By Leo Igwe
As in past cases of incineration of the Islamic sacred text, the recent Quran burning in Sweden has generated outrage, protests, and condemnations. Protest marches have been held in Pakistan, Sweden, Yemen, Turkey, Iran, and other parts of the Islamic world. Pope Francis and the Sultan of Sokoto have condemned the burning of the Islamic holy book describing the incident as disgusting, provocative, and blasphemous. Many Muslims have shown their anger over the desecration of their holy book. They have made it clear that such a “disrespectful and abominable” act should not be tolerated in Sweden and beyond. But is Quran burning beyond toleration?
Since the incident, I have been wondering why the outrage. Why are Muslims protesting and condemning Sweden? With what we know about Islam in Africa, I have been trying to make sense of Muslim anger and fury over this supposed sacrilegious incident. I have been trying to understand why Muslims murder, justify murder, or are ready to kill any real, or imagine burner or desecrator of the Quran. Is it that Muslims do not know the history and legacy of their religion in other parts of the globe? Is it that Muslims do not understand that Islam thrives on such sacrilegious acts? As a matter of faith and practice, are Muslims not desecrators of other holy books?
Look, enough of this hypocrisy and double standard. Enough of this drama and deceit. Anyone who knows or understands the history of Islam in Nigeria or Africa cannot protest or condemn the burning of the Quran in Sweden.
Yes, one may not like it. Definitely, there are many things that Muslims do that non-muslims do not like. One may not sanction the act. Many people do not approve of certain Muslim religious activities. But truth be told, the Islamic faith is founded on sacrilege and desecration. A critical look at the religion reveals that a desecrator of other sacred texts and traditions founded the faith. Before muslims express outrage over the burning of the Quran in Sweden or in any part of the world, they should first look into the religion. They should first religiously introspect. Islam emerged from the flames and burning of other religions. The Quran was written with the ashes of other religious texts.
Islam is a foreign religion introduced to Africans who had their religions. The Islamic faith was brought by those who forced Africans to abandon and renounce their traditional beliefs. Those who treated African traditional religions with contempt and disrespect propagated and still propagate Islam in the region. May I ask: what did Islamic jihadists do to the sacred sites and texts they found in the region? Did they not burn and destroy them? What do contemporary Islamic scholars, and jihadists doing to African religious accessories in places they conquer and control? Don’t they destroy or get rid of them? So, desecration is the mainstay of Islam in Africa. Desecration propels the spread of Islam in the region. Islam owes its sway to the sacrilegious treatment of other sacred texts, icons, and traditions. Muslims should know this. Muslims should realize this.
As in the case of Muslim destruction of other sacred texts, the burning of the Quran demands toleration.
Leo Igwe is a scholar of religion.
