U.S. pastor re-thinking Qur’an burning
Posted Sep 10, 2010 05:19:24 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The anti-Muslim leader of a tiny Florida church says he was lied to and is rethinking his decision to cancel burning Qur’ans to mark the anniversary of 9/11.
Pastor Terry Jones announced Thursday he’d decided to cancel “International Burn a Koran Day” after he said he was promised that a planned Islamic centre and mosque would be moved away from New York’s Ground Zero.
Jones met with Imam Muhammed Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida Thursday afternoon and told reporters afterwards he’d backed off his contentious demonstration.
“The Iman [sic] has agreed to move the mosque,” he told reporters. “We have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday and on Saturday I will be flying up there to meet with him.”
Bu Imam Muhammed Musri later said there was no such deal – only an agreement for him and Jones to travel to New York and meet Saturday with the imam overseeing plans to build an Islamic community centre near Ground Zero.
Musri says he personally opposes the construction of the community centre in its proposed location, but said there’s no offer from New York leaders to move it.
Jones is adamant that Musri promised at least four times, in front of witnesses, that Islamic leaders in New York had agreed to move the centre.
“I was told exactly that the Iman [sic] would move the mosque from Ground Zero,” he said. “I was told he cannot move it tomorrow, I said that is fine, but it cannot be in ten years. These are the exact words that I said.”
Jones says he believes Musri lied to him.
“I would of course be tremendously, tremendously, tremendously disappointed if a man of God, anyway according to his faith, would lie to me four times,” he said.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is planning the New York Centre, issued a statement saying he’s glad Jones had decided not to burn the Qur’an, but that he had not spoken to the pastor or Musri.
