Barre church embraces Islam through Quran reading

Ahlul Bayt News Agency ; WASHINGTON – Churchgoers in Barre this morning will look to extinguish the cultural flames fanned by a Florida pastor’s threat to burn copies of the Quran.

Instead of burning the Muslim holy book, area pastors will head to the First Church in Barre, Universalist, to read it.

“We felt like it was a wonderful opportunity for people to get together and learn about the Quran rather than making judgments without information about what the teachings really are,” said the Rev. M’Ellen Kennedy, who preaches at Unitarian Universalist churches in Washington and Strafford.

Pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., had threatened to burn the Muslim holy book on Saturday, the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, over plans to build an Islamic center in New York near where terrorists brought down the World Trade Center. He later said the church would not burn a Quran, even if a mosque is build near ground zero.

Kennedy said she is drawn to Islam’s focus on alms-giving, one of the religion’s Five Pillars.

The Rev. Louise Ulrich of the Barre church said Jones’ message cited perilously narrow Scriptures.

“Some revered religious readers pick and choose what they’re going to quote — and it’s often not one of the more recent, tolerant Scriptures,” she said. “We’ll pick the peaceful ones because we want peace.”

The Rev. Mara Dowdall of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, who is scheduled to speak, said she believes the readings will underscore several key elements of her faith.

“Unitarian Universalists believe that spiritual wisdom comes from many sources, and that includes Islam,” she said.

“As a person of faith, I think it’s important that we stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters in solidarity these days,” she said. “And finally, as a member of the clergy, I think I have a sacred duty to be a counterweight in the public against those who claim the authority of our office.”

The gathering starts at 2 p.m. and will include a time for discussion and questions to facilitate learning about Islam.