Allegations that a Naperville student was videotaped burning a copy of the Quran this summer have prompted action by school district officials and condemnation from several local organizations and community leaders.
The video began circulating on social media in early October. It shows a teen burning a book and throwing it onto the ground. Viewers of the recording tied it to Naperville and say the defaced text was the Quran.
Indian Prairie School District 204 confirmed the youth in the video is one of their students, district spokeswoman Lisa Barry said.
“The district is aware of the burning book incident where the book is alleged to be the Quran, and that the incident took place during the summer off of school grounds,” she said in an email Wednesday.
When officials at the school the student attends learned of the incident, the district was notified and took “appropriate measures,” Barry said.
Because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the district is not able to share any other information about the incident, she said. The act generally prohibits schools from disclosing information about a student without consent from their parents.
Around the community, the reported incident has warranted shock, reproach and calls for healing.
In a statement issued last week, the Islamic Center of Naperville condemned “all forms of hate, violence and disdain.” The center urged “a thorough investigation be conducted to determine the root cause of this deplorable act.”
Other area organizations, including the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association (NILA), have released similar statements since the matter started gaining attention online.
“Hate, in any form, has no place in Naperville; hate has no place in our society,” NILA said in its response.
The group added that it hopes “members of all religious traditions can come together to replace the walls of ignorance with spaces that promote dialogue, understanding and pluralism.”
A handful of local elected officials also have publicly commented on the matter — including state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, DuPage County Board member Lucy Chang Evans, D-Naperville, and Naperville Councilman Benny White — and expressed solidarity with the Muslim community.
“In our community, as well as our nation, there is no room for such actions,” White wrote on Facebook. “These actions are detrimental, divisive and inflict harm on those who experience them. I propose that we shift our focus onto the act itself, rather the individuals involved, in an effort to unite our community.”
He reiterated that Naperville’s mission statement “emphasizes the importance of being an inclusive community that values diversity.”
“Let us join together to express our disappointment,” White wrote, “and use this as an opportunity to ensure that every resident in our city feels a sense of belonging.”