CAIRO: The world’s pre-eminent Sunni Muslim institution of learning has condemned a Florida church’s plans to host a Quran-burning ceremony on Sept. 11.
In a statement carried by local media on Thursday, Al-Azhar’s Supreme Council in Egypt accused the church of "stirring up hate and discrimination" and called on other American churches to condemn the event.
The Dove World Outreach Center is planning to burn the Islamic holy text on church grounds in remembrance of the victims of 9/11. Organizers are using its website and social-networking sites like Facebook to promote the event.
The Gainesville church, which also campaigns against homosexuality, made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that read "Islam is of the Devil."
