US embassy in Pak warns against 9/11 Quran burning

Islamabad, Sep 9: As condemnations of the Quran burning from political, religious and social spheres fell to deaf ears, the US Embassy in Pakistan has now urged the Florida church to drop its controversial 9/11 memorial plan.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Sep 8, the embassy condemned the church's plan to burn the Quran, the Muslim holy book, as "disrespectful, intolerant and divisive".

"We are deeply concerned about all deliberate attempts to offend members of any religious or ethnic group," said Stephen Engelken, a diplomat at the embassy.

The Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, led by pastor Terry Jones, is planning on burning Qurans as a tribute to the 9/11 victims on the ninth anniversary of the Sep 11, 2001 terror strike.

The embassy's statement came after the top US military commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus' warning that the event could put the US troops' lives at risk.

Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood star and a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador, who visited flood-hit Pakistan to visit refugee camps, also condemned the church's plans

“I have hardly the words that somebody would do that to somebody"s religious book," the 35-year-old actress said in a press conference in Islamabad.

Despite these warnings, the pastor maintains that his church is not planning on cancelling the event planned for Saturday, Sep 11, 2010.

OneIndia News