'Burn a Koran' pastor throws down gauntlet on mosque plan

The pastor who planned an "International Burn-a-Koran Day" last night publicly challenged the imam overseeing plans for a controversial mosque in New York to start talks.

Pastor Terry Jones had planned to fly to New York last night and hoped to meet Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf today – on the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States – to talk about unhappiness about the Islamic centre being sited close to Ground Zero.

He was forced to reconsider when Mr Rauf said he had no plans to meet the pastor although he was open to seeing anyone "seriously committed to pursuing peace".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Last night Mr Jones said he had "a challenge to give to the imam in New York".

Standing outside his church, the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, Florida, he then handed over to K A Paul, a controversial Christian preacher who has been praying with the pastor.

Mr Paul said the message to Imam Rauf was "crystal clear".

"There is a confusion going on. We want to clear that confusion," he said.

Mr Paul gave out his own telephone number and that of another pastor and urged Mr Rauf to get in touch, either directly or through the news media to discuss whether he was prepared to meet Mr Jones. He was given a two-hour deadline.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Paul said it was legally acceptable for the Islamic centre to be built near the Ground Zero site of the Twin Towers destroyed in the 2001 attacks but not morally acceptable.

"Is it the right thing to burn the Koran? Legally can the pastor burn the Koran tomorrow?" he then asked.

"Legally it's right but is it the right thing to do? No."

His remarks suggested the pastor was standing by his earlier decision to cancel the bonfire planned for today.

Mr Jones initially called off the protest on Thursday night, saying he had been promised the centre's location would be changed, but then admitted he was reconsidering after it emerged no such commitment had been made by the imam.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yesterday told CBS breakfast television programme The Early Show that the burning had been cancelled and he would fly to New York with the hope of meeting the imam.

Today the US will remember the thousands of people killed and injured when Muslim extremists hijacked four planes and flew two into the World Trade Centre and a third into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in Pennsylvania.

The British victims of the atrocity will be remembered in Grosvenor Square, London, today, where floral tributes will be laid on behalf of the UK and US governments.

A senior Civil Service official will lay 67 roses – one for each of the British victims. The flowers will carry a hand-written message from Prime Minister David Cameron.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Memorial services will take place at the crash sites today and the remembrance event at Ground Zero will be followed by rallies for and against the Islamic centre plans.

After angry protests against the planned Koran burning, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Parker, deputy commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in Afghanistan, said: "These sorts of incidents outside Afghanistan are unhelpful to us."

Thousands of Muslims gathered at one of western Europe's largest mosques yesterday to condemn the pastor.

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, world head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, addressed millions of people from a live telecast from the Baitul Futuh Mosque, in Morden, south west London.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said Mr Jones's plans had spread "hatred" around the world.

"Religious extremism, be it Christian extremism, Muslim extremism, or any other kind is never a true reflection of the religion," he said.

Foreign Secretary William Hague, MP for Richmond, was among those who condemned Mr Jones's plans to burn copies of the Koran.