An evangelical pastor’s plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of September 11 will put soldiers’ lives at risk, the US has warned.
Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville in Florida, says the event will “remember those who were brutally murdered” and send a warning “to the radical element of Islam”. But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the idea a “disrespectful, disgraceful act”.
Others in the Obama administration weighed in against the proposed burning, including Attorney General Eric Holder, who called it idiotic and dangerous. Mrs Clinton said: “I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths.”
The White House has echoed calls from General David Petraeus, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, for the event to be cancelled. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said: “Any type of activity like that that puts our troops in harm’s way would be a concern to this administration.”
General Petraeus says the image of the burning could have a similar impact to photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib jail, making targets of Americans around the world. He said it could “endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort” in Afghanistan.
Pastor Jones said he took General Petraeus’s words seriously but decided to push ahead with the burning. He said: “Instead of us being blamed for what other people will do or might do, why don’t we send a warning to them? Why don’t we send a warning to radical Islam and say, don’t do it. If you attack us, if you attack us, we will attack you.”
The Attorney General has met religious leaders from different faiths to discuss how to stem a wave of Islamophobia which has risen since plans were unveiled to build an Islamic cultural centre close to Ground Zero in New York.
“Having spoken to many families across the country over the last few weeks, I have heard many Muslim Americans say they have never felt this anxious or this insecure in America since directly after September 11,” said Ingrid Mattson, head of the Islamic Society of North America.
See also “Owner of land with Quran-burning sign doesn’t ‘know what the big fuss is'”, Gainesville Sun, 7 September 2010