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US preacher plans to meet imam in New York
Source: Agencies |
September 11, 2010, Saturday
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A FLORIDA church's preacher backed off yesterday, saying he won't follow through with the burning of the Quran if he's able to meet today with the organizers behind a mosque planned near ground zero in New York.
The Reverend Jones generated an international firestorm with his plan to burn the Quran today, the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and he has been under intense pressure to give it up.
Speaking to NBC's "Today" show, Jones said if he meets with the imam in New York, he won't burn the Quran. It wasn't clear if he meant the burning would be halted indefinitely or just for Saturday.
Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, told CBS' "The Early Show" he had a commitment for Jones and himself to meet in New York with the imam there.
City officials in Gainesville said yesterday that no matter what Jones says he'll do, they planned to stick with their plan to increase security in response to the event.
Earlier, Jones and Musri had disagreed sharply on the terms of their agreement.
Jones said on Thursday he would call off the planned burning of Qurans based on a deal negotiated with Musri that the location of a mosque planned near ground zero in New York would be changed.
But Musri said he was clear on Thursday when he told Jones that he could only set up a meeting with planners of the New York City mosque. Jones responded by suggesting that he would go forward with his plan on Saturday after all.
"We are just really shocked," Jones said of Musri. "He clearly, clearly lied to us."
For US political leaders and Muslims around the world who have been outraged by Jones' antics, the on-again, off-again threat bred even more frustration.
Cleric Rusli Hasbi told 1,000 worshippers attending Friday morning prayers in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, that whether or not he burns the Quran, Jones had already "hurt the heart of the Muslim world."
"If he'd gone through with it, it would have been tantamount to war," the cleric said in the coastal town of Lhokseumawe. "A war that would have rallied Muslims all over the world."
The Reverend Jones generated an international firestorm with his plan to burn the Quran today, the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and he has been under intense pressure to give it up.
Speaking to NBC's "Today" show, Jones said if he meets with the imam in New York, he won't burn the Quran. It wasn't clear if he meant the burning would be halted indefinitely or just for Saturday.
Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, told CBS' "The Early Show" he had a commitment for Jones and himself to meet in New York with the imam there.
City officials in Gainesville said yesterday that no matter what Jones says he'll do, they planned to stick with their plan to increase security in response to the event.
Earlier, Jones and Musri had disagreed sharply on the terms of their agreement.
Jones said on Thursday he would call off the planned burning of Qurans based on a deal negotiated with Musri that the location of a mosque planned near ground zero in New York would be changed.
But Musri said he was clear on Thursday when he told Jones that he could only set up a meeting with planners of the New York City mosque. Jones responded by suggesting that he would go forward with his plan on Saturday after all.
"We are just really shocked," Jones said of Musri. "He clearly, clearly lied to us."
For US political leaders and Muslims around the world who have been outraged by Jones' antics, the on-again, off-again threat bred even more frustration.
Cleric Rusli Hasbi told 1,000 worshippers attending Friday morning prayers in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, that whether or not he burns the Quran, Jones had already "hurt the heart of the Muslim world."
"If he'd gone through with it, it would have been tantamount to war," the cleric said in the coastal town of Lhokseumawe. "A war that would have rallied Muslims all over the world."
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