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Obama urges minister to call off Quran burning
Source: Agencies |
September 10, 2010, Friday
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AS Florida officials worried about public safety surrounding a small church's plan to burn the Quran, US 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 September 11 terrorist attacks.
Elsewhere, hundreds of angry Afghans burned an American flag and chanted "Death to the Christians" yesterday to protest the planned Quran burning.
Obama urged the Reverend Terry Jones to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.
In a television interview, Obama said what Jones proposed was "completely contrary to our values as Americans. This country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."
Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he would closely monitor what happens on Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. United States 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 US 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.
In Afghanistan, local officials in Mahmud Raqi, the capital of the Kapisa province northeast of Kabul, estimated that up to 4,000 people protested the planned burning. NATO spokesman James Judge said 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 had 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.
At least one cleric in Afghanistan said it was the duty of Muslims to react, and that could mean killing Americans.
General David Petraeus, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said: "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."
Elsewhere, hundreds of angry Afghans burned an American flag and chanted "Death to the Christians" yesterday to protest the planned Quran burning.
Obama urged the Reverend Terry Jones to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.
In a television interview, Obama said what Jones proposed was "completely contrary to our values as Americans. This country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."
Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he would closely monitor what happens on Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. United States 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 US 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.
In Afghanistan, local officials in Mahmud Raqi, the capital of the Kapisa province northeast of Kabul, estimated that up to 4,000 people protested the planned burning. NATO spokesman James Judge said 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 had 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.
At least one cleric in Afghanistan said it was the duty of Muslims to react, and that could mean killing Americans.
General David Petraeus, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said: "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."
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