September 9, 2010 6:00 PM
- Text
Obama: Quran-Burning "Stunt" Helps al Qaeda
(CBS/AP)
Updated 2:00 p.m. ET
As Florida officials worried about public safety surrounding a small church's plan to burn the Quran, 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 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Elsewhere, hundreds of angry Afghans burned an American flag and chanted "Death to the Christians" on Thursday to protest the planned Quran burning.
Obama urged the Rev. Terry Jones to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast Thursday, Obama said what Jones proposes "is completely contrary to our values as Americans. This country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."
The president called it a "stunt" and a "a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda."
Meanwhile, the FBI paid Jones a visit Thursday morning. It is unclear why federal agents visited the pastor but last month Jones said in a deposition that he met with the FBI regarding threats to his life and property.
Pentagon Spokesman Jeff Morell said at his briefing that there were discussions to determine if someone from the Government should call the pastor. He said Gates was part of the discussions. Another source tells CBS News that the call would come from either the White House, State or the Pentagon.
Complete Coverage: 9/11 Nine Years Later
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Quran Burning Legal? Protest Possibly Protected
Pakistan: Beck Should Denounce Quran Burning
On CBS' "The Early Show" Thursday, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison - the first Muslim ever elected to Congress - echoed Mr. Obama's feelings, but called for restraint in response.
"I think it certainly has the potential to hurt Americans in uniforms of our country. I think it also damages our Constitution. It damages the fabric of our nation that is based on the idea of religious liberty," Ellison said. "But the thing I'd like to say is that I urge people in congregations, Muslim and other, to urge restraint, to urge patience and to urge caution. You should not reward this provocation with a counter-response."
"I would ask religious leaders to speak to their congregations and say, he's trying to provoke you. Don't be provoked," he said.
Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, also appeared on "The Early Show," saying that Jones doesn't have a theological leg to stand on.
"What would Jesus do? Jesus would never do this," Land said. "This is odious. This is absolutely beyond the pale. It doesn't follow the golden rule. Doesn't follow the teachings of Jesus in any way, shape or form. And he's being urged by Christians from all spectrums and other religious leaders not to do this."
But Jones has said he has no plans to relent. He said at a press conference Wednesday that he has received a lot of encouragement for his protest, with supporters mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his Gainesville church of about 50 followers. The plan is to incinerate the Qurans in a bonfire Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11.
"As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing," said Jones, who took no questions.
There was one small sign the pastor who's never read the Quran or visited a mosque was willing to hear from the other side, CBS News Correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports. Jones spent 30 minutes with a local imam.
"I think the pastor as a Christian will follow in the footsteps of Christ and will do the right thing," Imam Muhammad Musri told CBS News.
Jones' own daughter has told a Gainesville newspaper that his church is a cult, closed to the outside world and controlled by Jones, who in depositions for a lawsuit said Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism all are "of the devil," Cobiella reports.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he would closely monitor what happens Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. U.S. 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 U.S. 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, who is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate.
In Afghanistan, local officials in Mahmud Raqi, the capital of the Kapisa province some 60 miles northeast of Kabul, estimated that up to 4,000 people protested the planned burning. But NATO spokesman James Judge said there were between 500 to 700 people. Judge added that 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 has 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, who took no questions at a news conference Wednesday.
USA Today reported that Jones said in an interview he had not been contacted by the White House, State Department or Pentagon. If such a call comes, he said, "that would cause us to definitely think it over. That's what we're doing now. I don't think a call from them is something we would ignore."
At Wednesday's news conference, Jones was flanked by an armed escort and said he has received more than 100 death threats since announcing in July that he would stage "International Burn-a-Koran Day." The book, according to Jones, is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims.
Muslims consider the Quran the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect. At least one cleric in Afghanistan said it is the duty of Muslims to react and that could mean killing Americans.
At home, the Gainesville Police Department will be dealing with some 90,000 fans Saturday and even more tailgaters expected for the Florida-South Florida football game. The game is at 12:20 p.m. and the Quran burning is set for 6 p.m.
Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe condemned the church's plans and asked residents to avoid the church's cross streets on Saturday and to watch for suspicious behavior.
"If you see anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small it might be, report it immediately," he said.
No one from the police department was available to immediately comment on security measures at the church, where at least one counter-protest was planned by a University of Florida student group.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, e-mailed The Associated Press to say "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." It comes as an emotional debate continues over a proposed Islamic center near the ground zero site of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.
Petraeus spoke Wednesday with Afghan President Karzai about the matter, according to military spokesman Col. Erik Gunhus.
"They both agreed that burning of a Quran would undermine our effort in Afghanistan, jeopardize the safety of coalition troopers and civilians," Gunhus said, and would "create problems for our Afghan partners ... as it likely would be Afghan police and soldiers who would have to deal with any large demonstrations."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the pastor's plans were outrageous, and along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, urged Jones to cancel the event.
Not just the Democratic administration has weighed in. Ex-Alaska governor and former Republican candidate for vice president Sarah Palin said in a Facebook post that although people have the constitutional right to burn the Quran, doing so would be an "insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at ground zero."
More coverage:
Quran Burning Protests in Afghanistan
Pastor Will Not Cancel Quran Burning
Jones: Judaism, Other Religions "Of The Devil"
Hillary Clinton: Quran Burning Not American Way
Clinton: Quran Burning Does Not "Represent America"
Bloomberg: Pastor Has Right to Burn Quran
Angelina Jolie Condemns Planned Quran Burning
Conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck wrote in an Internet blog that burning the Quran is like burning the flag or the Bible - something people can do in the United States, but shouldn't. Legal experts have said the burning would likely be protected by the First Amendment's right to free speech.
The foreign ministries of Pakistan and the Gulf nation of Bahrain issued some of the first official denunciations in the Muslim world, with Bahrain calling it a "shameful act which is incompatible with the principles of tolerance and coexistence." Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
The president of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has also sent a letter to President Obama asking him to stop the bonfire.
In Pakistan, about 200 lawyers and civil society members marched and burned a U.S. flag in the central Pakistani city of Multan, demanding that Washington halt the burning of the Muslim holy book.
"If Quran is burned, it would be beginning of destruction of America," read one English-language banner held up by the protesters, who chanted "Down with America!"
Jones' Dove Outreach Center is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces.
The Vatican also denounced the protest and a religious watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said it would send a copy of the Quran to the Afghan National Army for every one that might be burned.
Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, tried to call Jones twice on Wednesday but was unable to reach him and has now written him a letter urging him not to proceed, according to a spokesman.
"It's never right to deface or destroy sacred texts or writings of other religions even if you don't agree with them," Franklin Graham said in a statement.
In 2001, Graham described Islam as evil. The U.S. Army earlier this year rescinded his invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer breakfast after a religious freedom group raised an objection, citing his past remarks.
Jones' neighbors in Gainesville, a city of 125,000 anchored by the sprawling University of Florida campus, also have said they disapprove. At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations in the city have mobilized to plan inclusive events - some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services.
As Florida officials worried about public safety surrounding a small church's plan to burn the Quran, 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 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Elsewhere, hundreds of angry Afghans burned an American flag and chanted "Death to the Christians" on Thursday to protest the planned Quran burning.
Obama urged the Rev. Terry Jones to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast Thursday, Obama said what Jones proposes "is completely contrary to our values as Americans. This country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."
The president called it a "stunt" and a "a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda."
Meanwhile, the FBI paid Jones a visit Thursday morning. It is unclear why federal agents visited the pastor but last month Jones said in a deposition that he met with the FBI regarding threats to his life and property.
Pentagon Spokesman Jeff Morell said at his briefing that there were discussions to determine if someone from the Government should call the pastor. He said Gates was part of the discussions. Another source tells CBS News that the call would come from either the White House, State or the Pentagon.
Complete Coverage: 9/11 Nine Years Later
Some Call for "Burn the Stars & Stripes Day"
Quran Burning Legal? Protest Possibly Protected
Pakistan: Beck Should Denounce Quran Burning
On CBS' "The Early Show" Thursday, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison - the first Muslim ever elected to Congress - echoed Mr. Obama's feelings, but called for restraint in response.
"I think it certainly has the potential to hurt Americans in uniforms of our country. I think it also damages our Constitution. It damages the fabric of our nation that is based on the idea of religious liberty," Ellison said. "But the thing I'd like to say is that I urge people in congregations, Muslim and other, to urge restraint, to urge patience and to urge caution. You should not reward this provocation with a counter-response."
"I would ask religious leaders to speak to their congregations and say, he's trying to provoke you. Don't be provoked," he said.
Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, also appeared on "The Early Show," saying that Jones doesn't have a theological leg to stand on.
"What would Jesus do? Jesus would never do this," Land said. "This is odious. This is absolutely beyond the pale. It doesn't follow the golden rule. Doesn't follow the teachings of Jesus in any way, shape or form. And he's being urged by Christians from all spectrums and other religious leaders not to do this."
But Jones has said he has no plans to relent. He said at a press conference Wednesday that he has received a lot of encouragement for his protest, with supporters mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his Gainesville church of about 50 followers. The plan is to incinerate the Qurans in a bonfire Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11.
"As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing," said Jones, who took no questions.
There was one small sign the pastor who's never read the Quran or visited a mosque was willing to hear from the other side, CBS News Correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports. Jones spent 30 minutes with a local imam.
"I think the pastor as a Christian will follow in the footsteps of Christ and will do the right thing," Imam Muhammad Musri told CBS News.
Jones' own daughter has told a Gainesville newspaper that his church is a cult, closed to the outside world and controlled by Jones, who in depositions for a lawsuit said Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism all are "of the devil," Cobiella reports.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he would closely monitor what happens Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. U.S. 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 U.S. 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, who is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate.
In Afghanistan, local officials in Mahmud Raqi, the capital of the Kapisa province some 60 miles northeast of Kabul, estimated that up to 4,000 people protested the planned burning. But NATO spokesman James Judge said there were between 500 to 700 people. Judge added that 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 has 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, who took no questions at a news conference Wednesday.
USA Today reported that Jones said in an interview he had not been contacted by the White House, State Department or Pentagon. If such a call comes, he said, "that would cause us to definitely think it over. That's what we're doing now. I don't think a call from them is something we would ignore."
At Wednesday's news conference, Jones was flanked by an armed escort and said he has received more than 100 death threats since announcing in July that he would stage "International Burn-a-Koran Day." The book, according to Jones, is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims.
Muslims consider the Quran the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect. At least one cleric in Afghanistan said it is the duty of Muslims to react and that could mean killing Americans.
At home, the Gainesville Police Department will be dealing with some 90,000 fans Saturday and even more tailgaters expected for the Florida-South Florida football game. The game is at 12:20 p.m. and the Quran burning is set for 6 p.m.
Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe condemned the church's plans and asked residents to avoid the church's cross streets on Saturday and to watch for suspicious behavior.
"If you see anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small it might be, report it immediately," he said.
No one from the police department was available to immediately comment on security measures at the church, where at least one counter-protest was planned by a University of Florida student group.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, e-mailed The Associated Press to say "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." It comes as an emotional debate continues over a proposed Islamic center near the ground zero site of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.
Petraeus spoke Wednesday with Afghan President Karzai about the matter, according to military spokesman Col. Erik Gunhus.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the pastor's plans were outrageous, and along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, urged Jones to cancel the event.
Not just the Democratic administration has weighed in. Ex-Alaska governor and former Republican candidate for vice president Sarah Palin said in a Facebook post that although people have the constitutional right to burn the Quran, doing so would be an "insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at ground zero."
More coverage:
Quran Burning Protests in Afghanistan
Pastor Will Not Cancel Quran Burning
Jones: Judaism, Other Religions "Of The Devil"
Hillary Clinton: Quran Burning Not American Way
Clinton: Quran Burning Does Not "Represent America"
Bloomberg: Pastor Has Right to Burn Quran
Angelina Jolie Condemns Planned Quran Burning
Conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck wrote in an Internet blog that burning the Quran is like burning the flag or the Bible - something people can do in the United States, but shouldn't. Legal experts have said the burning would likely be protected by the First Amendment's right to free speech.
The foreign ministries of Pakistan and the Gulf nation of Bahrain issued some of the first official denunciations in the Muslim world, with Bahrain calling it a "shameful act which is incompatible with the principles of tolerance and coexistence." Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
The president of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has also sent a letter to President Obama asking him to stop the bonfire.
In Pakistan, about 200 lawyers and civil society members marched and burned a U.S. flag in the central Pakistani city of Multan, demanding that Washington halt the burning of the Muslim holy book.
"If Quran is burned, it would be beginning of destruction of America," read one English-language banner held up by the protesters, who chanted "Down with America!"
Jones' Dove Outreach Center is independent of any denomination. It follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces.
The Vatican also denounced the protest and a religious watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said it would send a copy of the Quran to the Afghan National Army for every one that might be burned.
Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, tried to call Jones twice on Wednesday but was unable to reach him and has now written him a letter urging him not to proceed, according to a spokesman.
"It's never right to deface or destroy sacred texts or writings of other religions even if you don't agree with them," Franklin Graham said in a statement.
In 2001, Graham described Islam as evil. The U.S. Army earlier this year rescinded his invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer breakfast after a religious freedom group raised an objection, citing his past remarks.
Jones' neighbors in Gainesville, a city of 125,000 anchored by the sprawling University of Florida campus, also have said they disapprove. At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations in the city have mobilized to plan inclusive events - some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services.
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