By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Church in Gainesville, Florida has agreed to suspend plans to burn the Koran tomorrow pending a planned meeting with the imam in charge of the building of the mosque near Ground Zero in New York, but other burnings are now being planned by fringe groups around the country.
While fiery protests were taking place throughout the Muslim world in response to Rev. Jones’ plans to burn the Koran, the Gainesville pastor told NBC’s “Today” Show that if he can meet with the imam responsible for the controversial mosque/community center, he won’t go through with the planned burning tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon, it appeared that Jones had reached an agreement with the developers of the mosque about the possibility of moving the planned building, but Imam Muhammad Musri claims the agreement was just to meet, not to move the mosque. As a result, it is unclear at the present time whether Jones will go through with the burning planned for tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that police in the northern province of Badakhshan in Afghanistan said several hundred demonstrators charged a NATO compound yesterday where four attackers and five police were injured in clashes over the proposed burning. Protesters also burned an American flag at a mosque after prayers and two people were injured in another protest in western Farah province.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his hope that Jones would abandon his plans to burn the Koran.
“The holy book is implanted in the hearts and minds of all the Muslims,” Karzai said. “Humiliation of the holy book represents the humiliation of our people. I hope that this decision will be stopped and should never have been considered.”
Rev. Jones’ capitulation may be able to soothe mounting tensions in the heated mosque controversy, but the respite seems destined to be temporary as several other groups have now come forward with their own plans to burn Korans tomorrow.
Springfield, Tennessee Pastor Bob Old told NewsChannel5.com that he intends to burn the Koran tomorrow as a way of getting his message heard.
“To the Muslim church I would say the reason I am doing this on Saturday is because I believe they worship a false god. They have a false text, a false prophet and a false scripture,” Old said.
He claims the other two reasons for his actions are to teach Americans about their constitutional rights and to make them better Christians.
Even though he’s already had two death threats, Old says “I believe I am right and I am willing to die for that.”
He plans to burn the Koran at noon on Saturday and post the video on YouTube.com immediately afterward.
Ocala.com is reporting that leaders of the radical Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), the small Topeka, Kan., church that pickets funerals of American soldiers to spread its message that God is punishing the country for being tolerant of homosexuals, has also vowed to hold a Koran burning if Jones’ calls it off.
Apparently, the WBC has burned the Koran before and said in a news release that they’ll do it again if “you sissy brats” bully Rev. Jones into backing down.
Apparently, the WBC has some links to Rev. Jones. In April, Jones and about 30 members of his congregation joined the WBC who were picketing outside a Jewish student center at the University of Florida. Johes’ church is one of the few in the country that will have anything to do with the WBC.
Wyoming News.com is also reporting that Duncan Philp, leader of the Wyoming Tyranny Response Team plans to burn a copy of the Koran on the steps of the Capitol tomorrow to protest the building of the mosque at Ground Zero and the President’s support for the project.
“I feel Obama is being disingenuous when he pretends he supports religious liberties,” Philp said. “(The Muslims) are not building that mosque out of love for my culture or love of the victims of 9-11 but for political reasons.”
Philp’s group, which claims to be made up of defenders of the Bill of Rights, plans to go through with the destruction of the Koran even if police refuse to allow them to burn it. In that case, he plans to tear up the Koran and throw it in the trash, then stage a burning in a private location.
Meanwhile, members of the nearby Unitarian Universalist Church are planning to counter Philp’s actions by conducting a peaceful walk to the Capitol.
Their march is part of a nationwide effort called “Standing onteh Side of Love with our Muslim Brothers and Sisters,” says pastor Dana Lightsey. Church members plan to speak about the “importance of tolerance and caring for our brothers and sisters of all different faiths,” he said.
One marcher who plans to attend is Muslim Mohammed Salih. When asked what he would do if his group crosses paths with Philp tomorrow, he said, “Maybe we’ll take them to lunch or something.”
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