US President Barack Obama says plans by a small church to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 are a "recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaeda.
Mr Obama said if the burning went ahead in Gainesville, Florida, it could endanger US military personnel serving in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The plan has drawn widespread international condemnation.
Interpol has issued a global alert, warning the burning could provoke "violent attacks on innocent people".
Terry Jones, the pastor behind the threat, leads a congregation of 50 followers in the city of Gainesville.
He has said the burning would be a way to stand up to terrorism.
In an interview with ABC television, Mr Obama said he hoped Mr Jones "understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance".
"And as a very practical matter, 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," the president said.
"Look, this is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda. You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who'd be willing to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities," he said.
"I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he's engaging in," the president said.
Mr Obama said if the burning went ahead in Gainesville, Florida, it could endanger US military personnel serving in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The plan has drawn widespread international condemnation.
Interpol has issued a global alert, warning the burning could provoke "violent attacks on innocent people".
Terry Jones, the pastor behind the threat, leads a congregation of 50 followers in the city of Gainesville.
He has said the burning would be a way to stand up to terrorism.
In an interview with ABC television, Mr Obama said he hoped Mr Jones "understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance".
"And as a very practical matter, 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," the president said.
"Look, this is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda. You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who'd be willing to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities," he said.
"I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he's engaging in," the president said.
Analysis of BBC News Katie Connolly Burning a religion's holy book is an unmistakably offensive act, but in America, it is also a protected one.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution enshrines the right to freedom of speech. It is therefore illegal for a government to ban forms of speaking.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled on several occasions that free speech includes symbolic actions. That is why it is perfectly legal for protesters to burn the American flag or for the Ku Klux Klan to burn crosses, even though such actions outrage and offend.
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