In Bangladesh, thousands gathered in protest when several copies of the Holy Quran were found burned.
The incident, which took place in Sylhet, a traditionally conservative city, resulted in several police officers getting injured during the unrest.
To control the massive crowd, which numbered around 10,000, the police had to use rubber bullets and tear gas.
According to Ajbahar Ali Shaikh, a police officer, the protestors’ intention was to confront the two suspects responsible for the act.
As per reports, 14 policemen sustained injuries, though details about injured protestors remain unclear.
The authorities have arrested two men, School Principal, Nurur Rahman, and Mahbub Alam, in connection with the burned copies of the Holy Quran.
The suspects argued that the burned copies of the Holy Quran were “very old or had printing errors.” Police found 45 burned copies of the Holy Book.
It is worth mentioning here that some Islamic scholars believe that disposing of unusable copies of the Holy Quran is allowed if done with respect.
Also, tensions around the desecration of the Holy Quran are not unique to Bangladesh. Last month, a similar incident caused friction between Muslim countries and Sweden as well as Denmark.
Both countries have, however, defended their stance on freedom of speech while condemning any acts of desecration.
Note here that most of Bangladesh’s 170 million residents are Muslims, making up 90% of the population.
