President Obama sharply criticized a Florida pastor's plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, calling it a "stunt" that threatens the lives of American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and violates American principles of religious tolerance.

"If he's listening, I just hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values," Mr. Obama said in an interview that aired on ABC's Good Morning America Thursday, referring to Terry Jones, a Gainesville, Florida pastor.

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