Shortly before the start of ceremonies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania to remember the day nearly 3000 people lost their lives, Florida Pastor Terry Jones confirmed he had backed off his threat to burn copies of the Koran.
News of the plan continued to outrage Muslims around the world yesterday, triggering outbreaks of violence in Afghanistan where demonstrators took to the streets in the northeast of the country for a second day.
President Barack Obama had warned that the burning of the Koran could harm America’s image abroad, endanger lives and act as a recruiting tool for al Qaeda. Obama told a memorial service in Washington that those who attacked the country with hijacked planes on September 11, 2001, had tried to deprive Americans of their ideals.
“They may seek to spark conflict between different faiths, but as Americans we are not and will never 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,” he said.
As Obama spoke at the Pentagon, family and friends of those who died in the New York attacks placed flowers in a pool at the site. The names of the 2752 World Trade Centre victims were read out in alphabetical order during the ceremony.
In lower Manhattan, hundreds of supporters of the mosque project, which organisers say is intended to build bridges between communities, called for religious tolerance and brandished placards saying “Your bigotry and hatred is a national security risk” or “the attack on Islam is racism”.
Herald Scotland
