Quran burning disrespectful, disgraceful: Hillary

Washington, Sep 8: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be defending the Florida pastor's right to burn Qurans, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has, however, slammed the controversial 9/11 memorial event as "disrespectful and disgraceful".

Appreciating the voices of protest against the 'International Burn a Quran Day', the American diplomatic chief said, "I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful act that has come from American religious leaders from all faiths... as well as secular US leaders and opinion makers."

Clinton made the statement during the iftar meal she hosted at the State Department to observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Pastor Terry Jones at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, has invited all to join the burning of Qurans, the holy book of Muslims, to pay tribute to the 9/11 victims.

The holy book burning will be held between 6 pm and 9 pm on Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 in the premises of the church, to observe the ninth anniversary of the terror strike.

Earlier, Mrs Clinton's spokesman Philip Crowley attacked the Florida pastor Jones's plans to mark as 'provocative' and 'un-American.'

"We would like to see more Americans stand up and say that this is inconsistent with our American values," he said.

Arguing for the pastor, New York Mayor Bloomberg had said that Terry Jones had the right to do what he planned even though he thought it was distasteful.

"But the First Amendment protects everybody and you can't say that we're going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement," the Mayor said during a press conference on the progress of rebuilding at the World Trade Center site.

OneIndia News