Al Qaida clerics distributing revised editions of Koran
ABU DHABI — Qatar has banned the import and distribution of
unauthorized Korans.
Officials said the Islamic Affairs Ministry has ordered mosques and
clerics to use only Korans and other Islamic text approved by the
government, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Al Qaida-aligned clerics have employed Korans
revised to promote the doctrine of Islamic war against the West.
"This is one of several measures by the ministry to ensure that no
copies of the Koran that contains mistakes would be circulated in the
country," Mohammed Bin Hamad Ajlan Al Kuwari, director of inspections at the
ministry, said.
Officials acknowledged that Korans revised by Al Qaida-aligned clerics
have been distributed in Qatar. They said some of chapters in the Islamic
text were removed.
The Qatari daily Al Sharq reported that an unidentified Qatari national
has financed the publication and distribution of the revised Korans. The
newspaper quoted Qatari sources as saying that many such Korans had been
sent to the Gulf emirate.
Officials, who cited similar initiatives from other Gulf Cooperation
Council states, said the Islamic Affairs Ministry has warned mosques and
clerics not to accept donations of Korans without official permission. They
said the ministry has established a panel to examine Korans to ensure that
they had not been revised.
Al Kuwari said Qatar would ban the import of Korans unless they had been
examined and approved by his ministry. He said Doha has already blocked
shipments of Korans from unidentified countries.
