Terry Jones called off book-burning after alleged deal to move New
York Islamic centre further away from Ground Zero, which Imam Feisal
Abdul Rauf denies
Ewen MacAskill, Richard Adams in Washington and Kate Connolly in
Berlin
Friday September 10 2010
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/10/florida-pastor-cancels-burn-qur-an-anniversary-9-11
The Florida pastor who threatened to burn copies of the Qur'an has
suspended the plan in the face of condemnation by Barack Obama, the
Pentagon, the state department and international outrage.
Although he had initially announced that the bookburning was
cancelled, he later said the plan was only "suspended" because he was
"lied to" over a deal to call off the event in exchange for a promise
to move a planned Islamic centre away from New York's Ground Zero.
Terry Jones, who heads the Dove World Outreach Centre church in
Gainesville, Florida, claimed he was not bowing to the pressure from
the White House and abroad but had taken the decision because of the
agreement. However, it emerged last night that Robert Gates, the US
defence secretary, had phoned Jones and asked him not carry out his
threat.
Jones also claimed he was planning to fly to New York to discuss the
proposed cultural centre's new location with the New York imam Feisal
Abdul Rauf.
But the imam, in a statement issued last night, said he had not spoken
to Jones.
"I am glad that Pastor Jones has decided not to burn any Qur'ans.
However, I have not spoken to Pastor Jones," he said. "I am surprised
by their announcement. We are not going to toy with our religion or
any other. Nor are we going to barter."
There was a collective sigh of relief worldwide as Jones announced at
a press conference that he was dropping his plan to set fire to 20
copies of the Qur'an. The burning had been planned to coincide with
the ninth anniversary tomorrow of the 9/11 attacks on New York and
Washington.
Interpol, the Pentagon and others warned that such an act would
provoke violent acts around the world by outraged Muslims. There were
protests in Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries yesterday
at the proposed burning.
As tensions mounted, claims emerged from Germany that Jones was
dismissed from a church he founded there after accusations that he
mistreated his followers.
Jones showed signs of being unnerved by the mounting pressure on
Wednesday and hinted at a climbdown. In an interview with USA Today,
he said he was rethinking the plan and would do so more seriously if
Obama or anyone else from the government was to approach him directly.
But the White House refused to contact him directly, suggesting that
if the president engaged with a pastor with a flock numbering about
30, copycats might be encouraged. Interviewed on breakfast TV
yesterday before the cancellation, President Obama spoke of "a
recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaida. "This could increase the
recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up
in American cities or European cities," he told ABC's Good Morning
America show.
The only unresolved issue is Jones's claim of a deal with Muslims in
New York. Jones told reporters: "The imam has agreed to move the
mosque, we have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday." He was
accompanied by Imam Muhammad Musri, head of the Islamic Society of
Central Florida. He added: "I, with [Musri], will be flying up [to New
York] on Saturday to meet with [Feisal Abdul Rauf] at the Ground Zero
mosque."
He insisted that Musri had guaranteed the Islamic centre would be
moved. "I asked him three times, and I have witnesses," Jones said.
"If it's not moved, then I think Islam is a very poor example of
religion. I think that would be very pitiful. I do not expect that."
The Pentagon's fear was that the burning of Qur'ans could result in
retaliatory attacks on US soldiers serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and
elsewhere.
Interpol earlier yesterday issued a blunt warning that "violent
attacks on innocent people would follow" if the stunt went ahead.
In Pakistan, protesters burned an American flag and displayed a sign
in English reading: "If Qur'an is burned it would be beginning of
destruction of America." In Afghanistan a crowd of up to 4,000 people
held an angry protest in Mahmud Raqi, near Kabul, with some burning US
flags and chanting, "Death to the Christians."
US officials revealed that the president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, had written directly to Obama asking him to intervene to
halt the burning.
Sarah Palin linked the threat to the plan to build a mosque near the
site of the World Trade Centre attack. "People have a constitutional
right to burn a Qur'an if they want to, but doing so is insensitive
and an unnecessary provocation ? much like building a mosque at Ground
Zero," she wrote in a Facebook message.
Meanwhile, reports emerged yesterday of Jones's mission in Germany,
where he established the Christian Community of Cologne in 1982 after
having "received a sign from God". However, when Jones left Cologne 26
years later, it was as a disgraced preacher who had allegedly forced
members to give him a percentage of their earnings, made them work for
little or no money and caused the breakup of families and friendships.
He reportedly also faked a title as doctor of theology, for which he
was fined, and was eventually dismissed by the church board in 2008.
Andrew Schäfer, an official sect monitor for the Protestant church in
the Rhine region, who has closely observed the activities of the
community, said Jones had "enormous manipulative potential" and
believed his failure in Germany had led to his increased desire to
achieve notoriety in Florida. "He has clearly not been able to cope
with the immense loss of his power and significance," said Scäfer.
Among the numerous reports of the ways in which Jones used to
manipulate members were demands for money, as well as complete
commitment to the community. Members were reportedly made to work in
the community's "Lisa Jones" shops, named after his first wife, which
sold secondhand clothes and furniture. They apparently worked long
hours, lived on next to no wages, and had no health insurance ? a
requirement all German employers have to fulfil. They were forced to
review relationships with family and friends and in some cases to
break up with partners.
guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010
On Sep 10, 3:40 am, OLADMEJI ABORISADE <olaaboris...@msn.com> wrote:
> This Pastor did not Cancel his ambition but Suspends it. Thank you. Oladimeji Aborisade.
>
> > Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 14:49:18 -0700
> > Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - US pastor cancels plan to burn Qur'an
> > From: oldave...@googlemail.com
> > To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>
> > US pastor cancels plan to burn Qur'an
>
> > Terry Jones claimed agreement had been reached to move location of
> > planned mosque at site of September 11 attacks in New York
>
> > Staff and agencies
> > Friday September 10 2010
> > guardian.co.uk
>
> >http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/09/us-pastor-cancels-quran-b...
>
> > Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who planned to burn the Qur'an on the
> > anniversary of the September 11 attacks, has decided to cancel the
> > event.
>
> > Jones, who heads the Dove World Outreach Centre church based in the
> > university town of Gainesville, claimed an agreement had been reached
> > with Muslim leaders to move the controversial location of a planned
> > Islamic cultural centre and mosque in New York.
>
> > Sources close to the New York imam, however, said there was no
> > agreement to move the mosque away from the former World Trade Centre
> > site.
>
> > The pastor's proposal to burn the Qur'an had drawn criticism from
> > President Obama and religious and political leaders across the Muslim
> > world.
>
> > guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010
>
> > --
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