Florida Pastor Determined to Carry Out Quran Burning

(Sept. 8) -- A Florida pastor planning a Quran-burning rally on Saturday's 9/11 anniversary came under more pressure today to drop it from White House and religious and military leaders, but the Rev. Terry Jones says he isn't backing down.

Jones did get qualified support from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has backed a planned Islamic center two blocks from New York's ground zero. Bloomberg said that while he would find Jones' demonstration "distasteful," the Florida preacher has the right to freedom of expression.

Jones, who leads the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said today his plans haven't changed.

"As of right now, we feel that this message is that important," Jones said on CBS' "The Early Show." "We are still determined to do it, yes."

Jones announced plans for the Quran burning in July. Since then, he has received 100 death threats and has begun carrying a gun, The Associated Press reported. Supporters, though, have been mailing him copies of the Muslim holy book for burning.

Jones said earlier this week that he knows the burnings would likely offend Muslims worldwide. But in the CBS interview today he called it a "warning" that was "geared toward radical Islam," whose followers he says are trying to impose Muslim law in America.

"We see its influence around the world. We are sending a message to them that we don't want them to do as they appear to be doing in Europe," Jones told CBS. "We want them to know if they're in America, they need to obey our law and Constitution and not slowly push their agenda upon us."

Military and religious leaders, along with top Obama administration officials, have spoken out against the planned incineration. The military's former top commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, echoed the comments of the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, saying Jones' actions could endanger U.S. troops by inciting extremists.

"They feed off of hate and fear," Odierno said on NBC's "Today" show, referring to extremists in Iraq. "They'll use this to generate more hate. And what that will turn into is potentially more violence against U.S. troops."

Petraeus told the AP that "images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan -- and around the world -- to inflame public opinion and incite violence."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the burning a "disrespectful, disgraceful act." President Barack Obama's senior adviser David Axelrod added his disapproval today.

"This offends our values, but not only that, it threatens our security," he said on "Today."

The Vatican also weighed in, calling Jones' plan "outrageous and grave." Attorney General Eric Holder, in a meeting with religious leaders on Tuesday, said the burning would be "idiotic and dangerous," an unidentified Justice Department official told the AP.

Bloomberg weighed in on Tuesday. "In a strange way, I'm here to defend his right to do that. I happen to think that it is distasteful," he said, according to the New York Daily News. "The First Amendment protects everybody, and you can't say that we're going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement."

Burning the sacred text would likely be protected under Jones' First Amendment rights, the AP said. The U.S. Supreme Court has said in several rulings that the government cannot quash offensive speech unless it's "directed to intimidate someone or amount to an incitement to violence," legal experts told the AP.

The planned burning Saturday night has also been opposed by religious leaders in Gainesville, a city of 125,000 residents, the AP reported. At least two dozen groups -- Christian, Jewish and Muslim -- planned inclusive events, including reading from the Quran, during weekend services, the AP said. And a student group is planning a protest across the street from the church during the event.

According to the AP, Jones said he's concerned but asked, "When do we stop?" and "How much do we back down?"

He also told the news agency, "Instead of us backing down, maybe it's time to stand up. Maybe it's time to send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behavior."