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umbluegray · 06-24-2005 12:24 PM

I need some help here. For the life of me I can't figure this out:

Burning the US flag is OK and is a protected act of free speech.
Defiling the Quran is treated as a hate crime.
[/list:u]

<a href='http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050624/NEWS01/506240401' target='_blank'>Agency monitors Quran defilement</a>

Islamic leaders to offer copies of holy book

By LEE ANN O'NEAL
Staff Writer

A Metro agency that works to resolve complaints of discrimination stepped in yesterday to assist Islamic leaders, the day after a defiled Quran was found on the steps of a Nashville apartment.

Staff from the Metro Human Relations Commission met with religious leaders yesterday to document their accounts of the Wednesday incident, said David Perez, a compliance inspector with the commission and an attorney. Perez also contacted the Metro Police Department to gather information about police response, which religious leaders have criticized as too slow.

The Quran was found at 647 Crutcher St. covered with flies and having a torn-out page mashed into what seemed to be feces and burned.

"The decision to file a formal complaint (against police) is being considered," Perez said. "There will be a draft prepared."

Beginning with a first call about 2:45 p.m., men from the Islamic community called the Metro Emergency Communications Center seeking help at least six times throughout the afternoon. The 911 center is a government agency distinct from the Police Department. About three hours after the first call was placed, police arrived. "There appears to be some inconsistency, and that concerns me," Perez said of the police and community accounts. Perez helped mediate a high-profile case earlier this year involving more than 30 Dell Computer workers and accommodation of their right to pray one of five daily prayers mandated by the Quran.

A police spokesman said that while police are pursuing the investigation "as a hate crime" with every appropriate resource, the delay was unfortunate. "Had (a police lieutenant) known the circumstances of this call, he himself or another supervisor would have gone immediately, believing that an immediate response was necessary," Aaron said. A staff member at the Emergency Communications Center referred a reporter's questions to a spokeswoman, who did not return calls left for her yesterday or Wednesday.

Police have said their system showed no record of the 2:45 p.m. call. They received a first call at 3:41 p.m., with a shift supervisornotified at 3:46 p.m. that an officer was wanted for investigation but given no specific details.

"The shift lieutenant runs the detail, and he was not aware until late in the game that this call was being held (without response) and the details of it," Aaron said. "Once he was made aware, he went and had other cars go." At that point, police arrived in a matter of a few minutes, Aaron said. An earlier response would not have changed the police procedure of investigation, he said. For their part, Islamic leaders have responded to the incident by making plans to distribute at least 500 English-language copies of the Quran to anyone who would like to learn more about Islam. "We are placing an order right away," said Islamic Center of Nashville spokesman Awadh Binhazim. He said the community has "bombarded" its leaders with questions about the incident.

The steps where the book was found lead to two apartments, neither home Islamic, Aaron said.

"At this juncture, we still do not know who is responsible or where the Quran came from," Aaron said. He said the FBI has not opened an investigation, but the federal agency is in "close contact" with the Metro police. A message left with an FBI staff member was not returned yesterday.

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