Tehran, April 26: A top Iranian military commander has called on US President Barack Obama to distance himself from those who perpetrated the recent acts desecration against the Holy Qur’an.
“Western states must pay respect to Muslims’ holy book, the Qur’an, as much as they show interest in maintaining strong ties with Middle Eastern countries and their oil,” Fars News Agency quoted Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi as saying on Monday.
“Obama should distance himself from the desecrators of the Qur’an,” he added.
Maj. Gen. Firouzabadi further said the current situation in the United States obligates Obama to fulfill the pledges he made during his presidential campaign.
On March 20, the American evangelical preacher Wayne Sapp set fire to a copy of the Holy Qur’an in a small church in Florida.
Terry Jones, the head of Dove World Outreach Center who planned to burn the Qur’an last year on the anniversary of September 11, 2001 attacks, was also present during the event.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the repeated desecration of the Holy Qur’an, saying that “such actions cannot be condoned by any religion.”
The senior Iranian military commander also touched on the recent popular uprisings in the region and said, “Through this uprising and the [Islamic] Awakening movement, regional nations will soon gain independence and self-esteem.”
Obama and American elites must cut back on military and security budget, and stop sending US taxpayer money to support Israel if they want to give the US administration and nation a chance to survive, Maj. Gen. Firouzabadi said.
“Obama and his aides must make the right decision before it gets too late,” he concluded.
——–Agencies