Ban responds to Iranian ambassador’s letter on Quran burning in U.S.

TEHRAN, April 16 (MNA) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly denounced the recent Quran burning incident in the United States as unacceptable and grievous, saying the sacrilegious act was made out of intolerance and ignorance.

Ban made the remarks on Thursday in a written reply to the letter of Iranian ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaii, dated March 23, in which he called on the UN to adopt a firm stance toward the issue.

Terry Jones, the pastor of the Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center church, who after international condemnation last year canceled a plan to burn copies of the Quran to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, supervised the burning of the book in front of a crowd of about 50 people at an obscure church in Florida on March 20.

In his letter to Khazaii, Ban stated that the blasphemous move was meant to sow discord among the followers of divine religions.

He added that the sacrilegious act provoked a violent response from many people all around the world, including Afghanistan where several UN staff members were killed in the protests.

Ban also emphasized the necessity of mutual respect and moderation in religious matters.

Extremism and religious hatred has no place in civilized dialogue, he stated.

The UN secretary general also made assurance that the United Nations will continue its efforts to promote cooperation and understanding among followers of all religions.

The security and welfare of the people, regardless of their nationality, culture, or religion, is a principle for the UN, Ban concluded.