Dearborn Imam Calls for Peace after Qurans Found Burning Near Mosque

Holding three burned Qurans in his hands during his sermon, the spiritual leader of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn called for peace and an end to religious bigotry.

“That’s terrorism,” Imam Husham Al-Husainy said about the Qurans, which were found burning outside the mosque this week. “This is hate. ... Let’s pray for peace here and all around the world.”
Al-Husainy said that on Tuesday afternoon members of his mosque found the Qurans, Islam’s holy book, on fire on Warren Avenue across the street from the mosque, a Shia center attended by Iraqi-Americans.
The members doused them with water to stop the fire. Dearborn Police are investigating the incident.
The Quran burnings came just days before a planned visit Saturday by Terry Jones, a pastor in Florida who’s known for burning Qurans.
Al-Husainy said he thinks the Quran burnings outside his mosque are related to Jones. In September 2012, Al-Husainy held a rally against Terry Jones outside the mosque, holding up a picture of Jones with a big X on it.
“This is revenge,” he said. “He’s coming here to terrorize us.”
Jones’ spokesperson did not return an e-mail seeking comment.
Al-Husainy, who’s of Iraqi descent, compared the Quran burnings with the attacks this week in his native land by groups related to al-Qaida. Like others in his mosque, he strongly opposed the regime of Saddam Hussein and extremist groups like al-Qaida, which is reportedly involved in the attacks this week in which insurgents took control of two major cities.
Al-Husainy said the Quran burnings and Terry Jones’ visit, along with al-Qaida’s attacks in Iraq, are acts of extremism and terrorism that should be condemned.
After his sermon, Al-Husainy went through the pages of the burned Qurans, noting references in the book to Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Mary and Aaron.
He said the Quran burning was not only against Islam, but also against Judaism and Christianity.
Al-Husainy said he wants to work with Jewish and Christian leaders to start a petition to make it illegal to burn the holy books of the three Abrahamic faiths.
He said that if God’s word is not respected, society will suffer.
Source: Detroit Free Press