American pastor pressing on with plan to burn the Koran

Published on Wednesday 8 September 2010 15:13

THE leader of a Florida church yesterday said he plans to go ahead with burning copies of the Koran on 11 September, despite pressure from the White House, Vatican and others to call it off.

• Rev Terry Jones's plan has sparked protests around the world. Pic AFP/Getty

"We are still determined to do it, yes," the Reverend Terry Jones said. He claimed he had received more than 100 death threats and has started wearing a handgun strapped to his hip since announcing his plan to burn the Muslim holy book.

It is said to contain the word of God as recited to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Jibril (Gabriel). Muslims believe it must, therefore, be treated with the utmost respect. Nevertheless, the 58-year-old American minister proclaimed in July that he would stage "International Burn-a-Koran Day."

Supporters have been mailing copies of the Koran to his Gainesville church of about 50 followers to be thrown on a bonfire on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

General David Petraeus took the rare step for a military leader, taking a position on a domestic matter, when he warned in an e-mail to the press that "images of the burning of a Koran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan - and around the world - to inflame public opinion and incite violence."

Mr Jones responded that he is also concerned but is "wondering, 'When do we stop?"' He refused to cancel the protest at his Dove World Outreach Centre but said he was praying about it.

"It is the duty of Muslims to react," said Mohammad Mukhtar, a cleric and candidate in next week's Afghan election. "If this happens, I think the first and most important reaction will be that wherever Americans are seen, they will be killed. No matter where they will be in the world they will be killed."

Kabul resident, Rajab Ali said, "If this happens there will be chaos and being a Muslim, if we don't defend the Koran then what else we can do?"

Mr Jones has condemned the Koran as evil, claiming it incites violence. Muslims consider the Koran, along with any printed material containing its verses, to be sacred. Any show of disrespect for it is deeply offensive.

Mr Jones's Dove Outreach Centre is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself directly. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in a spiritual war against satanic forces, which often include rival sects and world religions.

The world's leading Sunni Muslim institution, Al-Azhar University in Egypt, accused him stirring up hatred, and called on other US churches to speak out against it. Last month, Indonesian Muslims demonstrated outside the US embassy in Jakarta, threatening violence if Mr Jones burns the Koran.The Vatican denounced the planned burning as an "outrageous and grave" error.

David Axelrod, senior adviser to president Barack Obama, said: "The reverend may have the right to do what he's doing but it's not right. It's not consistent with our values… I hope that his conscience and his good sense will take hold."

Ominously, a Afghan Taleban spokesman said: "This shows the West is against Islam."