Yet more material texts in the headlines for political reasons: as the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York approaches, a preacher in Florida has announced his intention to burn copies of the Qur’an outside his church on Saturday. Needless to say, his views have provoked horror and outrage. Again, without wishing to over-simplify the complex issues surrounding this threat and the responses it has had from across the globe, this incident is a dramatic reminder of the political importance of all sacred texts as material objects which symbolise tolerance and respect.