Hollywood icon Will Smith recently shared his profound appreciation for the Quran, describing the Muslim holy book as “crystal clear” and lauding its simplicity.  In a conversation reported by Al Arabiya, Smith recounted his experience of reading the Quran last Ramadan. “I loved the simplicity; the Quran is so clear; it is crystal clear. It is hard to walk away with misunderstanding,” Smith remarked.  He was moved by the spirit of the Quran, which he found to be “so beautiful and clear.” Read more: Reasons Why Ramadan Fasting is More Beneficial Than Dieting Delving deeper into his spiritual journey, Smith revealed that he has explored the holy texts of Judaism and Christianity as well. He expressed amazement at the deep connections between the Quran, Torah, and Bible.  “I was surprised how it is like one story, from the Torah through the Bible and into the Quran. I never totally understood Abraham as the father and then the split with Isaac and Ishmail and it was beautiful to get the completion of that comprehension,” he shared. Smith, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, also opened up about his affinity for the Middle Eastern country and its culture during a podcast with MBC.  With a touch of humor, Smith, who portrayed the Genie in the live-action movie "Aladdin," quipped: “I think I was a Genie in a past life. I am so at home; I love it here.”  Read more: 10 Best Free Apps for Ramadan on Android and iOS

Bangladesh has strongly condemned yet another case of burning the Holy Quran by a far-right activist in Europe — this time in Copenhagen, Denmark yesterday. Bangladesh again expressed grave concern over such inciting act of insulting the sacred values and religious symbols of Muslims, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also Read: Bangladesh condemns desecration of the Holy Quran by far-right activist in The Hague Bangladesh urged all concerned to refrain from such unwarranted provocations and Islamophobia for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence.  

Unrest broke out in southern Sweden late Saturday despite police moving a rally by an anti-Islam far-right group, which was planning to burn a Quran among other things, to a new location as a preventive measure. Scuffles and unrest were reported in the southern town of Landskrona after a demonstration scheduled there by the Danish right-wing party Stram Kurs party was moved to the nearby city of Malmo, some 45 kilometers (27 miles) south. Up to 100 mostly young people threw stones, set cars, tires and dustbins on fire, and put up a barrier fence that obstructed traffic, Swedish police said. The situation had calmed down in Landskrona by late Saturday but remains tense, police said, adding no injuries were reported in the action. On Friday evening, violent clashes between demonstrators and counter-protesters erupted in the central city of Orebro ahead Stram Kurs' plan to burn a Quran there, leaving 12 police officers injured and four police vehicles set on fire. Video footage and photos from chaotic scenes in Orebro showed burning police cars and protesters throwing stones and other objects at police officers in riot gear. Kim Hild, spokeswoman for police in southern Sweden, said earlier Saturday that police would not revoke permission for the Landskrona demonstration because the threshold for doing that is very high in Sweden, which values free speech. READ: Sweden lauds Bangladesh’s development journey; willing to strengthen ties  The right of the protesters “to demonstrate and speak out weighs enormously, heavily and it takes an incredible amount for this to be ignored,” Hild told Swedish news agency TT. The demonstration took place Saturday evening in a central park in Malmo where Stram Kurs' leader Rasmus Paludan addressed a few dozen people. A small number of counter-protesters threw stones at demonstrators and police was forced to use pepper spray to disperse them. Paludan himself was reported to have been hit by a stone on his leg, Swedish media said. No serious injuries were reported, according to police. Since Thursday, clashes have been reported also in Stockholm and in the cities of Linkoping and Norrkoping — all locations where Stram Kurs either planned or had demonstrations. Paludan, a Danish lawyer who also holds Swedish citizenship, set up Stram Kurs, or “Hard Line” in 2017. The website of the party, which runs on an anti-immigration and anti-Islam agenda says “Stram Kurs is the most patriotic political party in Denmark.”

State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan has urged the people of the country to exercise restraint and not to take law into their own hands over the reported desecration of the holy Quran in Cumilla. “Don’t take law into your own hands. Everyone should maintain religious harmony and peace,” he said in an emergency announcement on Wednesday evening. Read: No evidence of disrespecting Quran found: Probe body

India's Supreme Court Monday (April 12, 2021) dismissed a petition seeking removal of certain verses from the Muslim holy book of Quran for allegedly "preaching violence against non-believers". The apex court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the petitioner, Syed Wasim Rizvi, a former head of the Shia Waqf Board in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, for filing the "absolutely frivolous" petition. "We have heard the counsel and dismiss the petition as it is absolutely frivolous,” said Justice RF Nariman, who led a three-judge bench hearing the plea. He also asked the petitioner's counsel to deposit the fine of Rs 50,000 as court expenses.  Read Hill Cutting: CDA contractor fined Tk 5.23cr In his public interest litigation (PIL) plea, Rizvi, alleged that as many as 26 verses in the holy book “promote violence”, and were not part of the original Quran, but added in later revisions. The verses in question were: Verse 2 Surah 191, Verse 3 Surah 151, Verse 4 Surah 56, Verse 4 Surah 89, Verse 4 Surah 101, Verse 5 Surah 51, Verse 5 Surah 14, Verse 5 Surah 57, Verse 8 Surah 65, Verse 8 Surah 69, Verse 9 Surah 5 and Verse 9 Surah 14. Others included Verse 9 Surah 23; Verse 9 Surah 28, Verse 9 Surah 29, Verse 9 Surah 37, Verse 9 Surah 58, Verse 9 Surah 111, Verse 9 Surah 123, Verse 21 Surah 98, Verse 32 Surah 22, Verse 33 Surah 61, Verse 41 Surah 27, Verse 41 Surah 28, Verse 48 Surah 20 and Verse 66 Surah 9. Also read: No evidence of disrespecting Quran found: Probe body As per the petition, Islam is based on concepts of equality and tolerance but is “drifting away from its basic tenets” due to “extreme interpretation of the said verses … and is now identified with militancy, fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism". The petitioner also asked for the federal government and Madrasa Boards across the country to be “called upon to ensure what steps are taken to avoid literal teaching of the verses advocating violence". Last month, police in Uttar Pradesh's  Bareilly town booked Rizvi under the Indian Penal Code for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Muslims by filing the petition in the Supreme Court. Read Quran recitation, prayers to stop coronavirus in Ramadan: Hefazat Ameer