My op-ed on the Dove World Quran-burning controversy was published at USAToday.com.

The problem: Americans don’t know the Quran

In August 1983, Muslim extremists set fire to an Ahmadiyya Muslim Community mosque in Detroit, out of hatred for our beliefs. While the building was destroyed, 2,000 copies of the Holy Quran miraculously survived the blaze. Once again, the Muslim holy book is threatened with fire. Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida plans to burn copies of the Quran this Saturday, in a horribly misguided remembrance of the victims of Sept. 11, 2001. Despite the denial of a city permit and pleas from faith leaders around the world (as well as a word of warning from Gen. David Petraeus) to cancel this event, Jones stands firm: “We will still burn Korans,” he wrote in a recent e-mail. The temerity of Jones’ message is shocking to me, both as a Muslim and as an American. As a Muslim, because I can’t fathom the desecration of my revered holy book. As an American, because I don’t understand how one can so boldly abuse our country’s values of freedom of speech and religion.

But Jones’ willful ignorance of the sacred text of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world is especially troubling. When asked about his knowledge of the Quran, Jones brazenly said, “I have no experience with it whatsoever.”

His remarks underscore a larger problem: Americans’ apathy and lack of information on the true teachings of Islam—and the willingness to form negative opinions despite both. While it’s true that most Americans are uninformed about religions other than their own, in this case, such ignorance has consequences. The continued perception that Islam is a violent or unjust religion only leads to division and discord—and fuels the extremists who exploit Islam to justify terrorism.

But both Jones and Muslim extremists are wrong about the “violent” teachings of Islam. It’s important that Americans understand Islam does not condone violence or the imposition of religious beliefs. In fact, a cursory examination of the Quran reveals that this holy book actually supports the fundamental values all Americans cherish: integrity, justice, tolerance, charity and freedom of religion.

From the holy book

The Quran—and in turn Islam—emphasizes truthfulness, as demonstrated by “Shun all words of untruth” (22:31). It instructs us to care for the less fortunate: “And they feed, for love of Him, the poor, the orphan and the prisoner” (76:9). It holds freedom of worship sacrosanct: “There shall be no compulsion in religion” (2:257). And it values justice above all else: “O ye who believe, be steadfast in the cause of Allah, bearing witness in equity; and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness” (5:9).

In other words, Muslims are guided to be truthful, charitable and to side only with what is right—even if doing so goes against one’s self-interest. Aren’t these the same ideals inculcated in us as Americans, values that we strive to uphold in our society and in our courts?

The Quran is filled with such verses calling on Muslims to practice every kind of goodness. Yet most Americans know little or nothing about them. An August Pew Research poll concluded that 35% of Americans believe Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions, while 24% weren’t sure.

Of course, it’s not difficult to understand why. Approaching the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, we can’t forget the violence of that day. The really ugly truth: The 9/11 attackers, the Taliban and al-Qaeda are all doing far more harm to the Quran than Jones is by burning it. By distorting the verses of the Quran to justify their violent agenda, these terrorists and their sympathizers continue to breed hostility toward Islam and Muslims. Instead of spreading the Quran’s message of peace, they are spreading their own message of hatred — just as Jones has twisted the Bible’s teachings of peace into a message of hatred.

But extremists have always distorted the words of holy books, and most religions have had periods where extremists gained prominence. Yet few consider the Spanish Inquisition a highlight or representative of the true spirit of Christianity.

‘Unsensational lives’

As American Muslims, it is our responsibility, then, to expose this sham, especially when Islam is so prominently featured in our national conversation. With so many Americans scared or confused about our religion, it is up to us to educate our fellow citizens—with respect and with patience. We owe it to our faith, and we owe it to our country.

We need more dialogue, more reading of the Quran, both inside the Muslim community and out. After all, more than a billion Muslims in the world and 2.5 million in the United States are living quietly unsensational lives. These stories—of the silent majority of peaceful Muslims—are not headline-worthy. But they are nonetheless real.

That’s why the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community—the oldest Muslim organization in the United States—is escalating its 121-year tradition of sponsoring interfaith symposia around the country, in response to Jones’ misguided event. All 70 chapters across the United States are bringing people together to discuss the real teachings of the Quran, the ones that enjoin justice and mercy upon us. Because that’s the only way we can really foster understanding—through intellectual dialogue, not book burning and blind hate.

I hope that reason prevails Saturday and Jones does not burn the Qurans. But I’m comforted with the memory of that other time, in Detroit, when copies of our holy book withstood the flames of hatred. I believe that the teachings of the Quran are strong enough, merciful enough, just enough to withstand the flames of scrutiny as well.

Ismat Sarah Mangla is a journalist in New York City and a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.