Hillary Clinton expresses her opinion on burning of Quran book copies to mark the 9/11 attacks

The American Secretary of State is the highest ranking U.S. official to criticise the plans by the evangelical Dove World Outreach Centre to destroy the Muslim holy book on its grounds on Saturday.

"I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths, from evangelical Christians to Jewish rabbis, as well as secular US leaders and opinion-makers," she said.

"Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation."

The diplomatic chief's comments came as she hosted an Iftar meal at the State Department to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Earlier, military leaders warned the decision could trigger outrage around the Islamic world. and put the lives of U.S. soldiers at risk. Gen David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, urged the plans be dropped.

"Images of the burning of Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan – and around the world – to inflame public opinion and incite violence," said Gen Petraeus.

"It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community," he said in a statement.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato Secretary General, also expressed concerns about the risk to troops' security and said that "such actions are in strong contradiction with all the values that we stand for and fight for".


/Telegraph.co.uk/