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Obama: Quran Burning is Recruiting Tool For Al-Qaida

   VOA News 09 September 2010
   US President Barack Obama (Sept 2010 file photo)

Photo: AP

   US President Barack Obama (Sept 2010 file photo)

   U.S.  President  Barack  Obama  says an American pastor's plan to burn
   Qurans  outside  his  Florida  church  on  September  11  would  be  a
   recruiting tool for al-Qaida.
   In an interview broadcast on the U.S. ABC television network Thursday,
   President  Obama  said  the  pastor's plan would greatly endanger U.S.
   soldiers in places like Afghanistan.
   The  president  called  the  plan a destructive act, but also said the
   U.S. has laws that protect such unpopular actions.
   Why burn Qurans?
   American  Pastor  Terry  Jones,  who leads the 50-member [1]Dove World
   Outreach Center, has said his intention to set fire to Islam's holiest
   symbol is directed at radical Islam. Â
   The  president's  comments  come  after the leader of the world's most
   populous  Muslim  country,  Indonesia,  urged  Mr. Obama to personally
   intervene in the matter.
   A  spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he
   has sent a letter to Mr. Obama expressing his concerns.
   Jones  is  refusing  to  back  down  from plans to burn Qurans despite
   widespread opposition from religious and political leaders
   Worldwide condemnation 
   U.S.  Secretary  of  State  Hillary  Clinton said Wednesday that it is
   regrettable  that a pastor who leads a tiny church can get the world's
   attention with what she calls a disgraceful plan. Â
   A  spokesman for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the
   act would hurt the chance for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
   The Vatican says the burning would be an outrageous and grave gesture.
   The   top  U.S.  military  commander  in  Afghanistan,  General  David
   Petraeus,  and  NATO  Secretary  General  Anders  Fogh Rasmussen, said
   setting  fire to the qurans could endanger the lives of U.S. soldiers.
   They say the Taliban could use the burning for propaganda.
   Pastor  Jones  says  he  takes  these  warnings  seriously, but is not
   convinced that backing down is the right thing.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

References

   1. http://www.doveworld.org/

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