Bangladesh: thousands of people protest against burning copies of the Holy Quran
Dhaka: After dozens of copies of the Holy Quran were set on fire in Bangladesh, thousands of angry people demonstrated, as a result of which several policemen were injured. When they tried to attack 2 people on charges of sacrilege, the police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse at least 10,000 people, during which 14 police officers were injured in the clashes.
The two men were arrested in the northeastern city of Sylhet, considered one of the most conservative areas of Bangladesh, and police insisted they burned copies of the Holy Quran because they were very old and some had misprints. Police said the defendants are school principals Noor Rehman and Mehboob Alam, while they confiscated 45 copies of the Quran which were burned.
According to some scholars, it is permissible to respectfully dispose of copies of the Holy Qur’an that are no longer usable. Last month, following the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark, protests were held in several Muslim countries. Sweden and Denmark condemned the desecration but took no action under their laws on freedom of expression and assembly. Bangladesh has a population of 170 million, 90 percent of whom are Muslim.