Planned Koran Burning Incites Anger, Warnings

Plans by a small Florida church to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks have drawn a strong response across the world. Pastor Terry Jones of the non-denominational Dove World Outreach Center, the man behind the idea, has described the move as taking a stand against the ‘violent and oppressive’ religion.

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the U.S forces in Afghanistan has warned of a possible backlash if the burning goes ahead as planned. He has warned the church against ‘endangering the lives’ of U.S troops with such dangerously divisive behaviour. The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Anders Fogh Rasmussen has also condemned the move, calling it a violation of NATO’s ‘values’.

There have already been demonstrations in Afghanistan and Indonesia protesting the move.