The Rev. Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove Center, has said he will proceed with the plan Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, despite increased pressure to abandon the proposal and warnings that going ahead could endanger U.S. troops and Americans worldwide.
CNN iReport: 'This man doesn't represent America'
On Wednesday, the Vatican joined a chorus of groups imploring the church not to burn Islam's holy book, saying it would be an "outrageous and grave gesture." The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Ali Abdussalam Treki, also expressed concern, saying it will "lead to uncontrollable reactions" and spark tension worldwide.
Earlier this week, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, warned that the plan "could cause significant problems" for American troops overseas.
Tolerance
"The general needs to point his finger to radical Islam and tell them to shut up, tell them to stop, tell them that we will not bow our knees to them," Jones said on CNN's "AC360."Jones has rejected the pleas, saying his message targets radical Islamists.
"We are burning the book," Jones said. "We are not killing someone. We are not murdering people."
Referring to Jones, Obama said Thursday, "If he's listening, I just hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values of Americans, that this country has been built on the notions of religious freedom and religious tolerance."
"And as a very practical matter, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the United States, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan. We're already seeing protests against Americans just by the mere threat ... this is a destructive act that he's engaging in."
Meanwhile, a major Islamic group will announce an initiative Thursday to distribute 200,000 Qurans to replace what it says are 200 copies that the Dove Center plans to burn.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) plans to hold a news conference in Washington Thursday to address the issue. The group's "Learn, Don't Burn" initiative includes the distribution of 200,000 Qurans and other activities planned for Friday and Saturday.
"This educational initiative is designed for those who seek a proactive and constructive response to the church's very un-American actions," said Nihad Awad, CAIR national executive director.
"The tiny group of extremists carrying out the book burnings clearly do not represent our society or its values and have been repudiated by all mainstream religious and political leaders."
CAIR, a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group, has written to Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, asking for help in trying to dissuade Jones.
"The Quran burning event, while protected by the First Amendment, is not in our nation's best interests," wrote CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad in the letter. "Those who seek to harm our nation will exploit the burnings to promote their own political agenda."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is one of the few public officials who defended Jones' right to go ahead, even as he condemned the idea as "distasteful.
"I don't think he would like if somebody burned a book that in his religion he thinks is holy. ... But the First Amendment protects everybody, and you can't say that we are going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement," Bloomberg said, citing the section of the Constitution that promises freedom of speech.
The planned action has drawn sharp criticism worldwide.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting U.S. troops from religious intolerance, has promised to buy one new Quran and donate it to the Afghan National Army for each one burned in Florida.
Petraeus has warned that the burning will endanger the lives of the 120,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops still battling al Qaeda and its allies in the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement.
Asked his feelings on the matter as president, Obama said, "well, it is frustrating. Now, on the other hand, we are a government of laws. And so we have to abide by those laws. And my understanding is that he can be cited for public burning, but that's the extent of the laws that we have available to us."
"You know, part of this country's history is people doing destructive or offensive or harmful things," the president said. "And yet, we still have to make sure that we're following the laws. And that's part of what I love about this country."
A Christian congregation in Germany on Thursday distanced itself from Jones, its founder and former pastor. Stephan Baar, one of the leaders of the Christian Community of Cologne, said the congregation split with Jones in 2008 over differences in the way the church was run.
"We distance ourselves very very clearly from the actions that are taking place (in Florida) and also from the person himself and unfortunately we really regret what is happening there," Baar said in an interview with CNN affiliate RTL.
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