Salt Lake City - USA: Presbyterians provide free copies of Islam’s holy book

The Reverend Scott Dalgarno, pastor of the 350 member congregation located on Salt Lake City’s east side, said he got the idea from an associate pastor at his last church in Portland, Oregon. That church - Westminster Presbyterian - gave away copies of the Quran during Jones’ first threat to burn the book last fall. Dalgarno became pastor of Wasatch Presbyterian in November of last year.

File photo: Free Quran booth

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Salt Lake City Political Buzz Examiner
By Alison Peek | April 24, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY - The Wasatch Presbyterian Church is buying dozens of copies of the Quran and giving them away in the hope of bridging the gap created by extremists last March.

Pastor Terry Jones of the Gainesville, Florida based Dove World Outreach Center supervised a burning of a Quran at his church on March 20 after threatening to burn 200 copies of the book on September 11, the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Jones did not go through with the threat last fall, but did burn a book in March. Although the act was not covered by the national media, it did make it on to the Internet.


The resulting riots in Afghanistan left more than 20 people dead, including members of the United Nations staff, and more than a hundred injured. Jones is not apologetic for his role in instigating the violence.

The donated books will be available as early as Tuesday at The King’s English Bookshop, located at 1511 South 1500 East. You can call to see if they are available at (801) 484-9100. There is a limited supply, and only one per family. Every copy will come with a bookmark that reads, “This book was donated by the leaders of Wasatch Presbyterian Church who are not afraid of truth wherever it can be found.”

The Reverend Scott Dalgarno, pastor of the 350 member congregation located on Salt Lake City’s east side, said he got the idea from an associate pastor at his last church in Portland, Oregon. That church - Westminster Presbyterian - gave away copies of the Quran during Jones’ first threat to burn the book last fall. Dalgarno became pastor of Wasatch Presbyterian in November of last year.

When Dalgarno asked the church’s board to buy the books, he cited Ecclesiastes 3:7 and said, “There is a time to be silent, and a time to speak up.” The group donated $600 by the end of the meeting. Dalgarno said, “We owe it to our faith … to separate ourselves from those who do, and provoke, violence.”



Read original post here: Salt Lake City - USA: Presbyterians provide free copies of Islam’s holy book