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Planned Koran Burning Draws International Scorn
By JACK HEALY and STEVEN ERLANGER
The international outcry over a small Florida congregation’s plan to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11 intensified on Thursday, drawing vocal condemnations from world leaders and touching off angry protests in corners of the Muslim world.
Although some protests in Afghanistan and Pakistan rippled with scenes of burning American flags, the outrage in the streets seemed largely isolated. Officials in Muslim countries urged restraint, seeking to head off any violent reactions if the Florida church goes ahead with its plans to set fire to several copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this Saturday.
Meanwhile, President Obama joined a litany of high-ranking American officials to condemn the Koran burning, saying that the act, amplified by a global media, could put American troops at risk and fan anger against the United States. Mr. Obama called the planned event “a destructive act” and said it would be a “recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda.”
American embassies and consulates were reviewing their security policies, and several diplomatic missions in the Muslim world posted statements prominently on their Web sites condemning the planned event. The State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday saying the burning could catalyze violent anti-American demonstrations.
In 2005, violent protests erupted in Afghanistan and Pakistan world after Newsweek published report — one it later retracted — saying that American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had flushed a Koran down the toilet. At least 17 deaths were blamed on the riots. Terry Jones, the pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida who is at the center of the Koran uproar, has so far resisted calls to cancel the bonfire.
The relationship between the United States and the Muslim world, deeply strained by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been further aggravated in recent months by a furious debate over an Islamic group’s plans to build a community center two blocks from the World Trade Center site.
And the timing of the planned Koran burning is especially sensitive, falling this year at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
In Iraq, the Web site of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki carried a message saying that “all measures” should be taken to prevent “this ugly act.”
The president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, condemned the planned burning as despicable and said it could cause “irreparable damage to inter-faith harmony and also to world peace.” Leaders in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, and India urged President Obama to intervene.
But American officials have said they could do little to prevent the congregation from exercising its constitutional right to free speech.
In Nigeria, which has been wracked by violence between the predominately Muslim north and Christian south, President Goodluck Jonathan posted a message on his Facebook page saying that burning the Koran would “assault the sensibilities of our Muslim brothers and sisters.”
Addressing Mr. Jones, Mr. Jonathan wrote, “Be mindful of the Golden Rule taught by Jesus Christ: Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you.”
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, hundreds of protesters — at least one group of them organized by a local politician — took to the streets to decry the church’s plans.
Some carried signs declaring, “Obama: Stop Florida Church.” Others set fire to American flags and effigies of Mr. Jones.
In the northeast Afghan province of Kapisa, one protester, Mohammad Basher, 30, said “if they really try to burn Korans then it’ll give us the clear message that we should fight foreigners in our country, and do the real jihad against them.”
Mr. Basher was one of hundreds of people taking part in a demonstration organized by a candidate in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections. One government official characterized the protest as a campaign ploy to stir up anti-American sentiment.
The French, British and German governments, all with troops serving in Afghanistan, have joined the condemnations.
France’s Foreign Ministry called the idea “an incitement to hatred,” with spokesman Bernard Valero calling it an “insult to the memory of the victims of Sept. 11, like all the victims of acts of terrorism inspired by intolerance and the twisting of religion.”
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Wednesday that burning Korans would be a “repugnant” sign of disrespect, and the Vatican said it would be an “outrageous and grave gesture.” Brig. Gen. Hans-Werner Fritz, the commander of German troops in Afghanistan, said the burning would "provide a trigger for violence towards all ISAF troops, including the Germans in northern Afghanistan.”
A spokesman for the British prime minister, David Cameron, said, “We would strongly oppose any attempt to offend any member of any religious or ethnic group. We are committed to religious tolerance.”
Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and Middle East envoy, called the notion “disrespectful.”
“I deplore the act of burning the Koran,” Mr. Blair said. “It is disrespectful, wrong and will be widely condemned by people of all faiths and none. In no way does this represent the view of any sensible person in the West or any other part of the world.”
The leader of the world’s Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, also added his voice to the condemnation. In a message to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, he said “the threat to desecrate scriptures is deeply deplorable and to be strongly condemned by all people.”
A British Muslim said that he and others would burn the American flag outside the United States Embassy on Sept. 11 to protest any burning of the Koran, and expected similar flag-burnings around the world.
Dalil Boubakeur, the head of the Grand Mosque of Paris, appealed to Muslims not to “fall for provocation and to respond with wisdom while expressing their compassion” for the victims of Sept. 11.
Reporting was contributed by Adam B. Ellick, Sharifullah Sahak, Sangar Rahimi and Salman Masood.
By JACK HEALY and STEVEN ERLANGER
The international outcry over a small Florida congregation’s plan to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11 intensified on Thursday, drawing vocal condemnations from world leaders and touching off angry protests in corners of the Muslim world.
Although some protests in Afghanistan and Pakistan rippled with scenes of burning American flags, the outrage in the streets seemed largely isolated. Officials in Muslim countries urged restraint, seeking to head off any violent reactions if the Florida church goes ahead with its plans to set fire to several copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this Saturday.
Meanwhile, President Obama joined a litany of high-ranking American officials to condemn the Koran burning, saying that the act, amplified by a global media, could put American troops at risk and fan anger against the United States. Mr. Obama called the planned event “a destructive act” and said it would be a “recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda.”
American embassies and consulates were reviewing their security policies, and several diplomatic missions in the Muslim world posted statements prominently on their Web sites condemning the planned event. The State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday saying the burning could catalyze violent anti-American demonstrations.
In 2005, violent protests erupted in Afghanistan and Pakistan world after Newsweek published report — one it later retracted — saying that American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had flushed a Koran down the toilet. At least 17 deaths were blamed on the riots. Terry Jones, the pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida who is at the center of the Koran uproar, has so far resisted calls to cancel the bonfire.
The relationship between the United States and the Muslim world, deeply strained by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been further aggravated in recent months by a furious debate over an Islamic group’s plans to build a community center two blocks from the World Trade Center site.
And the timing of the planned Koran burning is especially sensitive, falling this year at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
In Iraq, the Web site of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki carried a message saying that “all measures” should be taken to prevent “this ugly act.”
The president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, condemned the planned burning as despicable and said it could cause “irreparable damage to inter-faith harmony and also to world peace.” Leaders in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, and India urged President Obama to intervene.
But American officials have said they could do little to prevent the congregation from exercising its constitutional right to free speech.
In Nigeria, which has been wracked by violence between the predominately Muslim north and Christian south, President Goodluck Jonathan posted a message on his Facebook page saying that burning the Koran would “assault the sensibilities of our Muslim brothers and sisters.”
Addressing Mr. Jones, Mr. Jonathan wrote, “Be mindful of the Golden Rule taught by Jesus Christ: Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you.”
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, hundreds of protesters — at least one group of them organized by a local politician — took to the streets to decry the church’s plans.
Some carried signs declaring, “Obama: Stop Florida Church.” Others set fire to American flags and effigies of Mr. Jones.
In the northeast Afghan province of Kapisa, one protester, Mohammad Basher, 30, said “if they really try to burn Korans then it’ll give us the clear message that we should fight foreigners in our country, and do the real jihad against them.”
Mr. Basher was one of hundreds of people taking part in a demonstration organized by a candidate in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections. One government official characterized the protest as a campaign ploy to stir up anti-American sentiment.
The French, British and German governments, all with troops serving in Afghanistan, have joined the condemnations.
France’s Foreign Ministry called the idea “an incitement to hatred,” with spokesman Bernard Valero calling it an “insult to the memory of the victims of Sept. 11, like all the victims of acts of terrorism inspired by intolerance and the twisting of religion.”
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Wednesday that burning Korans would be a “repugnant” sign of disrespect, and the Vatican said it would be an “outrageous and grave gesture.” Brig. Gen. Hans-Werner Fritz, the commander of German troops in Afghanistan, said the burning would "provide a trigger for violence towards all ISAF troops, including the Germans in northern Afghanistan.”
A spokesman for the British prime minister, David Cameron, said, “We would strongly oppose any attempt to offend any member of any religious or ethnic group. We are committed to religious tolerance.”
Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and Middle East envoy, called the notion “disrespectful.”
“I deplore the act of burning the Koran,” Mr. Blair said. “It is disrespectful, wrong and will be widely condemned by people of all faiths and none. In no way does this represent the view of any sensible person in the West or any other part of the world.”
The leader of the world’s Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, also added his voice to the condemnation. In a message to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, he said “the threat to desecrate scriptures is deeply deplorable and to be strongly condemned by all people.”
A British Muslim said that he and others would burn the American flag outside the United States Embassy on Sept. 11 to protest any burning of the Koran, and expected similar flag-burnings around the world.
Dalil Boubakeur, the head of the Grand Mosque of Paris, appealed to Muslims not to “fall for provocation and to respond with wisdom while expressing their compassion” for the victims of Sept. 11.
Reporting was contributed by Adam B. Ellick, Sharifullah Sahak, Sangar Rahimi and Salman Masood.
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