Conservative U.S. preacher Jerry Falwell apologized on Saturday for calling the prophet Mohammad a terrorist, saying he meant no disrespect to "any sincere, law-abiding Muslim."
The apology came after top Iranian and British officials condemned the remarks, which Falwell made last week in an interview on the CBS new show "60 Minutes."
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday condemned the remarks as encouraging violence. "What this American priest said encourages war among civilizations and also increases crises and it should be confronted," Kharrazi said.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who was in Iran, said he regarded Falwell's comments "as much an insult to me as a Christian as they are to Muslims."
According to Reuters, Falwell said in a prepared statement that he was sorry for the hurt feelings caused by his comments. "I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine made during an interview for CBS's '60 Minutes' were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims. "I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law abiding Muslim," he said.
Falwell said his error came from answering a "controversial and loaded question" at the end of an hour-long interview. "That was a mistake and I apologize," he said. (Albawaba.com)
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