Thaindian News

London, Sept 8 (ANI): Despite being condemned by top US officials, a Florida evangelical church appears to be adamant to proceed with its plans to burn copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks,

Earlier, Terry Jones, head of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, had warned that a message needed to be sent that radical Islam couldn’t threaten people.

“We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam that we will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats,” he insisted then.

Meanwhile, speaking at a State Department dinner marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, US secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, condemned Pastor Jones for his “disrespectful and disgraceful” approach.

“I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths,” she said.

Earlier, the commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, condemned the Church’s threat saying the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the US and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians.

“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community,” General Petraeus said.

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen backed Petraeus and added that burning Korans violate the Nato alliance’s “values”. (ANI)