I bought a Qor'aan today

The title is rather self-explanatory, but just a title makes for a lousy addition to a blog, so allow me to expand on it a little.
I don't consider myself a religious man. I don't reject religion, or the idea of an omnipotent being, but I don't believe it as such. I don't know whether there is a God or not, and the chances of me finding out during my lifetime are exceedingly small. As such, I've accepted that, barring divine intervention, I'm never going to know for sure. As I do consider myself a man of science, I can only believe in what I know to be true, otherwise for me it isn't believing. So, I don't believe, nor do I disbelieve. I simply don't know, and am open to both sides.

So, that being said, let's continue.
Religion, regardless of your personal opinion of it, is and always has been an important part of our existence. Off the top of my head I can't think of any culture or people not influenced by religion.
As such, you're bound to come into contact with it sooner or later. For all you know, the man/woman you fall madly in love with might be religious. You might become friends with a new guy at work, who happens to be religious. My point is, it's not something you can hide from. You might not like it, you might not believe it yourself, you might even go so far as to (think you) despise it... But it is a part of society, and as such having knowledge of religion in all its aspects can only be beneficial, both for yourself and those around you.
Hell (Bad term to use in a religion blogmessage, but it's what I'd normally use in this kind of sentence, so I felt it should stay), simply the fact that it actually is an interesting read makes it worth your time to just pick up a bible or any other holy scripture and just read it!

Back to the title. I bought a Qor'aan today. I was in the city shopping for a birthday present for my mother, when on an impulse I entered a bookstore. Not a fancy bookstore mind, the dingy cheapskate kind that is always on a 'total-clearance-sale' where you find ugly, kitsch calendars, books about kittens and such. What I found near the back of the store, tucked away in a corner, was the Qor'aan, translated to Dutch, for 7 euro's. Who knows, it might have been Providence...

Why did I buy it? If you bothered to read the above, you should be able to guess, but what fun would it be if I didn't just tell you. It is a blog afterall.
I bought the Qor'aan, because our country is increasingly influenced by the Muslim people, society and culture. As such, understanding the people and their religion better helps me understand the world I live in better. It helps me understand the people I live with better.
For better or worse, we're stuck with one another on this planet, and understanding eachother goes a long way towards making our stay here enjoyable.