By Sudeshna Sarkar

Kathmandu, Sep 10 (IANS): Muslims in Nepal Friday joined the raging worldwide debate over an American pastor's plan to burn copies of the Quran to mark 9/11 terror attack anniversary, and warned the action could pit Muslims against Christians and trigger a "third world war over religion".

"We condemn the announcement of Florida pastor Terry Jones that he would burn copies of the Quran on September 11, the ninth anniversary of the terror attacks in the US," Muslim Sangh Nepal, affiliated to the country’s second largest political party, the Nepali Congress, said in a press statement.

"It was established that the Sept 11 attacks were perpetrated by terrorists who have no religion or community. Torching the Quran would be an attempt to provoke the Muslim community and we condemn it as a shameful act."

"We are urging the concerned state authorities to prevent it and punish the culprits," said Mohammad Nizamuddin, senior vice-president of the association.

"The pastor has been vacillating on whether to go ahead or not. If he is allowed to go ahead with the burning tomorrow, it could set Muslims against Christians and trigger a third world war over religion," Nizamuddin said.

Nepal’s Muslim community is unhappy that the 9/11 anniversary is coinciding this year with Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the holiest Muslim festivals that comes at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting and self-purification.

Though some countries like the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are celebrating Eid Friday, Nepal will celebrate it Saturday. The Himalayan kingdom became secular in 2006 and declared Eid a public holiday last year.

Besides their international concern, Nepal’s Muslims are also worried about the protracted domestic crisis that has followed parliament's failure to elect a new prime minister even after seven rounds of vote.

"We feel the constitution should be given priority and not elections," Nizamuddin said.

"Though Nepal was declared secular in 2006, in the absence of appropriate legislation and the vacuum stretching on, we feel both frustrated and confused. There are also attempts by some parties to restore monarchy and with it Hinduism as the state religion," he noted.

The 601-member parliament of Nepal was to have promulgated a new constitution in May, which would have consolidated the country's secular nature. However, the new statute could not be written due to the long and bitter squabble for power among the major parties.

Muslims also rue the fact that Nepal is yet to get a Muslim Commission. It was promised by the former Maoist guerrilla chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda when the Maoists led a short-lived government.

However, after the collapse of the Maoist government last year, there has been no progress on that pledge.

Islam has been one of the fastest growing religions in Nepal after the former kingdom became secular. Though the last census, conducted in 2001, estimates Muslims to comprise about 4.2 percent of the population, Nizamuddin says they now number between 2.2 to 2.8 lakh of Nepal’s nearly 29 million population.