Source: The Daily Star.

DHAKA: A number of copies of the holy Quran were burnt when the stalls and pushcarts of hawkers were set ablaze during the violence at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram mosque Sunday afternoon.

Hundreds of people gathered near the south gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque yesterday to see the trail of Sunday’s devastation left by Hefajat-e Islam men. They saw many burnt pages with Arabic words on them.
They were very careful not to step on those pages that were once part of the Holy Qur’an, the sacred text of the Muslims.
Inside the south gate, bookseller Hafez Mohammad Shahadat Hossain was conversing with other small traders, who lost their businesses on a single night.
Shahadat and his partner Moulana Abdullah Aziz have been selling the Holy Qur’an and Islamic books, including Bukhari Sharif and Neyamul Koran, in front of the mosque for nearly thirteen years.
Not even in his worst nightmare could Shahadat imagine that someone would torch the holy books.
“Let alone a Muslim, not even a non-Muslim can do what they [Hefajat men] have done,” he said, struggling to hold back his anger.
“It is sad and outrageous.”

The torching of the Holy Qur’an by Hefajat men has sparked a wave of protests across the country.

Hefazate Islam men set Islamic books ablaze during riot skirmish with local law enforcement. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

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