Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday appealed to media to help maintain communal harmony in the wake of reports of a pastor in the United States threatening to burn the holy Quran.

In a statement issued here, Chidambaram said: "There are reports of a pastor in the United States threatening to burn the Quran on September 11, 2010.

"We would appeal to the media in India - both print and visual media - to refrain from telecasting visuals or publishing photographs of the deplorable act," he said.

"We would also appeal to the media to exercise great restraint over the next couple of days and help in maintaining communal peace and harmony," he added.

Condemning the action of the pastor, he said: " It is totally unbecoming of anyone who claims to be a man of religion. It is obviously calculated to increase bitterness and strife between different religious groups."

"No one who is interested in maintaining harmony and peace among different sections of the people can condone such action," he added.

He further hope that the US authorities will take strong action to prevent such an outrage being committed. (ANI)