UNGA president alarmed by call of U.S. clergyman to burn Quran

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 8, 2010 (Xinhua) --

The president of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) said on Wednesday that he "is profoundly concerned and alarmed by the call made by a clergyman in U.S. state of Florida to burn copies of the holly Quran."

A statement, issued by Ali Abdussalam Al-Turaiki's spokesman, said, "The president of the General Assembly condemns such calls, which can only provoke hatred and discrimination between religions and faiths and reinforces the clash between the civilizations and religions of the world."

Terry Jones, a Florida religious leader and a small group of followers will reportedly gather to burn copies of the Muslim holy book on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Turakii "describes such calls as an expression of obsolete and reactionary thinking, which in turn threatens to bring humanity back to the age of Inquisition," the statement said.

"Turaiki further underscores that such threats to insult sacred religious beliefs will lead to uncontrollable reactions and will increase the current state of tension in various parts of the world."

The GA president "emphasizes that religious coexistence and tolerance is one of the most important aspects of modern societies," the statement added.

Earlier on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday expressed his distress at reports that a religious group in the United States has planned to burn the Quran.

A statement, released here by Ban's spokesman, said, "The secretary-general is deeply disturbed by reports of a small religious group which plans to burn copies of the Quran."

"Such actions cannot be condoned by any religion," the statement said. "They contradict the efforts of the United Nations and many people around the world to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions."

Also on Wednesday, Staffan de Mistura, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, warned in a statement that the Quran burning could put UN staff at threat in the war-torn Afghanistan.

Editor: Fan Chunxu

UN chief "deeply disturbed" by U.S. group's plan to burn Quran copies

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 8, 2010 (Xinhua) --

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday expressed his distress at reports that a religious group in the United States has planned to burn copies of Quran, the Islamic holy book.

"The secretary-general is deeply disturbed by reports of a small religious group which plans to burn copies of the Quran," a statement, released here by Ban's spokesman, said.

Terry Jones, a Florida religious leader and a small group of followers will reportedly gather to burn copies of the Islamic holy book on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

"Such actions cannot be condoned by any religion," the statement said. "They contradict the efforts of the United Nations and many people around the world to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions."

"Indeed they can only led to further discord and polarization between community," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters here Wednesday. "We certainly hope that it will not take place."

Earlier on Wednesday, Staffan de Mistura, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, warned in a statement that the U.S. group's plan to burn copies of Quran could put UN staff under threat in the war-torn Afghanistan.

"The exercise of the freedom of expression should not be confused with the intention to offend the religion and beliefs of millions of people," de Mistura said.

"If such an abhorrent act were to be implemented, it would only contribute to fuelling the arguments of those who are indeed against peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan."

Editor: Lu Hui

Burning Quran is the most hideous crime: Malaysian official

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Sept. 9, 2010 (Xinhua) --

Burning Quran is the most hideous crime or action, Malaysian foreign minister described on Thursday.

The action was unthinkable, especially when the plan was initiated from a pastor of a church, Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman told reporters at the country's federal administration center.

Terry Jones, a religious leader in Florida in the United States, has planned to burn copies of the Muslim holy book on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States.

Anifah said that is no doubt an attack on Muslims, adding that it would spark anger not only among Muslims in Malaysia, but all Muslims throughout the world.

"By the same token, I think the Christians and other religions' followers also do not condone this kind of action," added Anifah.

"If a Muslim burns a bible, not necessarily Christians are angry, but the Muslims are also angry, because Islam is a religion of peace," said Anifah.

When asked about the Malaysian government's next course of action, Anifah said: "I believe my colleagues will take appropriate action so that this thing (burning of Quran) will not happen."

Jordan's Islamists condemn planned Quran burning in U.S.

AMMAN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) --

Jordan's Islamic Action Front (IAF) condemned on Wednesday a Florida pastor who planned to burn the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, saying it is a "form of declaring a war on Muslims."

Terry Jones, a pastor at the Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, plans to mark the 9/11 attack by burning copies of the Quran in his church on Saturday.

"All Arab and Muslim governments should take a firm position regarding this crime that provokes all Muslims. They should also press the U.S. administration to stop this crime," the IAF, the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement obtained by Xinhua on Wednesday.

The IAF urged peace-concerned entities to exert efforts to stop the plan to burn the holy Quran, saying it will have serious consequences on the global peace.

"This crime provokes all Arabs and Muslims and it should be prevented. Claiming that burning the Quran is a sort of freedom of expression does not make sense," the IAF said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the planned burning is a "disgraceful plan" which could be harmful to the U.S. troops.

Safety concern for Fla. gov. over 9/11 Quran burn

September 9, 2010, 5:35 AM EDT

By MITCH STACY Associated Press Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) --

Florida's governor is concerned about safety at home and around the world, a feeling shared by national and world leaders, over a plan by the head of a small church to burn copies of Islam's holiest text to mark the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he would closely monitor what happens Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. U.S. embassies around the world will be doing the same after being ordered by the State Department to assess their security. Officials fear the burning could spark anti-American violence, including against soldiers, a concern shared by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

"In addition to being offensive, the Gainesville protest puts at risk those brave Americans who are fighting abroad for the freedoms and values that we believe in as Americans," said Crist, who is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate.

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry called the plan a "shameful act which is incompatible with the principles of tolerance and coexistence." The statement Thursday was among the first official denunciations in the Arab world against the plan.

Despite the mounting pressure to call off the bonfire, the Rev. Terry Jones said he has received much encouragement and was going through with his plan. Supporters have sent him copies of the Quran to burn, he said.

"As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing," said Jones, 58, who took no questions at a news conference Wednesday.

Jones was flanked by an armed escort and said he has received more than 100 death threats since announcing in July that he would stage "International Burn-a-Koran Day." The book, according to Jones, is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims.

Muslims consider the Quran the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect. At least one cleric in Afghanistan said it is the duty of Muslims to react and that could mean killing Americans.

At home, the Gainesville Police Department will be dealing with some 90,000 fans and even more tailgaters expected for the Florida-South Florida football game across the city. The game is at 12:20 and the Quran burning is set for 6 p.m.

No one from the department was available to immediately comment late Wednesday on security measures at the church where at least one counter-protest was planned by a University of Florida student group.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, e-mailed The Associated Press to say "images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan - and around the world - to inflame public opinion and incite violence." It comes as an emotional debate continues over a proposed Islamic center near the ground zero site of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.

Petraeus spoke Wednesday with Afghan President Karzai about the matter, according to a military spokesman Col. Erik Gunhus.

"They both agreed that burning of a Quran would undermine our effort in Afghanistan, jeopardize the safety of coalition troopers and civilians," Gunhus said, and would "create problems for our Afghan partners ... as it likely would be Afghan police and soldiers who would have to deal with any large demonstrations."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the pastor's plans were outrageous, and along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, urged Jones to cancel the event.

"It is regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida, with a church of no more than 50 people can make this outrageous and distrustful, disgraceful plan and get the world's attention, but that's the world we live in right now," Clinton said in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Not just the Democratic administration has weighed in. Ex-Alaska governor and former Republican candidate for vice president Sarah Palin said in a Facebook post that though people have the constitutional right to burn the Quran if they choose, doing so would be an "insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at ground zero."

"I would hope that Pastor Terry Jones and his supporters will consider the ramifications of their planned book-burning event," she wrote. "It will feed the fire of caustic rhetoric and appear as nothing more than mean-spirited religious intolerance. Don't feed that fire."

Conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck wrote in an Internet blog that burning the Quran is like burning the flag or the Bible - something people can do in the United States, but shouldn't. Legal experts have said the burning would likely be protected by the First Amendment's right to free speech.

"Our good Muslim friends and neighbors will be saddened," Beck wrote. "It makes the battle that they face inside their own communities even harder."

In Afghanistan, the plan provoked outrage.

"It is the duty of Muslims to react," said Mohammad Mukhtar, a cleric and candidate for the Afghan parliament in the Sept. 18 election. "When their holy book Quran gets burned in public, then there is nothing left. If this happens, I think the first and most important reaction will be that wherever Americans are seen, they will be killed. No matter where they will be in the world they will be killed."

Jones' Dove Outreach Center is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces.

The Vatican also denounced the protest and a religious watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said it would send a copy of the Quran to the Afghan National Army for every one that might be burned.

Jones' neighbors in Gainesville, a city of 125,000 anchored by the sprawling University of Florida campus, also have said they disapprove. At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations in the city have mobilized to plan inclusive events - some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services.

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Associated Press writers Kimberly Dozier and Robert Reid in Kabul and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report.