News
Monday, April 04, 2011
Desecration of Holy Quran ‘extreme intolerance’: Obama
WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS: President Barack Obama has condemned desecration of the holy Quran as an ‘act of extreme intolerance and bigotry’ and expressed condolences over the killing of the UN workers in Afghanistan in an attack by protesters angered by burning of the holy book by a Florida-based pastor. “The desecration of any holy text, including the Quran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry,” Obama said on Saturday evening. Seven UN workers and guards were killed in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Friday as hordes of people protesting fundamentalist Pastor Terry Jones’ desecration turned violent and attacked the building where world body’s staffers worked. However, Obama added, “To attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous.” “No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonorable and deplorable act. “Now is a time to draw upon the common humanity that we share, and that was so exemplified by the UN workers,” he said. Jones, whose group of a small church in Florida has been condemned as an extremist by mainstream evangelical leaders, oversaw burning of a copy of the holy Quran on March 20, drawing denunciation from the Organisation of Islamic Conference and Muslim leaders. Demonstrations in the Muslim countries have condemned Jones’ act as provocative and the governments have called for prevention of any such incidents. On Saturday, demonstrations in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar region claimed at least 10 more lives. Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, an evangelical church in Gainesville, Florida, remains unrepentant, saying his group is not responsible for inciting attacks in Afghanistan. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk