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Angelina Jolie spoke out this week against Terry Jones, the minister in Florida who plans to hold a Quran burning rally on September 11.

Now, President Barack Obama has issued a message to the man whose response to a tragedy based on religious extremism is host an event that is both religious and extreme.

“I hope he understands that what he’s proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans,” Obama told Good Morning America. “That this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance.”

Jones, of course, has the right to burn anything he wants, but Obama tried to appeal to the practical side of this issue as well as the ethical one. He said:

“I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform… this is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaida. You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

 
In denouncing the pastor’s plans, Obama joins the Pope, General David Petraeus, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour as outspoken critics of Jones. The latter is a likely Republican candidate for President and told The Christian Science Monitor.:

“I don’t think there is any excuse for it.”

Concluded Obama in his remarks: “I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he’s engaging in.”