Koran burning would be 'outrageous': Vatican

The planned mass burning of copies of the Koran in the US state of Florida would be "an outrageous and grave gesture," the Vatican said today.

The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue said in a statement it had "received with great concern the news of the proposed 'Koran Burning Day,'" scheduled for the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

"Each religion, with its respective sacred books, places of worship and symbols, has the right to respect and protection," the council said.

A small church, the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, has vowed to mark Saturday's ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks by burning Korans as they remember the almost 3,000 people killed by Al-Qaeda hijackers.

The council said "deplorable acts of violence" like the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda could not be counteracted by such acts.

"Each religious leader and believer is also called to renew the firm condemnation of all forms of violence, in particular those committed in the name of religion," the council said.

The planned stunt was condemned by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the White House said it could trigger outrage around the Islamic world and endanger the lives of US soldiers.

Both NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the commander of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus had already said the protest would endanger allied troops in Afghanistan.

The leader of a tiny US church Rev Terry Jones said he was determined to go ahead.

He said he had received more than 100 death threats and had started wearing a pistol since announcing his plan to burn the book Muslims consider the word of God and insist be treated with the utmost respect.

Supporters have been mailing copies of the Koran for him to put on a bonfire.

Angelina Jolie condemned the plan during a trip to Pakistan to raise awareness about the floods that have devastated the largely Muslim country.

"I have hardly the words that somebody would do that to somebody's religious book," she said.

Meeting with religious leaders to discuss recent attacks on Muslims and mosques around the US, Attorney General Eric Holder called the planned burning both idiotic and dangerous.

David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama said today: "The reverend may have the right to do what he's doing but it's not right. It's not consistent with our values. ... I hope that his conscience and his good sense will take hold."

The Rev Jones said he was concerned about worldwide reaction but was "wondering, 'When do we stop?"' He refused to cancel the protest at his Dove World Outreach Centre.

"How much do we back down? How many times do we back down?" he said. "Instead of us backing down, maybe it's time to stand up. Maybe it's time to send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behaviour."

In Afghanistan, Jones' planned burning continued to provoke outrage.

"It is the duty of Muslims to react," said Mohammad Mukhtar, a cleric and candidate for the Afghan parliament in the September 18 election. "When their holy book Koran gets burned in public, then there is nothing left. If this happens, I think the first and most important reaction will be that wherever Americans are seen, they will be killed. No matter where they will be in the world they will be killed."

Kabul resident, Rajab Ali said, "If this (burning of the Koran) happens there will be chaos in Afghanistan and being a Muslim, if we don't defend the Koran then what else we can do?"

The Koran, according to Jones, is "evil" because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behaviour among Muslims.

Muslims consider the Koran along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Mohammed to be sacred. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to it is deeply offensive.

Jones' Dove Outreach Centre is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces.

The world's leading Sunni Muslim institution of learning, Al-Azhar University in Egypt, accused the church of stirring up hate and discrimination, and called on other American churches speak out against it.