Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Church in Gainesville is now at the center of an international furor as he sticks to his plans to host “International Burn a Quran Day” on September 11th. But, Commander of all troops in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus thinks that such a demonstration is a very bad idea and could put soldiers in jeopardy.
Speaking to ABC News, Petraeus said he is outraged over what is being planned.
“It puts our soldiers in jeopardy”, Petraeus said. “And I think, in fact, images from such activity could very well be used by extremists here and around the world.”
Already the plan to burn Qurans by the church have sparked protests and calls of “death to America” by hundreds of Afghans in Kabul over the past two days.
But Jones thinks that “Islam is of the Devil” and is pressing ahead with his plans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terrorists attacks, despite being denied a “burn permit” by the city for the event.
Jones told the Associated Press in a phone interview that America should quit apologizing for its actions and bowing to kings, according to politics.gather.com. He believes that he has been called upon to spread the message that the Quran is evil, reports npr.org.
Acknowledging that it would be offense to Muslims to burn the Quran, Jones said he continues to pray about the situation.
See Video Here of Pastor Terry Jones on “International Burn a Quran Day”