US church defiant despite condemnation of Quran burning

Despite widespread condemnation of the move by American government, military, and religious leaders from the major faiths, an obscure US Christian church says it plans to go ahead with burning copies of the Quran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Pastor Terry Jones of the Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center, which reportedly has about 50 members, said he understands US government concerns that the provocative burning of Islam's holy book could increase dangers for US personnel in foreign countries. Jones, who has said he believes Islam is a violent and oppressive religion, said on September 7 that he is still praying over whether to burn Qurans -- but has indicated that the event is still planned to go forward. The Obama administration, top US military officials, and NATO have all called for the cancellation of the burning, saying it could trigger outrage in the Muslim world and put Western troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere at greater risk of attack. Leading American Christian and Jewish leaders have also spoken against it, calling it an attack on religious freedom and an act of religious intolerance. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking on September 7 at the State Department at an iftar, the meal at which Muslims break their daily fast during the month of Ramadan, called the planned Quran burning disrespectful and disgraceful. We sit down together for this meal on a day when the news is carrying reports that a pastor down in Gainesville, Florida, plans to burn the Holy Quran on September 11th, 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, from Evangelical Christians to Jewish rabbis, as well as secular US leaders and opinion-makers. City officials in Gainesville say they have repeatedly appealed to the church to cancel the burning. Officials say the church would be in violation of city ordinances if the burning is held, as city officials have denied the church a request for a burn permit.