Dupage Policy Journal

Nag Jaiswal, a candidate for Naperville City Council, is decrying public statements made by local officials, such as Naperville Councilman Benny White, and groups in the aftermath of an alleged burning of the Quran by a Naperville teenager.

The incident was later shown to be a hoax and only showed the child burning a book that was not verified as the Quran.

Jaiswal also called out Indian Prairie School District 204 for releasing information on the incident to the public regarding the incident.

“Last evening I had a spirited impromptu conversation with a member of ICN (Islamic Center of Naperville),” Nag Jaiswal said on X.

“I voiced my serious concern on how the school mishandled the events on September 26 & put two kids lives at risk.  It’s extremely worrisome  when elected officials @RepBillFoster."

“@bennynaperville issued public statements via tweets on October 4th condemning Quran Burning without personally verifying or reaching out to the kids or their parents thus jeopardizing their safety."

“These are elected officials representing large electorate in IL US District 11 and Naperville City.  

“Why would they do that? All the allegations are supposedly based on Principal’s statements per ICN. Why did the school principal reach out to an external religious organization & distribute confidential content of a student? Serious privacy issues that @ipsd204"

"@WaubonsieValley should either clarify or retract.  Who are these officials and administrators trying to pacify?  Are there any other third parties involved? Are schools now the playground for religious fanaticism? There’s a trust deficit between residents, students and school administrators. Politicians are polarizing the community. It’s a shame.”

“We both agreed to work on building trust within community by including leaders of both communities that can engage at grassroots level. We need to start somewhere to reduce the trust deficit. #TruthMatters #StopPoliticsOverKids #StopDiscrimination #NoHateinNaperville."

The boy alleged to have burned the book is a Hindu.

The Hindu American Foundation came to his defense in the aftermath of the incident noting the incident was amplified and condemned by many without being verified first.

"#Update: #Naperville, IL alleged Quran burning amplified on SM by CAIR & IAMC was #fake news. Book was not a Quran & there was no intention to target Muslims,” the Hindu American Foundation said on X.

“It is unacceptable that a family’s life was endangered over false charges & these national groups must apologize.”

Jaiswal told organiser.org that the Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) later viewed a tape provided by the children in which it was verified to not be the Quran, but only after the public outcry.

“It is not, based on student testimony and video content. Students shared the video voluntarily to CIOGC and ICN Imams on request to check the authenticity.  They vehemently denied the burned book is the Quran,” Jaiswal said.

Upon closer inspection the video only shows a book being burned.

“The entire episode is speculative based on hearsay,” Jaiswal said.

“Students at the grad party could have spread the rumor.  At this time no one is sure how the rumor spread without anyone having a video. The accused student was bullied and pressured by a mob of 40 High School Students on Wednesday, September 26th at 8 AM when he stepped out of his school bus to admit be burned holy book. He was surprised and in shock. He was confused how a random book-burning incident turned into a Quran-burning incident. There was no video in circulation until that point.”

The incident allegedly occurred as the child and his friend were videoing themselves shooting off fireworks and they happened upon a book in a trash can and decided to make a video in which they burned it.

The child received threats following the exposure triggered by the video’s release and the ensuing outcry by local politicians.

“This particular incident is not an isolated arbitrary act, but allegedly part of a larger trend of Hindutva-inspired Islamophobia playing out in Naperville and other communities, and it is high time is confronted,” CAIR-Chicago said in a statement.

“It is a stark reminder of the impact of ideological extremism quietly imported into America and the need to address it urgently.”

While Jaiswal said the Islamic Center of Naperville verified the video did not show the Quran being burned, the ICN’s website still contains the statement below regarding the event.

“The Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN), unequivocally, condemns all forms of hate, and violence against any human being, organization or religion – an edict that is prescribed by our faith,” ICN notes on its website.

“The recent, horrendous action of the desecration of our revered Holy Quran, was indeed hurtful to the entire Muslim community. However,  as part of our Islamic faith’s principles of forgiveness and mercy, we overlook the naivete of the young perpetrator as an act of ignorance, and we urge that the youth’s identity be protected for their safety.”

“Nevertheless, we deem it extremely important that a thorough investigation be conducted to determine the root cause of this deplorable act. In the interest of protecting the entire community, we strongly urge the Naperville leaders and Law Enforcement to safeguard our community, especially our youth, from influences of domestic as well as global hateful ideologies perpetrated by geopolitical motivations.”

Similarly, White and others were quick to condemn the children involved in the alleged Quran burning without taking the time to verify the incident.

“I would like to convey my deepest condolences to our community, specifically our Muslim community, in response to a video that has surfaced on social media,” White wrote on Facebook.

“In our community, as well as our nation, there is no room for such actions. 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 than the individuals involved, in an effort to unite our community.”

“The City of Naperville's mission statement emphasizes the importance of being an inclusive community that values diversity. Let us join together to express our disappointment and use this as an opportunity to ensure that every resident in our city feels a sense of belonging.”

The Daily Herald uncritically reported the statements of local leaders condemning the alleged act, calling it in its headline a “purported Quran burning.”

“Several Muslim groups and community leaders are calling out a now viral video purportedly showing a Naperville teen burning a Quran as an act of hate,” the Daily Herald story by Madhu Krishnamurthy reads.

The rest of the story appears to have been masked in the wake of criticism from those such as Jaiswal.

The Chicago Tribune also took up the story noting the political leaders who condemned the alleged act including White, State Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) and DuPage County Board member Lucy Chang Evans.

White and the others have not recanted their statements in the wake of evidence the book was indeed not the Quran.