The Reverend Terry Jones and his congregation might not burn copies of the Quran in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday.
Jones, Pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, announced Thursday that he had called off his plans for the controversial burning ceremony. However, after what he claimed was a miscommunication with Muslim leaders, he has stated he is reconsidering his decision again and that for now, the burning is simply “suspended.”
Earlier in the day, Jones said he had cancelled the Quran burning on the assurance that the proposed ‘ground zero’ mosque would be moved to a different location. He announced that he planned to meet with Imam Feisal Abdiul Rauf, leader of the proposed mosque, on Saturday, to discuss the deal. During his announcement, he stood next to Florida Muslim leader Imam Muhammad Musri, who had apparently made the arrangements.
However, Rauf denies that he has made a deal to move the project. He said that Jones’ and Musri’s announcement was a surprise to him
After Rauf’s statement, Jones switched the Quran burning ceremony from ‘cancelled’ to ‘suspended’.
Jones stated that his information came from Musri, who in turn stated that he only had a commitment for a meeting with Rauf. Jones said his previous decision to cancel the Quran burning was based solely on the movement of the mosque.
There is wide spread concern that Jones’ Quran burning ceremony, if it happens, will lead to violence. Even the prospect of it has caused protests to erupt in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia. The protests included the burning of both the U.S. flag, and effigies of Reverend Jones.
Interpol has issuing alerts to 188 member countries, warning of the strong likelihood of violent attacks. The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert due to the danger of Americans being attacked.
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