Quran burning riles Muslims

REUTERS

BURNING BOOKS: A member of the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia carries a Quran during a protest in Makassar, South Sulawesi

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Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied outside the US Embassy in Jakarta on Saturday to denounce an American church's plan to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by burning copies of the Quran.

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, said it will burn the Islamic holy book Wednesday, the ninth anniversary of the terror attacks.

Local officials have denied a permit for the bonfire on the church's grounds, but the centre - which made headlines last year by distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil" - insists it will go ahead with the plan.

About 3,000 members of a hard-line Islamic group marched to the US Embassy in downtown Jakarta waving banners and posters condemning the plan.

The group organized similar rallies in five other cities across Indonesia, the world' largest Muslim nation.

Religious leaders in Indonesia have condemned the plan and called on the US government to use its influence to get the fire canceled.

- AP