroll, said it was still important for them to stand together.

"An attack on one faith or group is an attack on all of us," Carroll said. "Christian, Jews, Muslim, and other leaders are not satisfied simply because the burning of the Quran was called off. The very fact that a cleric would think of doing such a thing and that it was acceptable as a resolution to a problem is just beyond expression."

Hamline Assistant Dean Carlos Sneed said the proposed book burning is just one of many examples of intolerance people come across every day. And he said it's important to question every one of those examples.

"It's easy to point the finger at that minister, that cleric, his followers, those who delivered the Quran to him to burn," Sneed said. "But what do we do when we talk to our mother on the phone, and she says something that's racist?"

Dozens of people attended the gathering, where organizers handed out copies of the Quran and read from the religious text.

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