Artist Burns Rare Koran in Protest of Muslim Homophobia

Charles Merrill Burns Gift of the Late King Jordan

Artist Burns Koran to Make Gay Rights Statement

Recently, the artist Charles Merrill burned an expensive Koran to make a statement against Muslim views against homosexual behavior. He burned an expensive copy of the Koran that had been bequeathed to him by his late wife, Evangeline Johnson Merrill, who received it from the late King of Jordan in 1950s. The tome had a value of approximately $60,000.

Koran Burning Follows Bible Editing

The Koran burning comes after his recent decision to edit the Christian bible with black marker and scissors. Merrill's purpose in the defacing of the books is to "eliminate homophobic hate" in th Abrahamic Holy Books. Merrill described the ancient books of the Bible and the Koran as "terrorist manuals." Merrill considers these Abrahamic books that consider homosexuality not a normative state of human affairs to be hateful. He believes the Koran and the Bible encourage terrorism. He links terrorism with hate crimes against gays saying that "airplanes are flow into buildings because of words, and hate crimes against gays." Merrill hoped that his defacement of the sacred documents of the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity and Islam would call attention to homophobia across the world. Merrill is a self described atheist.

Koran Acquired from Late Wife of Gay Artist

The Koran burned was valued at $60,000. Merrill acquired the volume from his late wife Evangeline Johnson Merrill. Johsnson was the daughter of the man who founded Johnson and Johnson of q-tip fame. She received the volume as a gift back in the 1950s. As an international socialite, she traveled the globe during the 1950s. She also served as a representative of the United Nations during the decade of the 1950s. During a trip to Jordan, the now deceased King gave her the old rare manuscript of the Koran. Merrill who nows describes himself as gay burned the volume his deceased wife had acquired in her international
travels.

Background of Artist Merrill