STATEMENT BY HRHPRINCE EL HASSAN BIN TALAL OF JORDAN
SEPT 8TH 2010
TO BUILD OR TO DESTROY?
As President Emeritus of the World Conference on Religions and Peace I find it sorrowful that a single act of blindness can jeopardise the work of those who have worked so tirelessly for so long. It is my belief that by staging a burning of the Qur’an on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and on the penultimate day of the Holy Month of Ramadan, the actions of the Gainesville Church will lend succour to those who wish not to build up, but to destroy.
I draw reassurance from the universal and unequivocal condemnation this action has provoked from across the world, from those of every political persuasion and religious background. It is my hope that this action will be seen for what it is: as a calculated effort to divide, and the foolish delusion of hearts which seem very much closed.
There is no doubt that between East and West, Muslim and Christian, a dialogue of ugliness exists. On both sides, there are those who distort religion for their own ends, often from the inside. As a Muslim, I believe in the haq el hurriya and haq el karama – the right to freedom and the right to human dignity. The ethical and moral codes of Islam, Judaism and Christianity centre on justice, equality, freedom, charity and faith in God.
The flames lit in Gainesville must not lead to entrenched hatred, but rather to renewal – and to a keener understanding that the things which unite us all are stronger than those forces which strive to drive us apart. I suspect that by cursing the darkness, Gainesville will light a candle among all those who are tired of seeing ignorance defeat dialogue, and the promotion of fear above understanding.
Let us work to ensure that out of the vanity of this performance, and the ashes of that Qur’an, the tulips of religious harmony and trust can be born. Let’s respond by taking this act of hate, and turning it into something positive.
El Hassan bin Talal