Monday 09-13-10

The religion of peace proves what it is again. The president and the press cower, what a pity

Man ignites Koran near Ground Zero, apparently prompted by Terry Jones; crowd appalled by zealot
A hate-filled fanatic ripped pages out of a Koran and lit them aflame Saturday amid the chaos outside the planned community center and mosque near Ground Zero.

"If they can burn American flags, I can burn the Koran," the unidentified zealot shouted. "[Americans] should never be afraid to give their opinion."

Witnesses said it was a ghastly display of fervor - apparently inspired by the Florida pastor who vowed to torch the holy books earlier in the week - overshadowing what should have been a somber day.

"Burning Korans is like setting up a recruitment to Al Qaeda - it does nothing for the cause and only brings problems," said Lance Corey, 61, a retired history teacher from the Bronx who opposes Park51.

Those on both sides of the argument over the Muslim community center rejected the actions of the Koran burner, who was escorted away but not arrested.

Corey was there in protest of Park51, but nonetheless condemned the hateful display. "I think it was irresponsible and unnecessary," he said.

Mosad Almontaser, 55, a teacher from Brooklyn, said it was simply "ugly."

"Is that supposed to bring people together? What's the point? I thought that was horrible. It helps no one," he said.

Another man walked up Church St., ripping pages from a Koran and offering them to passersby as "toilet paper."

The spark that ignited plans to burn Korans on the Sept. 11 anniversary came from Florida pastor Terry Jones, who flew to New York to appear on NBC's "Today" show yesterday morning. He promised not to burn Islam's holy text in the early morning interview - "Not today, not ever."

Jones also hoped to meet with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a leader of the Park51 project, before he returned to Florida, but said no meeting was planned. "We just have that hope that one would take place," Jones said.

Gov. Paterson lashed out at Jones for coming to New York as the city mourned on the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

"Who's going to be the next person looking for their next 15 minutes of fame? I'm appalled by it," Gov. Paterson said. "More and more, particularly this year, I feel that the memory of those who were lost is being disrespected."

The Koran burning was not just confined to New York. In Springfield, Tenn., two pastors, Danny Allen and Bob Old, were photographed lighting Korans on fire.

At Jones' Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., protesters arrived early yesterday along with a heavy police presence equipped with bomb sniffing dogs.

"There have been several threats to the church and church members," said Tscharna Senn, an officer with the Gainesville police.

Cops pounced on one protester, 29-year-old Sebastain Bagby, when he held up a Koran and whipped out a lighter. The officers grabbed the items out of Bagby's hand but didn't arrest him.

Jean Albiges, 21, drove with friends from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg to rally against Jones.

"I think there will be massive repercussions for our troops, and people need to understand that he does not represent all Americans," he said.

Indeed, outcry against Jones spanned the globe, with violent protests in Afghanistan and Indonesia, as well as pleas from U.S. military commanders, President Obama and even Jones' own daughter.

In Kabul, more than 10,000 Afghans set fire to tires in the streets and shouted "Death to America" for a second day in a row, also prompted by Jones' calls to burn the Islamic holy book.

Jones said the publicity he received bolstered his "mission" to bring attention to Islam's "radical" elements. "We feel we have accomplished our goal," Jones said. "We feel that God has told us to stop."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/11/2010-09-11_man_ignites_koran_near_ground_zero_apparently_prompted_by_florida_pastor_terry_j.html

Six Christians rip pages from Koran in White House stunt
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A small group of conservative Christians tore some pages from a Koran in a protest outside the White House Saturday to denounce what they called the "charade of Islam" on the anniversary of 9/11.

"Part of why we're doing that, please hear me: the charade that Islam is a peaceful religion must end," said Randall Terry, a leading anti-abortion campaigner, and one of six people who took part in the protest.

Another activist, Andrew Beacham, read out a few Koran passages calling for hatred towards Christians and Jews, and then ripped those pages from an English paperback edition of the Islamic holy book.

He carefully put the torn pieces into a plastic bag, in order not to litter, and said: "The only reason I will not burn it at the White House is because to burn anything on the Capitol grounds is a felony."

Beacham, who describes himself as a leader of the rightwing conservative Tea Party from Indiana, added: "The Twin Towers were taken down because of the Koran and other religious teachings."

A few curious tourists stopped to watch the huddle outside the White House, while police took down the names of the participants but did not intervene.

The tiny protest came as the United States marked the somber ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks amid heightened tensions following a radical Florida pastor's threat to burn the Koran.

After days of global outrage and protests, pastor Terry Jones, from Gainesville, said Saturday: "We will definitely not burn the Koran, no."

"Not today, not ever," he told NBC television when pressed for his plans.

President Barack Obama told a deeply polarized America on Saturday that Islam was not the enemy as the 9/11 ceremonies took place.

"As Americans we will not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was Al-Qaeda, (a) sorry band of men, which perverts religion," Obama said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100911/ts_alt_afp/usattacks9yearsreligionislamdemo_20100911185812
Christians Stabbed, Beaten With Plank Near Indonesia's Capital
BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) — Assailants stabbed a Christian worshipper in the stomach and pounded a minister in the head with a wooden plank as they headed to morning prayers Sunday outside Indonesia's capital.

Neither of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks. But suspicion immediately fell on Islamic hard-liners who have repeatedly warned members of the Batak Christian Protestant Church against worshipping on a field housing their now-shuttered church.

In recent months, they have thrown shoes and water bottles at the church members, interrupted sermons with chants of "Infidels!" and "Leave Now!" and dumped piles of feces on the land.

Local police Chief Imam Sugianto said Asia Sihombing, a worshipper, was on his way to the field when assailants jumped off a motorcycle and stabbed him in the stomach.

The Rev. Luspida Simanjuntak was smashed in the head as she tried to come to his aid.

"I was trying to help get him onto a motorcycle so we could get him to a hospital," she told reporters in the industrial city of Bekasi, 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Jakarta.

She said the face of one of the assailants looked familiar.

Indonesia, a secular country of 237 million people, has more Muslims than any other in the world. Though it has a long history of religious tolerance, a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years.

Leading the charge against the Batak Christians has been the Islamic Defenders Front, which is pushing for the implementation of Islamic-based laws in Bekasi and other parts of the nation.

They are known for smashing bars, attacking transvestites and going after those considered blasphemous with bamboo clubs and stones. They also pressured the local government early this year to shutter the Batak church.

Perpetrators are rarely punished or even questioned by police.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who relies heavily on Islamic parties in parliament, has been widely criticized in the media for failing to crack down on hard-liners.

But he immediately called on authorities to investigate and to hold accountable those responsible for Sunday's attack.

"We know who's behind it," said Maj. Gen. Timur Pradopo, the police chief in Jakarta, without elaborating. "But I don't believe this is an inter-religous conflict."

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/09/12/assailants-stab-beat-christian-worshippers-outside-indonesias-capital/?test=latestnews