UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan has urged the United Nations to take urgent steps to promote inter-faith harmony, while citing the despicable act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Florida on Tuesday. In a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Pakistans permanent representative, Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon, voiced Pakistans strong condemnation of the burning of the Islamic holy book and expressed profound regret and deep concern at the increasing acts of Islamophobia and growing trend of intolerance and hatred towards Muslims as well as insults to their religious symbols and personalities. Terry Jones, the controversial American pastor, oversaw the burning of a copy of the Quran at his small Florida church after the Islamic revered book was put on trial. While this reprehensible act is the work of extremists and is evidently designed to provoke dissent and discord among communities and peoples across the world, such sacrilegious acts also go against the very concept of inter-faith harmony and threaten the multicultural fabric of the societies and the brotherhood of the United Nations, the letter said. As strong active proponent of inter-faith harmony, the ambassador said Pakistan believes that civilised peoples and societies must resist and oppose any tendency towards extremism of any kind. Pakistan expects that the US Administration and American people as well as all civilised societies will take due cognizance and express their revulsion on this sacrilegious act. The Ambassador urged the United Nations to plays its important role in ensuring peace and harmony among peoples of the world. Pakistan, he said, has full confidence in the UNs leadership and hoped that it would take all steps to fight such tendencies and promote intercultural and inter-faith harmony that is basic to co-existence of mankind. NNIadds: The US Embassy on Tuesday condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in the State of Florida, United States. According to a Press release, this is an isolated act done by a small group of people that is contrary to American traditions. 'It does not reflect the general sentiment of respect toward Islam by the people of the United States, the statement added. 'The deliberate destruction of a holy book is an abhorrent act, said Ambassador Cameron P. Munter. He said: 'the US commitment to freedom of religion and freedom of expression goes back to the founding of our nation and is enshrined in the Constitution. We absolutely reject religious intolerance in any form.