Quran burning Causing Headaches

[Demon_Skeith]

First came the outrage over plans for a mosque near ground zero. Now there's anger over a Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Quran.

Caught up in it all is President Barack Obama, who'd rather be talking about something — anything — else.

Yet there he was on TV Thursday morning, denouncing the church's plans as a "stunt" that could "greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform" and incite suicide bombers.

"Look, this is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaida," Obama said in a taped interview on ABC. "You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan."

Two months before the fall elections, when Obama is trying to convince Americans that Democrats are squarely focused on the economy, the last thing he needs is another heated flap about Muslims, churning up lingering doubts about Obama's religious sympathies and his resolve against terrorism. Slow to weigh in last month on the New York mosque question, Obama's team moved quickly this week to speak out forcefully against plans by a small Florida church to torch copies of the Muslim holy book on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

The administration's denunciations had begun with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Kabul, and been echoed throughout the top echelons of the government. Defense Secretary Robert Gates seconded Petraeus. Attorney General Eric Holder called it idiotic. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it was disgraceful. Obama adviser David Axelrod went with un-American.

Obama himself held out hope the pastor would rethink his plans. "I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he's engaging in."

The administration hoped to rein in the story by speaking out clearly and with one voice.

But it is a measure of the intense emotions attached to matters of religion and politics in the post 9/11 world that such a tiny tail — an independent church with 50 followers — could wag such a big dog.

It's also a measure of how much Obama's team wanted to change the subject.

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this dumb@$$ Pastor has no freaking idea what dangerous things he could be setting in motion with this burning!

 

[froggyboy604]

Book Burnings never work, and never will. He is just putting himself, family, friends, and everyone in danger. I bet a lot of people would not want to be near him now.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

update to the whole thing:

The Christian minister of a small church in Florida canceled on Thursday his plan to burn copies of the Quran that had been scheduled for Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The planned protest had sparked angry demonstrations by Muslims around the world.

The Reverend Terry Jones announced his change of heart at a news conference late Thursday in front of his church in Gainesville, Florida.

Jones said he called off the Quran burning protest because he had secured an agreement with Muslim leaders in New York City to move the location of a controversial planned Islamic center and mosque away from the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks known as Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.

"The American people do not want the mosque there and, of course, Muslims do not want us to burn the Quran," said Terry Jones. "The imam has agreed to move the mosque. We have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday. And on Saturday, I will be flying up there to meet with him."

But the New York imam behind the Islamic center project issued a written statement saying there was no deal to move the Islamic center and mosque slated to be built two blocks away from Ground Zero.

The statement from Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf denied that any talks had taken place with Jones and said no agreement had been reached.

Reverend Jones' plans to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday had drawn worldwide condemnation. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and numerous religious leaders around the country spoke out against the planned protest and urged the previously obscure Florida minister to abandon the idea.

Jones spoke to Defense Secretary Robert Gates shortly before his news conference. Pentagon officials say Gates urged the minister not to go ahead with his protest on Saturday, arguing that it would put the lives of U.S. soldiers serving abroad at risk.

Jones told reporters he has been praying on the issue.

"I get a little bit emotional," he said. "This has been, of course, for us a very, very difficult, trying time. We have been in very much thought and prayer over this whole period. A lot of times we were asked, what would it take to call this thing off."

Jones said an idea came to him while praying that he would call off the planned burning of the Quran, if Muslim leaders in New York City would agree to move the site of Islamic center away from site of the 2001 terrorist attacks in lower Manhattan.

source