Controversy about the planned burning of the Koran in 2010

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Protest in India against the International Burn a Koran Day

The so-called International Burn a Koran Day by its initiator, preacher Terry Jones, was an announced burning of Koran editions that was to take place on September 11, 2010 in Gainesville , Florida , and worldwide. The event met with international rejection and protests, and the Gainesville cremation itself was not carried out. However, because of the media hype around the topic, there were various burns by imitators.

After the announcement of the burning of the Koran, criticism arose from Christian churches, politicians and supporters of various ideologies in the USA and around the world.

In violent protests against the action even after it was canceled, people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India were killed.

Course of events

In July 2010 Terry Jones and his free church Dove World Outreach Center announced that they would be introducing an International Burn a Koran Day on September 11, 2010. A total of 200 copies of the Koran were to be burned in memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 . The topic was first picked up by "The Gainesville Sun" and later via USA Today also by the Arab television station al-Arabiya , which coincided with the upcoming 9th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the protests against the planned mosque construction in 49-51 Park Place caused a great global media coverage.

The preacher received death threats after announcing the burning of the Koran. The bank canceled a community loan, and Jones' home insurance was canceled. The community's website was shut down by the host on September 9th. The fire department refused permission for a public fire.

On September 2, 2010, twenty different local religious leaders gathered to call on the people of Gainesville to show solidarity with their fellow Muslims. Jones' plan has been condemned by religious figures and politicians around the world.

On September 9, in the presence of Imam Muhammad Musri, Jones announced that he would fly to New York on Saturday to meet with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf , who is planning to build a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero . Musri promised him to move the planned building to another location. The Free Church sees this as a sign that God does not want both and has agreed to cancel the burning of the Koran and instead meet with the Imam. There was brief confusion after Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf denied speaking to Jones or Musri and intending to negotiate. On September 11th, Jones finally canceled the action.

Reactions from Christian Organizations

Various Christians judged the action to be unchristian. The Evangelical Alliance , one of the world's largest associations of believers, condemns the burning of the Koran and called for the action to be canceled because it dishonors the memory of the victims of September 11th and continues to spread unacceptable violence.

A measure was criticized with double standards that on the one hand condemned “International Burn a Koran Day”, but on the other hand supported the controversial Imam Rauf's venture to build a mosque near Ground Zero, although Rauf openly confessed to it in the USA the Sharia to want to introduce and Arabic Christians called provocative because they had used the Arabic word for God. It would ignore the fact that in August 2010, 1,500 Bibles were burned in Eritrea and students who protested were imprisoned. Geoff Tunnicliffe , the international leader of the World Evangelical Alliance , asked that the same level of unanimous condemnation be shown against any aggression against any belief, pointing out that radical Hindus killed at least 70 people in Orissa, India in 2008 , burned down more than 4,000 houses, destroyed at least 149 churches and made around 54,000 Christians homeless; churches have been burned and pastors murdered in Sri Lanka in recent years and radical Buddhist politicians want to curtail the religious freedom of local churches.

Reactions from Muslims

Since Muslims view the Koran as a literal revelation from God, a deliberate burning is a blasphemous and insulting act for them. For example, “blasphemous treatment” of the Koran in Pakistan is threatened with life imprisonment.

The reactions from Muslim groups ranged from calls to educate people about the Koran at public meals to threats of war from Al-Falluja jihadists. The Islamic Action Front , the political arm of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood , considered it ridiculous to see burning the Koran as part of the right to freedom of expression.

Some of the demonstrations in Indonesia, Pakistan and Afghanistan ended in violence. David Petraeus , US general in the Afghanistan armed forces, expressed concern that the action could jeopardize the troops and their progress so far. Various sources reported violent riots during a demonstration in front of a German field camp in Faizabad . The information varies from several injuries to one death, which, however, could not be confirmed by the Bundeswehr. Protests against the action took place in Indonesia, for example. The North American Muslim Association, including Ahmed Al Mehdawi of the Gainesville Islamic Center, condemned the death threats against Terry. The Taliban in Afghanistan called for demonstrations - even after the DWOC's cancellation. Eleven people were injured in these protests. At least one man was killed in police gunfire.

After Jones canceled the burning of the Koran, demonstrators threw stones at a church in Daska and three churches in Narowal, Punjab district . The day before, a Christian had been shot by a militant Islamist during a Christian demonstration against the planned burning of the Koran. Muslim demonstrators also set fire to government buildings and a Christian mission school in the Indian part of Kashmir . The media reports on the planned burning of the Koran had further fueled the tensions in this region that had been going on since June 2010. 14 people were killed and 75 injured in the riots in Kashmir.

Continuation of the action by others

Just hours after the DWOC's cancellation, the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka , which does not belong to any Baptist or other Christian denomination, announced that it would carry out another Koran-burning in 2008 if DWOC did not do so. Westboro Baptist Church burned a copy of the Quran and a flag of the United States at noon.

Further damage to the Quran took place in Nashville, Washington and at Ground Zero .

Role of the media

The worldwide response of the mass media to the planned action of a preacher with a few dozen supporters is explained by some sides by the summer slump . Since the media hype led to various violent disputes and also animated imitators in the first place, large parts of the US media landscape discussed whether such marginal topics should be ignored in the future, which would only be taken up because of the lack of real news. Provocative issues related to Islam in particular led to the media becoming a plaything for fundamentalists .

“However, anyone who understands religious contradictions, the field of tension between the Christian and Islamic worlds, can provide an exclamation point in the racing news ticker. For example, a parish pastor from the American provincial town of Gainesville managed to ignite the alertness of the global community simply by announcing an act. "

- Reinhard Mohr : Spiegel Online

The media also contributed to the spread of misinformation. The Iranian state television broadcast pictures of unknown origin in which a Koran was lit. This led to demonstrations by Iranian students in front of the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which culminated in a storm attempt.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Radical pastor already disturbed in Cologne. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 8, 2010 ; Retrieved September 8, 2010 .
  2. ↑ gxs / AFP: Koran Burning: Worldwide outrage over Terry Jones' plans. In: Focus Online . September 8, 2010, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  3. ↑ http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100909/NEWS01/9090347/Springfield+minister+plans+to+burn+copy+of+Quran++too  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: Der Link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.tennessean.com  
  4. ↑ doveworld.org ( memento of June 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) - website of the Dove World Outreach Center (The website was deactivated by the host on September 9, 2010. Alternatively, its status can be changed in July 2008 ( memento of June 4, 2008 in Internet Archive ).)
  5. ↑ The Inglorious Past of the Florida Evangelical Pastor. (No longer available online.) In: Die Zeit . September 8, 2010, archived from the original on September 8, 2010 ; Retrieved September 8, 2010 .
  6. ↑ US media debates how to deal with Pastor Jones. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 11, 2010 ; Retrieved October 16, 2010 .
  7. ↑ Chad Smith: Letter says assassins plan to kill Dove World pastor . The Gainesville Sun. September 1, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  8. ^ Cave, Damien: Far From Ground Zero, Obscure Pastor Is Ignored No Longer . In: The New York Times , August 25, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010. 
  9. ^ Lex Weekly . Lex appeal. August 23, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  10. ^ Gainesville Interfaith Forum . KISS 105.3. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 8, 2011. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kiss1053.com
  11. ↑ Chad Smith: Local leaders forming response to Quran burning . Gainesville.com. August 11, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  12. ^ Religious leaders speak out against International Burn a Quran Day . In: CNN Belief Blog . CNN.com. August 20, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  13. ^ Resolution on religious freedom and solidarity with the persecuted church of the World Evangelical Alliance. (PDF) (No longer available online.) WEA , October 30, 2008, archived from the original on September 8, 2010 ; accessed on September 8, 2010 : "The WEA stands for the freedom to practice any religion or no religion at all"
  14. ↑ Pastor Terry Jones Cancels Koran Burning, Calls 'Ground Zero Mosque' Denial 'Very Disturbing' September 9, 2010
  15. ↑ a b Robert Mackey: Video and Latest Updates on Koran Burning Cancellation. (No longer available online.) September 9, 2010, archived from the original on September 10, 2010 ; Retrieved on September 10, 2010 (5:41 pm): "CNN reported, however, that Mr. Rauf said in a statement that he had not spoken to Mr. Jones or Mr. Musri. 'I am glad that Pastor Jones has decided not to burn any Korans,' Mr. Rauf said. 'However, I have not spoken to Pastor Jones or Imam Musri. I am surprised by their announcement. We are not going to toy with our religion or any other, nor are we going to barter. We are here to extend our hands and build peace and harmony. '"
  16. ^ Pastor Terry Jones Calls off Koran Burning, Ground Zero Mosque May Be Moved. Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville "to announce his decision to cancel his Koran burning". September 2010, accessed on September 10, 2010 (English): “I will be flying up there on Saturday to meet with the imam at the ground zero mosque. He has agreed to move the location. That of course cannot happen over night, but he has agreed to move that. We felt that that would be a sign that God wanted us to do it. The American people do not want the mosque there and of course Moslems do not want us to burn the Quran. The imam has agreed to move the mosque. We have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday and on Saturday I will flying up there to meet with him. "
  17. ↑ see:
    • New York Imam denies relocation of planned mosque. (No longer available online.) In: DW-World . September 10, 2010, archived from the original on September 10, 2010 ; Retrieved September 10, 2010 .
    • Antonia Gonzalez / AP: Pastor cancels Quran-burning, then reconsiders. (No longer available online.) In: Yahoo news. September 10, 2010, archived from the original on September 9, 2010 ; accessed on September 10, 2010 (English): “GAINESVILLE, Fla. - An anti-Islamic preacher backed off and then threatened to reconsider burning the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, angrily accusing a Muslim leader of lying to him Thursday with a promise to move an Islamic center and mosque away from New York's ground zero. The imam planning the center denied there was ever such a deal. … 'Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision,' Jones said. 'So as of right now, we are not canceling the event, but we are suspending it.' "
    • AP: Pastor Says Quran-Burning Suspended, Not Canceled. (No longer available online.) MSNBC September 2010, archived from the original on September 10, 2010 ; accessed on September 10, 2010 (English).
  18. ↑ CNN Wire Staff: Florida pastor calls off Quran burning. (No longer available online.) CNN September 11, 2010, archived from the original on September 11, 2010 ; accessed on September 11, 2010 (English): "We will definitely not burn the Quran"
  19. ↑ Leslie Marshall: "Burn a Koran Day" Is Un-American and Not Christian. (No longer available online.) In: US News . September 8, 2010, archived from the original on September 9, 2010 ; Retrieved September 9, 2010 (English): “Let me remind you (and Pastor Jones) of a few of the Bible's verses. If you call yourself a Christian, you must not only believe these words, but obey them, as they are the word of God. "
  20. ^ William Harvey: Opinion: 10 Good Reasons Not to Burn the Quran. (No longer available online.) In: AOLnews . September 8, 2010, archived from the original on September 9, 2010 ; Retrieved September 9, 2010 (English): “You defend your decision with a passage from the Bible (Acts 19: 18-20) that does not apply to this situation. The passage refers to "those who had practiced curious, magical arts" gathering to burn books in which they no longer believed. This is quite a different act from you choosing to burn a book in which you have never believed, and in which more than 1 billion people still believe. Furthermore, when the passage says that the "Word of the Lord grew and spread and intensified, prevailing mightily," it is clear that this is due to the increased number of new believers, not to the act of burning books which was, in this case, an act chosen by those new believers to signify their faith.
    I hope you will re-read the Sermon on the Mount, particularly the assertion that "every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment" (Matthew 5:22). Your protest and the words on your website reflect anger and provoke it. "
  21. ↑ Geoff Tunnicliffe: Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance condemns burning of Qur'an. (No longer available online.) World Evangelical Alliance, September 9, 2010, archived from the original on September 9, 2010 ; Retrieved September 9, 2010 (English): "The WEA, on behalf of its member churches, Christian organizations and bodies, strongly condemns the Dove World Outreach Center's plans to burn copies of the Qur'an."
  22. ^ NAE Urges Cancellation of Planned Qu'ran Burning. (No longer available online.) In: Press Release. Evangelical Alliance , July 29, 2010, archived from the original on September 8, 2010 ; accessed on September 8, 2010 (English).
  23. ^ The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Good News; Burning the Qu'ran is Bad News. (No longer available online.) WEA , September 8, 2010, archived from the original on September 9, 2010 ; accessed on September 9, 2010 (English): "It dishonors the memory of those who died in the 9/11 attacks and further perpetuates unacceptable violence."
  24. ^ Jürgen Werth: German Evangelical Alliance distances itself from burning a Koran. (No longer available online.) German Evangelical Alliance, September 8, 2010, archived from the original on September 8, 2010 ; Retrieved on September 8, 2010 : “We hope that this group in the USA will abandon their nonsensical project. In any case, this has nothing to do with Christian faith! The right to religious freedom is indivisible and cannot be exercised by a specific group alone to the exclusion of others "
  25. ^ Tray Smith: No Quran burning; no NYC mosque No Comment. (No longer available online.) In: Crimson White. University of Alabama September 9, 2010, archived from the original September 13, 2010 ; accessed on September 10, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cw.ua.edu
  26. ↑ Geoff Tunnicliffe: WEA chief asks international community to share the same concern for acts of aggression against all faiths. (No longer available online.) World Evangelical Alliance, September 10, 2010, archived from the original on September 11, 2010 ; Retrieved September 11, 2010 (English): “The International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance, Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, has welcomed the unanimous condemnation of a Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Koran, but asks that the same level of concern be shown when acts of aggression are committed against any faith. "
  27. ↑ Factbox: Koran burning considered grave insult to God. (No longer available online.) Reuters , September 11, 2010, archived from the original on September 11, 2010 ; accessed on September 11, 2010 (English).
  28. ↑ Lauren Russell: Church plans Quran-burning event. (No longer available online.) CNN , July 30, 2010, archived from the original on September 8, 2010 ; accessed on September 8, 2010 (English).
  29. ↑ Florida church plans to burn Quran on 9/11 anniversary . August 1, 2010 comment = "spill rivers of your (American) blood" and "a war the likes of which you have never seen before". Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  30. ↑ Jordan Islamists say US Quran-burning “a declaration of war” . In: Now Lebanon , September 8th 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nowlebanon.com  
  31. ↑ a b International Protests Begin Ahead of Sept. 11 Koran Burning Event in Florida . FoxNews.com. August 27, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  32. ↑ Petreus says it will endanger soldiers lives and US efforts in Afghanistan
  33. ^ Deadly protest in front of the Afghan army camp . Die Welt, September 10, 2010.
  34. ↑ Chad Smith: Blog: Muslim groups condemn threats against Dove World . The Gainesville Sun. September 1, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  35. ↑ Afghan Taliban raises war cry on Quran burning. September 10, 2010, accessed September 10, 2010 .
  36. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7994462/Pastor-rules-out-Koran-burning-for-now.html
  37. ↑ 11 injured in Koran burning protest. (No longer available online.) Press Association, archived from the original on September 10, 2010 ; Retrieved September 10, 2010 .
  38. ↑ http://www.bild.de/BILD/politik/2010/09/10/koran-proteste-erster-tote-bei-ausschreitungen/wegen-hass-prediger-terry-jones.html
  39. ↑ Churches attacked and one Christian shot at in wake of Koran Burning protests in Pakistan. (No longer available online.) In: Pakistan Christian Post. September 11, 2010, archived from the original on September 11, 2010 ; Retrieved on September 11, 2010 : “The demonstrators against Pastor Terry Jones on his announcement to observe“ Burn a Koran Day ”on September 11, 2010, stoned a Church in Daska and three Churches in Narowal district of Punjab province of Pakistan on September 10, 2010, when Pastor Terry have already called off his “International Burn a Koran Day” “
  40. ↑ 14 dead in unrest in the Indian part of Kashmir. Reuters , September 13, 2010, accessed October 22, 2010 .
  41. ↑ Brain Stelter: How pastor's Quran-burning plans ignited a story. (No longer available online.) In: The Seatle Times. Teh New York Times, September 9, 2010, archived from the original on September 10, 2010 ; accessed on September 10, 2010 (English).
  42. ↑ Chad Smith: Westboro Baptist Church to burn Qurans if Dove doesn't . Ocala.com. September 9, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  43. ↑ Open Letter from Westboro Baptist Church to President Obama, to Doomed america, and to perverse Muslims worldwide. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Westboro Baptist Church , September 9, 2010, archived from the original September 10, 2010 ; accessed on September 10, 2010 (English).
  44. ^ Phil Anderson: WBC's flames produce little heat. (No longer available online.) In: the Tokepa Capital Journal. September 11, 2010, archived from the original on September 12, 2010 ; Retrieved September 12, 2010 .
  45. ↑ a b Basil Katz and Edith Honan: Tensions over Koran spark isolated incidents on 9/11 . Reuters. September 11, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  46. ↑ Christians rip pages from Koran . The Daily Telegraph / AFP. September 12, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  47. ↑ * Man ignites Koran near Ground Zero, apparently prompted by Terry Jones; crowd appalled by zealot
  48. ^ Evan Hill: Quran row feeds media frenzy. Al Jazeera , September 10, 2010, accessed October 22, 2010 .
  49. ↑ US media debates how to deal with Pastor Jones. (No longer available online.) Tagesschau.de , September 10, 2010, archived from the original on September 11, 2010 ; Retrieved October 22, 2010 .
  50. ↑ a b Who is afraid of the Zündelmann? Spiegel Online , September 11, 2010, accessed October 22, 2010 .
  51. ↑ Because of the burning of the Koran: Iranian demonstrators want to storm the Swiss embassy. Blick.ch , September 13, 2010, accessed on July 12, 2019 .