Thousands of Qur'ans given away at Kentucky State Fair

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Walking around the Kentucky State Fair, you get a lot of freebies.

Down an aisle near the food court, you could hear, "Would you like a free copy?" time and time again.

But that booth is a little different.

"Actually, I had declined at first, but my wife (asked), 'Why don't you go back and get a copy just so we can just compare?" Wayne Jones said.

Added Imam Eesaa Wood, of the Furqaan Project: "Most people are just here to get by as quickly as possible so they can see all the stuff but if they get a chance to stop by, they are usually like, 'Thank you guys very much for coming and being here. We're really glad you're here.'"

So far, the booth has given out more than 2,000 copies of the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an, giving those who've never read it the chance.

"I just thought I'd grab it and look at it and see what it says," veteran Mike Slay said. "I think it's a good thing to get the information out to people to let them know that not all of Islam is bad."

Wood's hope is to educate.

"Maybe they've never met a Muslim in their life," he said.

Some of those who stopped by the booth knew a thing or two and even had a favorite quote.

"God, please don't let me go to a heaven where there are no horses," one woman quoted.

Others had many questions.

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"Does it require them to be hidden officially?" another man asked about women. "No, no no," Wood replied.

While at the Fair, Wood said he hopes to reach people living in rural counties where there aren't any mosques.

"99.89 percent of it has been wonderful," he said.

"I wanted to walk up and tell him, you know, thanks for being out here and doing his part," said Cletis Evans, a former Marine who served two tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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While many declined, Wood said he believes giving so many Qur'ans away for free will pay off in the end.

"If everybody respected everybody's religion and each other than the world would get along in a better place," Evans said.

Woods brought 5,000 copies of the Qur'an to the Fair and expects to give away all of them before it is over.

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