Pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Center Church of Gainesville, Fla., is courting scandal with the plan for he and other church members to set fire to copies of the Koran. Government authorities have requested the chapel call it off. Protests have currently begun in the Muslim world. The chapel has been asked to halt the planned fire of the Koran by General David Petraeus, who said it will only put Americans in greater danger.
Dove World Outreach Center asked to stop
The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, as outlined by the Christian Science Monitor, has requested the church to never partake in any Koran burning. He said that a group of American Christians fire the Koran will accomplish nothing good. He insists it will only be doing the Taliban and Al Qaeda a favor, as it could be a recruiting tool in opposition to perceived American bigotry. He cautioned that American soldiers and civilians abroad can be put in greater danger. He also lamented that winning over hearts and minds in Afghanistan could be next to impossible. Other outrage at Muslims within the United States of America, such as the Ground Zero mosque debate, has only increased tension between the Islamic world and the U.S.
The church may hold off
The Dove World Outreach Center Church is weighing the decision to undergo with the burnings. The potential ramifications are on the mind of the members and Pastor Terry Jones, which is why, as outlined by CNN, the members will think it over. Some pause was given to the members by the warning from Gen. David Petraeus, as the members intended to hold an “International Burn the Koran Day” on Sept. 11 of this year. The church has maintained all along the demonstration was aimed more at the more radical segments of Islam.
Who’s going to be best served?
The pastor and his congregation can believe anything they wish, and protest whichever they wish as it is their right. However, Gen. Petraeus is right. If the idea is to demonstration violent extremism, you shouldn’t do anything that will only fuel the fire of extremism, which this protest will do.
Additional reading
CS Monitor
csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0907/Petraeus-Dove-World-Outreach-Center-s-Burn-a-Koran-Day-endangers-troops
CNN
cnn.com/2010/US/09/07/florida.quran.burning/?hpt=Sbin
