Military and civilian leaders are asking a Florida pastor not to burn the Muslim holy book in commemoration of the 9/11 attacks, citing the potential danger to troops serving in the Middle East.
Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida said his "International Burn a Koran Day" is in response to the hatred Muslims have shown for Americans, including the terrorist attack nine years ago.
General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S operations in Afghanistan, said Jones' actions would put troops in "harm's way," as the extremists will use the event to stir up anti-American sentiment.
President Barack Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs has issued similar remarks on behalf of the White House, and Attorney General Eric Holder called the idea "dumb and dangerous".
Jones said while the general's words gave him pause, he does not intend to back down.
"The General needs to point his finger to radical Islam and tell them to shut up, tell them to stop, tell them that we will not bow our knees to them, " Jones told CNN. "We are burning the book."
Jones has found little support among fellow religious leaders. The Vatican has expressed outrage over his plan, and an interfaith group of evangelical, Catholic, Jewish and Muslims has reportedly denounced what they call an "anti-Muslim frenzy" in the US.
In the meantime Jones promised to pray about his decision but still carries a .40-Caliber pistol because of the hundreds of death threats he has received since making the announcement.
September 11th will mark the ninth anniversary of the coordinated terrorist attacks on strategic targets in the U.S., including the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Muslim extremists hijacked four planes, flying two into the Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon, while another crashed in Pennsylvania. The attacks claimed 3,000 lives in all.
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has called Jones' book burning "boneheaded," but insists that his right to protest must be respected.
Bloomberg told reporters the pastor is being "distasteful and disrespectful" but "you either believe in the Constitution and the Bill or Rights or you don't".
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