Terry Jones Cancels Quran Burning Cancellation

(Sept. 9) To burn or not to burn, that is the question.

On Tuesday, would-be Quran-burning Pastor Terry Jones, leader of the decidedly non-mainstream Dove World Outreach Center christian church, said he would consider the vehement objections of numerous other high profile figures and pray before making his final decision on whether or not to proceed with the virulently anti-Muslim demonstration on this coming Saturday, Sept. 11.

Then, on Thursday, it seemed as though the anti-Muslim bonfire was back on, prompting cautionary alerts from the U.S. State Department and Interpol about a possible backlash of terror attacks. But a plea by President Obama on national television got Jones to say that a call from the President himself might be enough to stop the event.

The call never came (instead, Jones got to talk to Defense Secretary Robert Gates) but another dramatic intervention did: That of Imam Muhammad Musri, head of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, who spent the past several days attempting to break through to Jones and change his mind.

For a few brief, glorious hours on Thursday evening, it seemed as though Musri had accomplished just that. At a press conference late Thursday, Jones said that he was calling off the burning based on the impression that Musri had somehow brokered a deal with the backers of Park51, the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York City, to get them to move the site in exchange for Jones putting away his matches and lighter fluid.

But the dream was short-lived, and a spokesperson from Park51 quickly refuted claims that such a deal had been reached and in fact, suggesting that members of the Park51 organization had not been in touch with Musri at all about the situation.

Received word of the absence of a deal, Jone responded by saying that he had been "clearly, clearly lied to" by Musri and that "Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision. So as of right now, we are not canceling the event, but we are suspending it," The Associated Press reported.

So, the controversy continues, with some suggesting that the media (that's yours truly, of course) should not even be covering all of this back-and-forth in the first place, as it elevates a relatively isolated message of extreme intolerance far beyond its obscure origins. Surge Desk hears these concerns, but since the story has already taken on a life of its own, it is imperative for us to see and report it through to the end, whatever that may be. Stay tuned.