Woman says she received desecrated Quran through Amazon.com

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/05/18/state/n155513D92..DTL

A Muslim woman who said she ordered a Quran through Amazon.com only to
find profanity and religious slurs written on its cover page asked
Wednesday for an apology and a full investigation by the online
retailer.

Azza Basarudin, 30, said she received the Quran by mail on May 5 after
ordering it through a used books division of Amazon.com that allows
customers to order directly from third-party sellers approved by the
company.

When she opened the Quaran, Basarudin said she found profanity and the
phrase "Death to all Muslims" written on the inside page in thick black
marker. Basarudin, a graduate student in women's studies at UCLA, said
she was overwhelmed by fear similar to what she felt after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks when her sister and mother were the target of
anti-Muslim slurs.

"I dropped the book because I didn't know what to do," she said at a
news conference at the Islamic Center of Southern California. "I was
paralyzed after 9/11 - I couldn't leave my house for a couple of
weeks - and I realized that fear was coming back."

Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs
Council, said his organization wants a public apology and investigation
from Amazon.com, as well as the firing of those responsible for mailing
the desecrated book. He would also like Amazon.com to fund educational
programs that foster religious tolerance.

Patty Smith, a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based book retailer, said
the Quran was purchased directly from Bellwether Books, a small book
resale company in McKeesport, Pa., through the "Marketplace" section of
Amazon's Web site.

"This was not our inventory, it was nowhere in our order or fulfillment
process," she said. "It was a used book purchased through a third
party."

Richard Roberts, owner of Bellwether, said he doubts the book was
defaced by his employees. The company buys used books at bargain prices
from individuals, other book stores and libraries and then resells them
through Amazon.com and other outlets.

He said before this incident, his six employees gave each book a
cursory check before shipping and didn't look inside the pages.

Roberts said Bellwether has since instituted a more stringent quality
control check. Bellwether is also suspended indefinitely from selling
Qurans through Amazon.com, Smith said.

"I feel awfully bad about it. It's really a shame," Roberts said in a
phone interview Wednesday.

Bellwether apologized to Basarudin by e-mail and offered to replace the
book. Amazon.com also apologized, reimbursed her for the Quran's cost
and mailed Basarudin a gift certificate, Smith said.

Basarudin, who said her sister and mother were taunted for wearing
headscarves after Sept. 11, wants more than a gift certificate and
apology.

"I couldn't even go near this book for a couple of days," she said. "I
feel like I'm being violated all over again because I'm a Muslim."

When she opened the Quaran, Basarudin said she found profanity and the
phrase "Death to all Muslims" written on the inside page in thick black
marker. Basarudin, a graduate student in women's studies at UCLA,

Woman says she received desecrated Quran through Amazon.com

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/05/18/state/n155513D92..DTL

A Muslim woman who said she ordered a Quran through Amazon.com only to
find profanity and religious slurs written on its cover page asked
Wednesday for an apology and a full investigation by the online
retailer.

Azza Basarudin, 30, said she received the Quran by mail on May 5 after
ordering it through a used books division of Amazon.com that allows
customers to order directly from third-party sellers approved by the
company.