Quran-burning plan draws worldwide condemnation

Tension has risen with the approach of the ninth anniversary on Saturday of the Sept. 11 hijacked airliner attacks on the United States and the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is expected to be celebrated on Thursday or Friday.

Plans by Terry Jones, the pastor of a small church in Gainesville, Florida, to burn a copy of the holy Muslim book have added to what U.S. religious leaders have described as an "anti-Muslim frenzy."

The United Nations said such an act would be "abhorrent."

"On behalf of the United Nations and the whole international community present in Afghanistan, I would like to express in the strongest possible terms our concern and indeed outrage at the announcement by a small religious group abroad of their intention to burn copies of the holy book of the Quran," United Nations envoy Staffan de Mastura said in a statement issued in Kabul.

The planned Quran-burning by the Dove World Outreach Center sparked protests by several hundred Afghans in Kabul this week, mostly students from religious schools. Gathered outside a mosque in the Afghan capital, they chanted "Death to America."

A senior police official in Kabul, who asked not to be identified, said an Interior Ministry anti-demonstration unit had been put on high alert on Wednesday in case protests broke out.

1|2|Next Page>>

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email