Qur’an-burning plan draws worldwide condemnation
Afghan protesters shout slogans during a protest in Kabul. (Reuters)
Published: Sep 8, 2010 20:07 Updated: Sep 8, 2010 21:27
KABUL: Afghan police went on alert on Wednesday to guard against demonstrations triggered by a US church's plan to burn a copy of the Qur’an on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks which has drawn global 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 US 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 Qur’an," United Nations envoy Staffan de Mastura said in a statement issued in Kabul.
The planned Qur’an-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.
DEADLY PROTESTS
There have been frequent protests in the past over similar incidents. In 2006, about a dozen people were killed in violent protests in Kabul after a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad and a similar number died in another protest a year earlier.
Last January, Afghan troops shot and killed eight protesters and wounded 13 in southern Helmand province during a riot triggered by the reported desecration of a Qur’an.
Two of the top US commanders in Afghanistan have said the Florida church's plan risked undermining US President Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to the world's 1.5 billion Muslims.
The White House and the State Department have also issued stern warnings, making it clear Obama's administration deplored the plan.
General David Petraeus, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the plan could trigger retaliation against US forces in Afghanistan.
"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort," Petraeus said in a statement this week.
Petraeus commands almost 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, where violence is at its worst since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taleban in late 2001.
The Taleban government was ousted soon after the Sept. 11 attacks for harboring Al-Qaeda leaders including Osama Bin Laden.
On Wednesday, the Vatican added to world condemnation of the planned Qur’an burning.
"These deplorable acts of violence, in fact, cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community," the Vatican said in a statement.
"Each religion, with its respective sacred books, places of worship and symbols, has the right to respect and protection."
Germany's leading Jewish group joined the chorus of condemnation, saying it evoked the mass killing of Jews in the Holocaust that followed Nazi book burnings.
"The idea is terrible and repulsive," said Charlotte Knobloch, president of Germany's Central Council of Jews.
In Pakistan, actress Angelina Jolie said she "hardly had the words" to express her opposition.
The Oscar-winning actress was in Pakistan to highlight the plight of millions of people devastated by Pakistan's worst-ever floods.
Comments
UMAR
Sep 9, 2010 00:46
Report abuseWhile looking at it from another angle, this may be a planned move by US (and "it's" allies). That is, the senseless idiot says he wants to burn Quran, while the US govt says he should not. Make note, that they are "NOT" doing "anything" to actually stop him. If this was such a serious threat to US national security, he would have been shut down by now by the US own law agencies. As per the plan "I see", when this will happen, naturally a world wide retaliation will start, suicide bombers will come out from everywhere and anywhere, and US installations all over the world, will naturally get hit, one way or the other. This is exactly what they will use as an excuse to assault the remaining countries, who's "turn" has not yet come so far. US falsely attacked Iraq. The weapons of mass destructions are not found till this date. (And no one has enough courage to question them). US invaded Afghanistan, a country, where people don't have bread to eat. Where poverty has always been at it's top. US ruined this country, turned it into ashes in seven+ years of systematic destruction, and yet the "imaginary"/"hypothetical", "Alqaeda" is still out at large. The most sensitive countries to this issue is Pakistan. And apparently Pakistan is the next formal target. (Thanks to the path paved by (the greatest murderer) Pervez Musharraf and his successor (the greatest thief) Zardari).. Destroying one country at a time, using some lame / nonsense excuse has been the US preferred method. As per plan, Pakistan will first get destroyed internally because of the riots, possibly including US installations in Pakistan. when that gets (successfully) completed (as per their "supposed" plan), they would probably attack Pakistan using the same excuse.
The US forces are already in Afghanistan, hitting NWFP everyday with drone attacks, even during the month of Ramazan. The puppet government is busy eating the aid money and filling their oversees bank accounts with it. Mobalizing them [US forces] from that direction, to center of Pakistan, is apparently not that difficult at all. BUT, this all is my hypothesis, rather, fear. There may be thousands of others, who would disagree to me. And I really hope (any pray) that their disagreement is true. I would never want any of this to happen in the first place.
Having said that, Quran, is Allah's word in the form of the book, and He Himself promised to protect it. It is a true miracle. It is stored in millions of hearts all over the world. If this idiot pastor burns one printed copy, he still has to burn the other billions of copies too, and in addition kill all those who have it saved in their hearts. He [the senseless pastor] is really really stupid. Even if he burns the whole world, The Book, Quran, is saved in "Loh-e-Mafooz", The Safe Place", in heavens.
As a true believer in Allah, and His Messenger Muhammad (Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam) and His word, Quran, I have firm belief that this won't happen.
This senseless, crazy pastor, is sure to burn in hell himself. I don't have to say Ameen, because, this is exactly what is going to happen.
MOHAMED HASSAN
Sep 9, 2010 01:05
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