Pakistan condemns Quran burning in Florida

Foreign ministry condemns the desecration of the Quran as "despicable act."


Reuters/afp March 22, 2011
Pakistan condemns Quran burning in Florida

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the "deliberate desecration" of the Quran by a US evangelical preacher in a church in Florida, calling it a setback for global efforts to promote harmony.

The burning was carried out by pastor Wayne Sapp under the supervision of Terry Jones, who last year drew condemnation over his aborted plan to ignite a pile of the Islamic holy books to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Jones was widely pilloried for his threats to carry out the Quran burning, including by US President Barack Obama.

The foreign ministry condemned the desecration of the Quran as "despicable act."

"There could be no justification for such acts," the ministry said.

"This has deeply hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and Muslims all over the world."

The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter alsocondemned the burning of a copy of Koran in Florida.

"The deliberate destruction of any holy book is an abhorrentact," he said in a statement.

"This is an isolated act done by asmall group of people that is contrary to American traditions."

COMMENTS (25)

G. Din | 13 years ago | Reply @Raj: "There is no excuse for this sort of behaviour." You would have known not the excuse but the reasons for this behaviour if ET had allowed my post on it. So do not think that your assertion is unchallenged because you did not see the other side of the equation. I am not sure that this post will see the light of the day, either! "In india too the destruction of ayodhya mosque, which caused such a senseless bloodshed on both sides." More accurately, it was Babri mosque erected by a barbarian or in his name to humiliate an entire people. So, while we know what your take on that incident is, let not readers conclude that you speak for all Indians. I can appreciate your wish to live a sheltered, safe, peaceful life, however not every person is like you. To some their pride in their convictions,does matter. Ask yourself: was it any mosque? Why was this mosque razed? And, why was it done after 500 years after which it was built? And, why was it done to a non-functional mosque? If you asked those questions of a man who passed by it every day and felt the pangs of humiliation every time he did, his answers might illuminate you as the reason(s) why thousands of ordinary people reduced it to rubble on a beautiful sunny morning with just their fingernails in a matter of a few hours! History leaves its imprint on the genes of the people who live it and it is passed from generation to generation. Historical memories are for ever! They surface some day eventually!
john | 13 years ago | Reply wht r u doing
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