“At this time in our history in our country, it’s so important that we do this, so that knowledge rather than ignorance shall prevail.”
So an exhibit of rare old Qur’ans is going to promote “knowledge” over Trumpian “ignorance.” All right. Will these ancient Qur’ans unkill the 49 people murdered by an Islamic jihadist in the name of Islam and jihad in Orlando? Will they raise from the dead the 15 people murdered by Islamic jihadists in San Bernardino? Will they bring back to life and restore the lost limbs of those killed or maimed by Islamic jihadists at the Boston Marathon? Will they undo Chattanooga? Fort Hood? Garland? 9/11?
If not, they’re simply not going to have the outcome that the organizers of this exhibit want.
“Exhibit of rare Korans seeks to restore Islam in US eyes,” AFP, October 21, 2016:
A first US showing of rare old Korans opens Saturday in a Washington museum, highlighting a different side of Islam at a time when the religion’s image in America has been scarred by a divisive presidential campaign.
More than 60 Korans and Koranic texts, dating from as far back as the late seventh century and considered works of art for their exceptionally fine calligraphy, will be featured in “The Art of the Qur’an,” running through February 20, 2017, at the Freer and Sackler museums, home to the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian art collection….
The exhibit touches lightly on the messages of the Koran. “We are above all an art museum,” the show’s deputy curator Simon Retting told AFP during a news briefing Thursday….
Lucky for them. If they got into the message of the Qur’an, their exhibit would most certainly have exactly the opposite effect from the intended one.
“We wanted to really show the variety of manuscripts,” said Massumeh Farhad, the show’s chief curator.
The Korans on display, she noted, come from all parts of the Muslim world, from Iraq to Afghanistan and Turkey.
Thus, there is a Koran on parchment copied by a calligrapher in Iraq or Iran between the late eighth and early ninth century. Another imposing Koran, measuring some six feet by three feet (two meters by one meter) and dating from 1599 in the Iranian city of Shiraz, is done in colored ink with gold-encrusted letters.
“Today, when you look at a Koran, it always looks the same — it’s a printed copy with a green color, one basic size,” Farhad told AFP.
Really? I have about 20 copies of it, and each one looks different.
“What is remarkable here is the incredible variety of them, the size, the scale, the scripts… Especially when you think that the Koran is the same identical text copied over and over and over again. So you can’t do something different. It’s the same thing.”
The show’s opening comes just over two weeks before the US presidential elections of November 8, amid a polarizing campaign in which Republican candidate Donald Trump often stigmatized Muslims, saying at one point that he would ban all Muslims from the United States, at least for a time….
Trump did not, of course, ever say that he would ban all Muslims from the United States.
“Now, it is true that the exhibit is opening just at the moment of the elections, with highly charged public rhetoric around Islam,” Retting acknowledged.
“But as our mission is to promote and spread understanding, it is opening at a very opportune moment to allow the American public to have a different image of Islam.”
The show represents “a tremendous opportunity for dialogue between cultures” and an occasion to “build bridges,” he added.
“Hundreds of thousands of people will come to this exhibition and learn about the Islamic world, its art, its culture,” said Richard Kurin, under secretary for museums and research for the Smithsonian, which operates most of the museums in the US capital.
“At this time in our history in our country, it’s so important that we do this, so that knowledge rather than ignorance shall prevail.”
Tensions and misunderstandings about Islam have been growing in the United States, Kurin continued.
“If we can help bridge that gap through this museum… we will have done our job.”

Adrian says
the Devil’s words are still the Devil’s words, no matter how “rare”
caliph says
Agreed.
When the terrorist is about to cut off your head and, as an act of affected kindness, asks if you prefer he use an iron knife, a bronze knife or one made of gold, what would be your answer?
There are many roads to hell, and many of them are shaded with beautiful trees.
hiding says
As Pam Geller said, “Compared to Hillary Clinton, he looks like Abraham Lincoln”
loved this also, https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mPG0jk_uxNc?rel=0
JOHN SPIELMAN says
it should be shredded and added to the solids at the local human waste treatment plant
Katz says
could use the “artform” as toilet paper prints instead of flowers. The act of flushing it down the toilet is cathartic!
Bob says
Will the ‘ignorant’ public be permitted to read an un-censored copy of the koran? Or am I dreaming?
Carolyne says
And it can go in a vortex down with the other sh*t.
Caliph says
The so called “Koran roll” read Koran a little every day when you sit on the thrown,
hiding says
they should add a mohammed drawing contest to their “art” festivities.
Anthony says
I believe that the koran must be translated along side to let people know the content and judge by it. We should not burn it or hide it or destroy but to let people know the content specially for non-arabic speaking people. Only by exposing it we can expose the evil nature of mo,…I mean Mohammad. Let’s expose it while we still have light.
Keith says
That won’t make the slightest bit of difference as all the information is already there for those people to read at their leisure.
The problem is they can’t be bothered and if they do come across one of the violent verses, as they do every time there is a bombing or killing in the name of Islam they will just deny that those verses are followed by muslims and that the bible is just as violent anyway.
gravenimage says
More Infidels *should* read the Qur’an to educate themselves. I first read the Qur’an after 9/11, and was shocked by how violent it was.
abad says
Bingo.
And there is NOTHING positive about Islam; it is from Satan himself.
August West says
There are several videos from Jay Smith on u tube.
These videos describe in detail facts about the history of the koran.
It is highly unlikely that the Washington museum has a complete koran dating back to the 7th century. It is also unlikely that I’m these koran contain the,same text copied over again as claimed by the museum.
It would be nice if the meseum verify these claims. It would also be nice if an impartial expert could exam them.
I wonder what other book collections this museum has decided to exhibit as art…
Jim says
Excellent points West! Jay Smith is one of the few scholars who has revealed that: (1) carbon-dating has shown that the earliest Korans were written even before Muhammad was born! So how did the angel Gabriel recite to Muhammad the word of God when he wasn’t there? (2) That the handful of Korans claimed to be “originals” in the world today are (a) incomplete and (b) don’t agree with each other. So, what, god changed his mind from time to time? (3) the Koran has been changed by men so frequently to fit those men’s own personal needs that it can hardly be called reliable. Saudi Arabia did not approve of the latest version until the 1980’s from what I hear. In fact Muslims early on did not pray facing Mecca, but rather toward what is now Syria, mainly because the Caliph at the time appears to have wanted his followers to face him, and (4) Muhammad was not a prophet because he never prophesied anything. Also, another great Christian scholar to watch on YouTube is James White of Phoenix, Arizona. Like Jay Smith he has debated many famous Muslim scholars to reveal the lies they tell in order to brainwash their flock and us non-believers. We all, even atheists like me, owe Smith and White for their courage in doing battle with these false prophets.
Michael Copeland says
The Topkapi manuscript of the Koran, which is thought to be eighth century, is different from the modern Koran 2,270 (two thousand, two hundred seventy) places (Jay Smith). It was examined by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
caliph says
Here is link to a fantastic Jay Smith video on Islam from July 21, 2016
billybob says
Very interesting. Though I have seen it before, there is always more to be gotten from it. So… Muhammad had nothing to do with the Quran, Allah was the pagan Nabatean god who ruled jointly with his wife, and Islam as we know it didn’t even exist until two hundred years or more after his supposed death…
But that destroys something I like to say, that Islam was spread at the point of the sword when the Muslims conquered the Levant. I guess we can still say it was spread further than that at the point of the sword, but according to this talk, it was not Muslims who conquered the Levant. It was just some arab nomads, with unknown motive. KInd of confusing to me.
billybob says
btw: Here is the documentary referred to by the speaker. It was originally slated to be aired by the BBC, but canceled when the presenter was threatened by death.
https://youtu.be/qRQryxti6Ww
August West says
Billy Bob here is how I think of it. You can believe either:
1)The eternal word of Allah was spoken to an illiterate merchant named Mohammad by the angle Gabriel in a cave in the desert over a period of years. Then it was written down as the Koran some time later.
Or
2)That is a bunch of BS.
I’ll pick option 2 without any hesitation at all.
Now if you also choose path 2 then it is easy to come to the conclusion that Islam is really a military strategy for conquest that has been passed off as a religion. Mohammad is a fiction or a composite character who is used by tribal leaders to motivate illiterate desert dwelling young men to go conquer other tribes.
When you pick option 2 then Islam makes a lot more sense. When you understand Islam suddenly the Mid East and other global conflicts make sense as well.
Abandon the notion that Mohammad was a real person and this whole thing makes more sense.
bostongal912 says
That was great! Thank you
David says
No one outside of islam needs to “stigmatiz” it.
Islam is a stigma unto itself.
All you need do is study this horrific “faith” for a single hour, and you will understand all you need to know.
Out side of NAZISM, it is the most vile animal modern man has ever had to deal with. I don’t care how many “Kiss a Muslim Day” our very corrupt government may proclaim for us.
The TRUTH of what islam is, will always over Write any lie they try to tell us IN STARK ACTS OF BLOODY HORROR!
Lee says
Nazism was not as bad as Communism which is still with us and neither was ever as evil as islam.. The Smithsonian and the museums under it need a whole new staff of far more intelligent and informed curators who will never do anything quite as stupid as this.
Don McKellar says
Well it is debatable as to whether communism was better than the Nazis when we consider Stalin and how many millions were murdered under him in gulags or starvation or the rest. There were many asian communist leaders who also did the same. At least under the Nazis we can say some good things came out of the evil (rocket technology, kindergarten, VW, autobahn, etc) while I can’t think of a single good thing to come out of communism. ZERO. A would agree that Islam has them both beat due to its long-term evil influence on the world and levels of population enslavement.
imbus says
Does anyone bother to actually READ the koran at all? beside just admiring the calligraphy, parchment quality, or historical antiquity? The content (what it says) will always be repulsive.
PRCS says
That is correct. The content remains the same.
gravenimage says
Exactly.
PRCS says
But, just to know for sure: I wonder if a studied review of those documents–especially the oldest of them–would demonstrate that Big Al’s “revealed word”–you know, on that tablet floating around in the heavens–differs today.
gravenimage says
Early Qur’ans have been studied–and as you suspect, the texts are *not* the same as the supposedly “uncreated” Qur’an.
PRCS says
Would be interesting to have an Arabic speaking visitor to the museum do a little checking.
Don McKellar says
No comments allowed on that article I see.
Don McKellar says
Showing that an evil hate-filled book has been around a long time doesn’t make it less evil.
Carmel says
Richard Kurin ( or maybe Richard Koran ???) should start by asking a non-muslim what does the book talk about . He could ask this to Bill Warner for one or Jay Smith or David Wood or Brigitte Gabriel or Dr Mark Gabriel .
I suggest next expo could be : Mein Kampf as art exhibit .
Jim says
Don’t forget also James White of Phoenix, Arizona who, like Jay Smith, has debated many prominent Muslim scholars and in doing so reveals the many lies they tell. From White I first learned that the 5 daily prayers of Muslims specifically include phrases, in Arabic of course so that the average American does not know what they are saying, that denigrate Jews, Christians, and anyone else that does not believe in Islam. By the way, these were the same prayers given by Muslims at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC in recent years.
Manny says
What difference does it make that these are old replicas? The real question is whether they say anything different. Are they miraculously a text of love and peace and Islam has been understood all wrong for centuries? If they have the same old words then they ate not.
Manny says
Oops typo in that last sentence: “they are not.”
Ashley says
Will these ancient Qur’ans unkill the 49 people murdered by an Islamic jihadist in the name of Islam and jihad in Orlando? Will they raise from the dead the 15 people murdered by Islamic jihadists in San Bernardino? Will they bring back to life and restore the lost limbs of those killed or maimed by Islamic jihadists at the Boston Marathon? Will they undo Chattanooga? Fort Hood? Garland? 9/11?
________________________
This exhibit is in extremely poor taste and I sincerely hope it flops. It is a kick to the teeth to the victims, survivors, and their families of jihad violence on American soil. It is beyond insensitive. I hope the exhibit is boycotted.
Hugh Fitzgerald says
9.29, 9.5, 3.110, 5.333, and a hundred other verses — no matter the differences in date, in ink, in parchment, in calligraphy — the message remains exactly the same, and spells mortal danger for Infidels. The exhibit does nothing to enlighten visiting non-Muslims about what the Qur’an says, in exactly the same words, in every one of the examples on display.
Jack Diamond says
Guessing those verses in their “exceptionally fine calligraphy” will not be translated. This is about “art” after all. Someone should offer translations in English of such verses, 6 feet by 3 feet, in colored ink with gold-encrusted letters, outside the museum. As another work of art, of course.
Following this exhibit, Freer and Sackler will be showcasing “The Art of Leni Riefenstahl” with an IMAX size showing of “Triumph of the Will” to join the new “Aztec Human Sacrifice System” art display with those spectacular newly discovered frescos and mosaics (the skull racks alone are worth the trip).
The Qur’an, however, since it remains a living, ongoing “work of art” and (in tribute and submission) “The Art of the Qur’an” will become a permanent exhibit that will tour every city, in every land, as part of the new U.S. Department of Dialogue initiative.
Eric Jones says
Excellent!
Eric
Westman says
Someday will museums be displaying, for our understanding and acceptance, a rare Mein Kampf or Mao’s Little Red Book ?
Quran 5:33 and Surah 9 are sufficient to show that Muhammad was just another bloodthirsty tyrant on the order of HItler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and the North Korean fat boys.
What we need is a Holocaust museum for all the victims of Islam’s mayhem with highlighted Qurans showing Allah’s (Mo’s) pogroms against Christians, Jews, and infidels.
Cretius says
Wrong on all counts.
A phobia is an abnormal or morbid fear or aversion. There is nothing abnormal about recognising Islam and all the barbarism it brings. Therefore, there is no such thing as Islamophobia.
Secondly, being against a system like Islam is not racism. Racism is the belief that one race is inherently better than another simply on the theory that human abilities etc. are determined by race. By definition, Islam is not a race.
Lastly, Islam is a fascist totalitarian political system that includes a religion of jihad, bigotry, intolerance, sexism and barbaric cultural practises. Muslims are their own worst enemies. They even kill each other! No one has to lie about Islam. Simply bear witness to the intolerance, bigotry and hatred spread by imams online. Muslims demand respect and rights that they deny to everyone else. This makes them unfit immigrants/refugees to modern western democracies.
Allowing such a poisonous political system/religion in is tantamount to committing national suicide.
Jim says
Well put, Cretius. Best set of arguments I have heard since 911 why Islamaphobia is a hoax. I copied it for reference and will credit you as its source in any occasion I have to use it, which I am certain I will.
sgodym says
I think they’re forgetting that actions speak louder than words!!
Lucretius says
Not surprised to hear vain drivel like this pouring out of the mouth of an art exhibit promoter. That part at least has nothing to do with Islam.
gravenimage says
Ah, but it does. The chief curator is Massumeh Farhad–certainly a Muslim name.
This is more stealth Jihad, and the Smithsonian is clueless enough to sponsor it.
marblenecltr says
Don’t read Arabic? Not a problem, even better, the words won’t distract from the art of the writing. Don’t look for this beauty in English, it can’t be done. By the way, admire the metallurgical skill and craftsmanship that went into the Damascus swords, sabres, and scimitars.
davej says
“Fine calligraphy and gold crusted letters” notwithstanding, it should be illegal to display the Koran without also having a prominent English translation of it’s content. Otherwise it is a hoax and blind encouragement of the Islamic takeover.
Angemon says
“Rare” qurans? Don’t they all say the same thing? What’s so “rare” about them? “Oh, here’s a 1599 quran from Iran”. Well, does it contain the same chicken scratch as a 2016 version from some sweatshop in a muslim hellhole? If so, what’s so “rare” about it? I can literally go on the internet and see it for free.
ernie says
Hey looks like Firestarter to me
marina says
Rare exhibit of oldest toilet paper in D.C.
Northern Virginiastan says
The Art of the Qur’an exhibit was organized by http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/art-of-the-quran/default.php was organized “in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Turkey,”
Damocles Junior says
But please note that your backpacks etc must be stored on the ground floor, obviously they take security seriously.
Generally speaking I could take in an exhibition like this at it’s face value, that is a display of medieval arts and crafts.
But I would and could not visit something like this with it’s medieval message of hate to non-Muslims which is the same evil message that this pseudo religious cult preaches in the 21st Century complete with it’s violent actions which are still carried out but using 21st Century technology and against us.
Evil is always evil, be it hand written in beautiful gold calligraphy or electronically printed on modern paper.
gravenimage says
Yes–fast re-Islamizing Turkey is backing this meretricious exhibit.
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
“The Korans on display, she noted, come from all parts of the Muslim world, from Iraq to Afghanistan and Turkey.”
So the Muslim world extends only from Iraq to Afghanistan and Turkey, and does not include North America, South America, Africa, eastern Asia, or Indonesia. But the Korans on display at this art museum lack the most famous Koran from Iraq, the one that Saddam Hussein had a calligrapher create using Saddam’s blood. See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Quran
Unlike editions from the seventh century, the authenticity of this manuscript can be authenticated by DNA testing. Can’t this Koran be exhibited on loan from the Iraqi government?
And speaking of Saddam Hussein, his namesake Barack Hussein, who will soon be unemployed and have more time on his hands, can do the world a great mitzvah by taking up Arabic calligraphy and creating his own hematic manuscript of this literary work of art (whose literary excellence proves it is true; see https://www.namb.net/apologetics/is-the-qura-an-a-literary-miracle?pageid=8589953023 ).
Honking Goose says
Seriously, who gives a fuck if you paint your hateful murderous message in pretty fonts?! It’s still a hateful murderous message!
Blangwort says
Next up: a beautiful exhibit of ornate volumes of Mein Kampf signed by the author.
Beauty of a book does nothing to assuage the disgusting ideas contained within.
Damocles Junior says
I think many of us would like to see Mien Kampf but only in the context of a display at a Black Museum.
This is hopefully be where these Korans will eventually be exhibited.
Just as a further comparison as to how stupid and insensitive this is, what if the British Museum had a display of German Gothic printing in 1943 while over at the Albert Hall they decided to play Wagners operas. Likewise it is totally insensitive to display the Koran, no mater how artistic and historic that it is while the Koran inspired war of terror is aimed at our society.
linnte says
I’d like a copy of the earliest, translated into English please. Surely some one can do that? Let’s see first hand if today’s is even a close match to then. That alone would PROVE to Muslims how perverted their Muhammad/Allah is.
No Fear says
Supremacist manifestos are still supremacist manifestos even if they are antique. One of my friends inherited a copy of Mein Kampf with a real photo of Hitler taped to the frontispiece. It is still a supremacist manifesto, but an antique copy. Old Qurans? The stench of supremacism emanating from any copy of the Quran is unmistakable.
Praeceptor Maximus says
I have a few thoughts on this matter.
‘”We wanted to really show the variety of manuscripts,” said Massumeh Farhad, the show’s chief curator.’
I. I thought that the Quran was the final word of god, so how is it that there are variety of manuscripts.
And if there are other manuscripts around, and if this one is different in contents,that is that its message is one of peace and harmony, then I strongly advise Imam Obama take this apparently “fine” manuscript and show it to Saudi Arabia, Iran, ISIS and other brutal Islamic regimes that they are following the wrong copy of Quran. Who knows? They might throw away their own Quran and follow this one.
II. Next is what is it exactly that we are supposed to appreciate? The calligraphy? The art? What? As for culture, we already know the culture. Stoning, flogging, beheading. So, what is it exactly that they want people to appreciate.
Yesterday, I came across a very disturbing video on Lindsay Lohan. This idiotic woman, wearing hijab, speaking with a foreign accent, was praising Islam. It is in Rebel Media.
I hope Americans are not foolish enough to fall for this latest taqiyya by Obama and his Muslim friends.
Damocles Junior says
Well said but unfortunately the Islam apologetic and general PR industry is running at full capacity until at least November 10th. Then we all face a great unknown with the PC brigade either dancing in the street or in a state of lament that has known no precedent.
gravenimage says
Exhibit of rare Qur’ans in DC seeks to give Americans “a different image of Islam”
………………………
Why would seeing the vicious message of the Qur’an in different formats and different calligraphy give us “a different image” of Islam?
Mein Kampf printed in traditional German Black Letter script or in a trendy modern face embellished with multi-colored emoticons conveys the exact same message–it is no different with the vile Qur’an.
Islam the religion of killers says
These Korans need to be treated like all the antiquies from Sirya and Iraq, ISIS had a field day saying they were all untruths and blasphemy …
We need to be operating on their terms with this ….. if it’s crap, treat it like crap
duh swami says
I have a huge collection of really old rocks…I tried to sell them as antiques on e-bay, but no one bid on them…
The problem was, like in the old Quran, all old rocks look pretty much like any other old rock…Except for rusty pages all Quran’s look pretty much the same…
Peter says
Does the exhibit include the Sana’a and Birmingham Qur’ans, which are evidence of that “sacred” text being created by humans, rather than divine revelation?
Lioness says
So did they cut out the passages about beheading infidels, amputating limbs, sex slaves, throwing gays off high mountains, beating wives… or is it there for all to see? (If they could read Arabic). Ancient korans are just as eveil as new ones, so what’s the point! What misconceptions does it suppose to alleviate in the minds of the non-believers? Another futile attempt to beautify ugly islam.
patriotliz says
Know thy enemy.
Put copies of Mein Kampf and the Communist manifesto along side the Koran to show the source of the greatest evils inflicted upon mankind.
Carolyne says
Believing in neither the Koran nor the Bible, I see no reason to exhibit this nonsense. Of course most people who see it won’t realize what it actually says–stuff like “When you meet the unbeliever, strike the neck.”
Crusades Were Right! says
“And here we have a very old Koran, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. See how beautifully it’s bound! Note the intricacy of the calligraphy!”
“Erm… What’s it say?”
“Moving quickly on…”
linnte says
Exactly my point. The books are just paper without the translation.
Frank Courtney says
How will these old and rare Qur’ans give a different image of Islam?
They will contain the same vitriolic, supremacist, obnoxious, murderous hatred towards non-Muslims as any other.
PRCS says
As other have noted, changing the cover and putting lipstick on a pig are analogous.
Salomon says
So what if they have been given to read,nothing, just read it,if you like it,okay,if you don’t need it,okay….
John A. Marre says
Will they highlight the parts about killing Jews?
Denny Abrahamsson says
I read the koran in swedish but would like to read an english version also. Can anyone suggest a good translation which I can read online, a version that follows the original arab text. Please call me on mail dennyabra@hotmail.com