US dismayed by attacks on school, church, says Ambassador Roemer
Express news service
Tags : US, Ambassador Roemer
Posted: Tue Sep 14 2010, 03:31 hrs
New Delhi:
The US is dismayed to see reports of a school and a church in Kashmir and Punjab having been attacked by rioters following news of a misguided individual desecrating the Koran, an act strongly condemned by America, US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer said here on Monday.
Terming the act of tearing pages of Koran on September 11 in the US as “disrespectful, intolerant, divisive, and unrepresentative of American values”, Roemer said “the deliberate destruction of any holy book is an abhorrent act”.
“News reports have stated that on Saturday, September 11, one misguided individual in the United States desecrated the Holy Koran by tearing pages from it.... The acts of this one individual are not representative of America and American values. These acts are well outside of the American mainstream and offend millions, including myself,” the envoy said. “We are also dismayed to see reports that a school and a church in Kashmir and Punjab have been attacked and destroyed by rioters. We strongly support local authorities’ appeal for calm and an end to the violence.”
Noting that extremists in all countries seek to sow hatred rather than propagate peaceful co-existence, Roemer, while quoting US President Barack Obama, said “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.”
“Instead, they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings,” he said and added that “one misguided American tearing pages from the Holy Koran will not change this — today, tomorrow, or ever.”
He said Islam has its rightful and equal place at the table in America along with all other religions and always will have.
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