Al-Azhar Condemns Quran Desecration by US Political Candidate

Al-Azhar Condemns Quran Desecration by US Political Candidate
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Al-Azhar’s Observatory for Combating Extremism has issued a strong condemnation of the recent Quran burning carried out by Valentina Gomez, a candidate for Texas’s 31st congressional district, IQNA reported. Gomez filmed herself using a flamethrower to torch a Quran in a video that quickly went viral online. Following the video’s circulation, Gomez was banned from all major social media platforms except X.

Al-Azhar described the act as a deliberate provocation and an assault on the sacred beliefs of millions of Muslims worldwide. The institution warned that such actions contribute to white supremacist terrorism and encourage extremist nationalist groups to commit further hate crimes against Muslim communities.

The observatory emphasized that extremist political propaganda of this nature undermines the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and reflects the growing rise of Islamophobia fueled by far-right rhetoric globally. It called for the enforcement of laws to hold extremists accountable for deliberate insults against Islam and Muslims and urged international efforts to address the increasing pattern of hate crimes threatening social harmony and public safety.

Despite widespread condemnation, Texas authorities have not opened an investigation into Gomez’s actions. Under U.S. law, acts such as Quran desecration are generally protected under the First Amendment’s free speech clause unless they involve direct threats, incitement to violence, or property damage. This legal framework often leaves incendiary acts targeting religious communities unpunished unless they meet criminal criteria.