New Delhi: The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has appealed to media to help maintain communal peace and harmony in the wake of reports of a pastor in the United States threatening to burn the holy Quran.
In a statement to , the Union Home Minister said that the act is calculated to increase strife between different religious groups.
“There are reports of a pastor in the United States threatening to burn the Quran on September 11, 2010, he said.
The US authorities have strongly condemned the statement of the pastor. Religious leaders all over the world have also condemned his proposed action, he added.
We condemn the action of the pastor. It is totally unbecoming of anyone who claims to be a man of religion. It is obviously calculated to increase bitterness and strife between different religious groups. No one who is interested in maintaining harmony and peace among different sections of the people can condone such action, he said.
We hope that the US authorities will take strong action to prevent such an outrage being committed. While we await the action of the US authorities, we would appeal to the media in India – both print and visual media – to refrain from telecasting visuals or publishing photographs of the deplorable act. We would also appeal to the media to exercise great restraint over the next couple of days and help in maintaining communal peace and harmonyâ€, Chidambaram further said in a statement.