Qur’an-burning plan roundly denounced
Protesters in Jakarta seek to stop a planned burning of copies of the Holy Qur'an in Florida on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Published: Sep 9, 2010 00:49 Updated: Sep 9, 2010 00:49
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican on Wednesday denounced as “outrageous and grave” plans by a Christian minister in Florida to burn copies of the Holy Qur’an to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary.
The Vatican office responsible for relations with Islam issued a stern statement saying every religion has the right to expect that its sacred books, places of worship and symbols will be respected and protected.
Referring to 2001 terror attacks, the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue said such violence “cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community.”
The Vatican said the proper reflection to mark the ninth anniversary of the attacks is to offer solidarity with those affected by the attacks and pray for them. “Each religious leader and believer is also called to renew the firm condemnation of all forms of violence, in particular those committed in the name of religion,” the statement said.
Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an “International Burn a Qur’an Day” on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. And this has propelled pastor Jones into the global orbit. The leader of the little known church found himself in the eye of a rapidly swirling storm with world leaders deploring his plans as fanning flames of intolerance.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the “disgraceful” burning ceremony in Florida.
Clinton was the most senior US official to speak out against the burning, saying she was “heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths.”
The White House added its voice to warnings that the move could trigger outrage around the Islamic world and endanger the lives of US soldiers.
A spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the European Union roundly “condemns” the plans. “The High Representative respects all kinds of religious beliefs and this is not the right way to go,” the spokesperson told reporters.
Arab League chief Amr Moussa dubbed Jones a “fanatic” and urged Americans to oppose his “destructive approach.” Moussa, who heads the 22-member pan-Arab body based in Cairo, said: “There is an increasing majority in the United States against this fanatic. “We want to see the reaction of the educated in the United States against this fanatic’s destructive approach,” he said.
US Attorney General Eric Holder met religious leaders to discuss ways of stemming the anti-Islam tide, with calls from the broad coalition of faiths to make a strong speech condemning hate crimes. Muslim Advocates executive director Farhana Khera said after the meeting that Holder had described the plan as “idiotic and dangerous,” but regretted the ceremony itself was not a violation of federal law.
A top official of Cairo’s Al-Azhar university, which US President Barack Obama referred to as a “beacon of learning” in an appeal for reconciliation with Muslims, warned Wednesday that the plan risks destroying US ties. “If the government fails to stop this, this will be the latest manifestation of religious terrorism, and it would ruin America’s relations with the Muslim world,” said Sheikh Abdel Muti Al-Bayyumi, who sits on the Islamic seat of learning’s highest council, the Islamic Research Academy. “This will give an opportunity to terrorism. Are they trying to fight terrorism or encourage it?” Al-Bayyumi asked.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman denounced the plans, saying it contradicted Christian teachings. “The president condemns the announcement of a religious group in the US of its intention to openly burn copies of the Qur’an,” said a statement released by the office of Suleiman. Burning Islam’s holiest book “is a clear contradiction of the teachings of the three Abrahamic religions and of dialogue among the three faiths,” Christianity, Islam and Judaism, the statement said.
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