Gerald Hankerson Speaks at American Library Association Event

On September 11, Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson participated in an event hosted by the American Library Association(ALA), entitled “The Qur’an Read-out Protest”.  The event was in coordinated as response to recent Qur’an burning threats, such as Pastor Terry Jones’ proposed “Burn A Koran Day.” See Coverage of the Event on ABC 7:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7663118

The ALA wanted to demonstrate that burning books is the worst form of censorship, and thought it would be more beneficial to read from the Qur’an.

Hankerson, accompanied by representatives from the Council on Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) and the ALA, read a few passages.

Hankerson read 2:177, a verse he specifically chose to debunk myths that the Qur’an encourages Muslims to be violent and destructive.  He felt it important for people to hear the encouragement to pray and do good works like helping the poor and others in need.

The event received an overwhelmingly positive response from attendees.