ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: The Christian community in the country has expressed its outrage at the announced plan by a fanatic pastor in the US to burn the Holy Quran and hoped that such an act of blasphemy would be seen by Muslims and Christians as an act of a few lunatics and not by the followers of Jesus Christ.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti appealed to the US civil society and the higher authorities in Washington to stop Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, from committing such an evil act.

He termed the act “disrespectful, shameful and intolerant”, and emphasised that such acts were against the principles of Christianity.

“Christianity preaches love and respect for fellow humans and their faith. Such actions are contrary to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. All religions need to be respected and its sacred books and places of worship must be protected,” he added.

The minister said such devilish tactics hampered the peace building efforts to promote interfaith harmony and tolerance among different faiths. He demanded that no individual should be allowed to commit such appalling acts.

Pastor Terry Jones must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to carry out his deplorable plan to burn Islam’s Holy Book.

Meanwhile, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Pakistan Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha, in a similar statement, said “the outrageous gesture has been unequivocally denounced by the Vatican and other world leaders”. —Staff Reporter