September 9, 2010 in Nation/World

Obama implores minister to call off Quran burning

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — As Florida officials worried about public safety surrounding a small church’s plan to burn the Quran, President Barack Obama added his voice to the chorus of opposition to the church’s intention to burn copies of Islam’s holiest text to mark the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Elsewhere, hundreds of angry Afghans burned an American flag and chanted “Death to the Christians” today to protest the planned Quran burning.

Obama urged the Rev. Terry Jones to “listen to those better angels” and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.

In an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” broadcast today, Obama said what Jones proposes “is completely contrary to our values as Americans. This country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance.”

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he would closely monitor what happens Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. U.S. embassies around the world will be doing the same after being ordered by the State Department to assess their security. Officials fear the burning could spark anti-American violence, including against soldiers, a concern shared by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

“In addition to being offensive, the Gainesville protest puts at risk those brave Americans who are fighting abroad for the freedoms and values that we believe in as Americans,” said Crist, who is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate.

In Afghanistan, local officials in Mahmud Raqi, the capital of the Kapisa province some 60 miles northeast of Kabul, estimated that up to 4,000 people protested the planned burning. But NATO spokesman James Judge said there were between 500 to 700 people. Judge added that the Quran burning is “precisely the kind of activity the Taliban uses to fuel their propaganda efforts to reduce support” for coalition forces.

Despite the mounting pressure to call off the bonfire, Jones said he has received much encouragement and was going through with his plan. Supporters have sent him copies of the Quran to burn, he said.

“As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing,” said Jones, 58, who took no questions at a news conference Wednesday.

USA Today reported that Jones said in an interview he had not been contacted by the White House, State Department or Pentagon. If such a call comes, he said, “that would cause us to definitely think it over. That’s what we’re doing now. I don’t think a call from them is something we would ignore.”

At Wednesday’s news conference, Jones was flanked by an armed escort and said he has received more than 100 death threats since announcing in July that he would stage “International Burn-a-Koran Day.” The book, according to Jones, is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims.

Muslims consider the Quran the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect. At least one cleric in Afghanistan said it is the duty of Muslims to react and that could mean killing Americans.

At home, the Gainesville Police Department will be dealing with some 90,000 fans Saturday and even more tailgaters expected for the Florida-South Florida football game. The game is at 12:20 p.m. and the Quran burning is set for 6 p.m.

Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe condemned the church’s plans and asked residents to avoid the church’s cross streets on Saturday and to watch for suspicious behavior.

“If you see anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small it might be, report it immediately,” he said.

No one from the police department was available to immediately comment on security measures at the church, where at least one counter-protest was planned by a University of Florida student group.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, e-mailed The Associated Press to say “images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence.” It comes as an emotional debate continues over a proposed Islamic center near the ground zero site of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.

Petraeus spoke Wednesday with Afghan President Karzai about the matter, according to military spokesman Col. Erik Gunhus.

“They both agreed that burning of a Quran would undermine our effort in Afghanistan, jeopardize the safety of coalition troopers and civilians,” Gunhus said, and would “create problems for our Afghan partners … as it likely would be Afghan police and soldiers who would have to deal with any large demonstrations.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the pastor’s plans were outrageous, and along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, urged Jones to cancel the event.

Not just the Democratic administration has weighed in. Ex-Alaska governor and former Republican candidate for vice president Sarah Palin said in a Facebook post that although people have the constitutional right to burn the Quran, doing so would be an “insensitive and an unnecessary provocation — much like building a mosque at ground zero.”

Conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck wrote in an Internet blog that burning the Quran is like burning the flag or the Bible — something people can do in the United States, but shouldn’t. Legal experts have said the burning would likely be protected by the First Amendment’s right to free speech.

The foreign ministries of Pakistan and the Gulf nation of Bahrain issued some of the first official denunciations in the Muslim world, with Bahrain calling it a “shameful act which is incompatible with the principles of tolerance and coexistence.” Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

The president of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has also sent a letter to President Obama asking him to stop the bonfire.

In Pakistan, about 200 lawyers and civil society members marched and burned a U.S. flag in the central Pakistani city of Multan, demanding that Washington halt the burning of the Muslim holy book.

“If Quran is burned, it would be beginning of destruction of America,” read one English-language banner held up by the protesters, who chanted “Down with America!”

Jones’ Dove Outreach Center is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces.

The Vatican also denounced the protest and a religious watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said it would send a copy of the Quran to the Afghan National Army for every one that might be burned.

Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, tried to call Jones twice on Wednesday but was unable to reach him and has now written him a letter urging him not to proceed, according to a spokesman.

“It’s never right to deface or destroy sacred texts or writings of other religions even if you don’t agree with them,” Franklin Graham said in a statement.

In 2001, Graham described Islam as evil. The U.S. Army earlier this year rescinded his invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer breakfast after a religious freedom group raised an objection, citing his past remarks.

Jones’ neighbors in Gainesville, a city of 125,000 anchored by the sprawling University of Florida campus, also have said they disapprove. At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations in the city have mobilized to plan inclusive events — some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services.

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45 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

Mr_Bloggy on September 09 at 6:31 a.m.
Is there any reason they cannot send in some black suited FBI agents and just take this creep into custody, waterboard him awhile, inject him full of mind paralyzing neuroleptic drugs and turn him back loose drooling and confused and unable to carry out his madness?
Doesn’t the good of many outweigh the sad, stuntish desires of the one?
Personally, I think it’s all a stunt to get this nutcake some attention and it’s working! Time to let the professionals go to work.
Diana on September 09 at 7:00 a.m.
Of course it’s a stunt. And no matter how vile and reprehensible it is, he has a first amendment right to do it.
Separate church and state and remove his church from tax-exempt status.
Pat O'Leary on September 09 at 7:27 a.m.
This clown is already drooling and confused.
Scoutster on September 09 at 7:39 a.m.
As I asked in a previous post, who elevated this absurdity to the national stage?
Churches like this do nutty things all the time, but they don’t get international media coverage.
I’m guessing (but it is only a guess and I am prepared to be proven wrong) that Faux News has been on this like white on rice for days now, frothing up the gullible base.
Then, it became a big story.
monkeyman on September 09 at 7:53 a.m.
Anybody remember a couple of years ago there were “protests” in Spokane against depiction of “retard” in Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder”. This is just a mild example of “sensitivities” people may have.
Freedom of expression and all is fine, but what he needs to realize is that not everybody else in the world is like him, neither should they be. (Otherwise only food available on the earth would be McDonalds:) People have different sensitivities and different “points” where they draw a line. I am sure every ordinary human being does.
I won’t be surprised if someone goes “postal” within the US with this stunt as an excuse to kill him/herself and taking a few more lives along.
Finally, among the several “viewpoints” I heard on the radio/TV discussions, I haven’t yet heard an opinion from a member of the US military who is also happens to be a muslim, which would be interesting. Please let me know if someone has heard any such views…
maria on September 09 at 8:27 a.m.
I see it as a treasonous act, meant to bring harm to our citizens and threaten the success of our troops fighting terrorists overseas. I say put him away for good.
eagleproducer on September 09 at 8:32 a.m.
This kook should have been marginalized instead of granted a platform. His church has fifty members but the Islamic world believes him representative of all the U.S. now. They need to get real as well.
maria on September 09 at 8:34 a.m.
Al Queda not only exists in the middle east, but in the Philipines as well. Many of our soldiers are in the Philipines working to dismantle terrorist strongholds and nerve centers. Our special forces need trust on every level from locals in order to infiltrate the camps. If the native muslims see US burning their bible they may just turn on our guys.
bdr on September 09 at 8:58 a.m.
I wonder if Obama would send me about 12 trillion in China debt bonds so I can burn them in my back yard the same day?
rightsideofthestate on September 09 at 9:13 a.m.
I find it interesting that a religion which kills someone for possessing a bible will be offended when someone considers their holy book to offensive. I think it speaks volumes about who is the tolerant and who is the offensive.
maria on September 09 at 9:26 a.m.
You can find it interesting all you like, righty, but when our troops are subject to undue harm from the backlash then it’s treason. He’s free to burn what he wants to, but he loses his freedom when he incites violence. He should stand above this and not lower himself to terrorism himself. He might as well be burning the American flag.
spokanada on September 09 at 9:27 a.m.
Rightsideidiot, don’t equate Muslim extremists with the majority of the people who follow islam because some idiot in the middle east could be doing the same thing with Christianity. We don’t want them to think that all christians are like these quran burning idiots in Florida and dimwits like you shouldn’t be painting the billion muslims in the world with the same brush.
Turn off the Fixed News, Limbaugh, and Beck and think for yourself.
IHike4Fun on September 09 at 9:27 a.m.
I wonder of the president would get involved like this if a Mosque was going to burn a Bible? I doubt it. Religious tolerance in this country is not unilateral.
Gato on September 09 at 9:31 a.m.
I agree with Spotucky. Instead of asking the guy to knock it off, Obama should have said, Every country has its kooks, every religion has a few nutcases. We don’t judge all Muslims by the acts of Muslim terrorists. Nor should Christianity be judged by the acts of some wacko.
eagleproducer on September 09 at 9:33 a.m.
4FUN: Haven’t you figured out Obama is a Muslim yet?
Sheesh, only 10% of us thought that when he was elected, now 18% of us BELIEVE IT! What is taking you so long?
maria on September 09 at 9:33 a.m.
Mosques don’t burn bibles, idiot.
Charlie on September 09 at 10:24 a.m.
If it is so important to Obama, why not pick up the telephone and call Rev. Jones, couldn’t hurt and might get Obama a few points.
dataxman on September 09 at 10:31 a.m.
Interesting that Obama never protested the release of ‘torture’ details from Gitmo, despite the warnings that it might be used to recruit Al-Qaeda, or when Newsweek printed a soldier urinated on a Koran (people rioted and died - then it turned out to be an incorrect story). Obama also wanted to release all the Abu Graib photos, even though we know they were used as a recruiting tool
misjustice on September 09 at 10:32 a.m.
PAT ROBERTSON: Imagine a pastor that is so egotistical that he would sacrifice the lives of missionaries and soldiers to go forward with something. This is so stupid.
Pat Robertson, the former advocate of political assassinations and blamer of hurricane Katrina on homosexuals, thinks this is stupid; which is kinda like the pot calling the kettle black. Even a nut job like Robertson thinks this is wrong.
intoleranttolerance on September 09 at 10:32 a.m.
Where is the outrage at the burning of bibles by the US military in Afghanistan? http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/
While Jones’ intended actions seem provocative, they are no more provocative than placing a mosque at a site in which terrorists in the name of allah murdered thousands of American and international civilians, nor are they any more provocative than say crashing a boat into a Navy ship and murdering sailors, but perhaps they are more provocative than blowing up a US embassy in the name of allah?
Maybe they are more provocative than burning the US flag and images of the man who said he will burn the Quran in effort to intimidate the citizens into compliance?
Seems to me the outrage is a bit one sided, perhaps a balanced look at the historical evidence would bring a right view of the facts of the current situation? It doesn’t matter if we burn Quran’s or not, the marching orders are clear in what the terrorists are to do.
mikemcdonnell on September 09 at 10:39 a.m.
Politics and religion are two sacred cows that always get people into trouble… burning a flag or a bible or koran are usually meant as protests, which should be allowed no matter how unpleasant, that’s the price of freedom of speech, and it’s usually the worst of society (porn, gambling) that tests and guarantees our freedoms.
On the other hand we criticize barbaric torture and the stoning of a women in Iran but freely capture and transport suspects to be tortured overseas (rendition).
misjustice on September 09 at 10:48 a.m.
@ mike; yeah, do as we say, not as we do. ‘Merica is full of contradictions…good post.
misjustice on September 09 at 11:03 a.m.
I just heard on CNN news (radio) that the Men In Black (FBI)have visited this man of gawd…
maria on September 09 at 11:14 a.m.
misjustice: OMG, they sent in the Mormon missionaries?
rawbertb on September 09 at 11:20 a.m.
Gee, let’s see…an American wants to burn books, and the Muslims say they will kill Americans. Anyone see anything slightly uneven in this?
maria on September 09 at 11:49 a.m.
Is Sarah Palin really going to partake?
misjustice on September 09 at 11:58 a.m.
@ Maria…No, the Quitter on Twitter twitted for the pastor to “stand down.”
Mormon Missionaries? ; ) No. The other Men In Black! Lol!
maria on September 09 at 12:38 p.m.
Oh, sorry there, misjustice. I thought you were talking about the “Milk drinkin’ FBI”. ; }
Quitter on Twitter! LOL! Maybe he’ll listen to St. Sarah
Thoreau on September 09 at 12:47 p.m.
IHIKE4FUN: We’re not at war with Christian extremists….at least not until someone removes this intolerable jackass. That’s why your Bible burning analogy doesn’t make sense. It was just a matter of time before someone implied Obama’s favortism for one religion. ORGANIZED RELIGION RUN BY HUMAN BEINGS IS THE DOWNFALL OF SOCIETIES. If Terry Jones wants the audience he seeks for his Quran burning, I think he should do it in Anbar Province, Afghanistan. Good luck, Rev. I’m sure the Lord Almighty will protect you from AK-47 rounds. Our troops sure the hell won’t.
misjustice on September 09 at 12:49 p.m.
Maria; Although maybe the MMs could do some good. All of the ones that I have met have been very nice young people! And they dress so neatly!
Now the State Department is issuing travel warnings for American citizens traveling in foreign countries…no restrictions yet, just warnings. Great!
monkeyman on September 09 at 12:51 p.m.
@rawbertb on September 09 at 11:20 a.m.
“Gee, let’s see…an American wants to burn books, and the Muslims say they will kill Americans. Anyone see anything slightly uneven in this?”
Yes, it is that big a deal for the muslims. Not only to kill, some will be willing to die themselves.
That’s where one needs to understand the sensitivities. E.g. would christians have an issue if the pages from the Bible are used as toilet paper? Its just paper after all, right…
maria on September 09 at 1:00 p.m.
“Would christians have an issue if the pages from the Bible are used as toilet paper? ”
Lol. I’m a Christian and I’d use the bible for tp if that’s all there was in the house. Hell, I even used a Book of Mormon to get the fire started once. That’s the only reason I accept copies from the MM’s now.
monkeyman on September 09 at 1:25 p.m.
I guess it is not a sensitive issue for you.
Pat O'Leary on September 09 at 1:29 p.m.
Religion is the root cause of the vast preponderance of hate and evil in this world. Jews hate Muslims, Muslims hate Jews, Muslims hate Christians, Christians find every other religion to be evil…..and round and round it goes. Every recent war and its attendant evil and destruction, revolves around religion one way or another, This Christian clown fits right in with the rest of the hate merchants…. he is no different than the Taliban or other murdering thugs that claim to be Muslims. He apparently doesn’t give a damn about people that may die because of his intemperate behavior and of course, neither do the rest of the religious nuts. I can only pray that God will protect us from His insane followers.
Diana on September 09 at 1:34 p.m.
maria and mis, indeed, Mooselini’s ghost twitterer refudiated it.
misjustice on September 09 at 1:44 p.m.
AHHHHHHH! Mooselini! Good one, Diana! ROFL!
monkeyman on September 09 at 2:04 p.m.
CNN right now at 2pm.
misjustice on September 09 at 2:17 p.m.
The Qu’ran buring has been called off by Jones.
“There were several developments prior to Jones’ cancellation announcement:
— Local governments said they will bill Jones for the extra cost of security for Saturday’s event.
— Interpol on Thursday issued a global alert to its 188 member countries, warning of a “strong likelihood” of violent attacks if the Quran burning proceeds.
Video: Pastor: Burning will happen
Video: Gauging reaction to Quran burning
Video: No permit to burn Qurans?
Video: Call for tolerance RELATED TOPICS
Terry Jones
Islam
First Amendment Rights
— An armed Christian organization, which withdrew its support for the Quran-burning event last month, said the administration “needs to stay out of this” and pledged to defend the Dove Center’s right to hold the event, despite its disagreement.
— The FBI warned local law enforcement that the plan, along with other recent controversies involving the American Muslim community, could lead to hate crimes and could encourage extremist rhetoric, although a federal law enforcement official said there was no credible information that attacks were planned.
The FBI visited Jones at the Dove Center on Thursday, according to Jeffrey Westcott, special agent in charge of the Jacksonville, Florida, bureau. The FBI also visited him a few weeks ago, he said, but would not say what was discussed.”
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/09/florida.quran.burning/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1
maria on September 09 at 2:28 p.m.
Mooselini! Sorry I was late on that one! Had to go to Walmart to return some pink polyester stirrup pants that I got too fat for.
monkeyman on September 09 at 2:40 p.m.
MSNBC says NO DEAL yet on moving the NY mosque location, contradicting CNN’s earlier story.
Donald Trump is involved too now. This is getting kind of fun now.
SpokaneLiberal on September 09 at 3:09 p.m.
The pastor has the right to burn the books. However if in response to him exercising his right crazy fundamentalists kill more US troops and he was presented with credibly evidence they would do such, he would have blood on his hands. He would have not only accomplished his goal of exposing Muslims as a religion of violence, but also exposed his church as a group that attempts to incite violence…
SpokaneLiberal on September 09 at 3:11 p.m.
The pastor has the right to burn the books. However, if in response to him exercising his right, crazy fundamentalists kill more US troops - and he was presented with credible evidence they would do such, he would have blood on his hands. He would have not only accomplished his goal of exposing Muslims as a religion of violence, but also exposed his church as a group that attempts to incite violence…
SpokaneLiberal on September 09 at 3:11 p.m.
Darn, how do you delete repeats?
Diana on September 09 at 3:30 p.m.
So the Rev canceled and lied about having made a deal with Park51. Figures!
misjustice on September 09 at 6:13 p.m.
As far as I know Jones met the Imam’s representative today, heard the rep on AM radio. Look, this is a win, win.
Jones gets the attention he badly craves, the “deal” gets him out of Florida on 9-11 and to NY. The Donald may end up buying the old Burlington Coat Factory building, offering 25% above what the group paid to buy the building.
The Muslims reached out to this wack-a-doodle to try and forge a solution. Whose the extremists, now?