Quran burning suspended

The leader of a tiny church here says he was lied to and that his plan to burn Qurans on 9/11 has changed again.

The burning has been suspended, he said, not canceled as previously announced.

On Thursday, Terry Jones backed off on his threat to burn Qurans after he was promised - he said - that an Islamic center and mosque would not be built near ground zero in New York.

Muslim leaders denied there was such a deal.

Later, outside his church, Jones said the imam he thought he had made the deal with "clearly, clearly lied to us" about moving the Islamic center.

Jones had been under intense pressure to call off his "International Burn a Koran Day," including a statement from President Barack Obama and a personal call from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The Quran burning was planned for Saturday, the ninth anniversary of 9/11.

Earlier media reports quoted Jones as saying the imam in New York had agreed to move the center, which Jones called a sign from God that he should cancel the burning.

Jones later clarified his remarks, saying it was Muhammad Musri, an imam and president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, who had made the pledge.

"I have his word that he will move the mosque to a different location," Jones said. "It is my understanding, and we have his word. We have accomplished our goal. We would like to ask no one to burn the Quran."

Musri, however, said no deal had been reached to move the Islamic center. Musri said he offered a meeting of Jones, the New York imam planning the Islamic center and himself to talk about the location.

Musri said he had spoken with the wife of the imam and that she invited Jones and Musri to meet with her husband. Musri said he and Jones were to travel to New York on Saturday for the meeting.

"I told the pastor that I personally believe the mosque should not be there and I will do everything in my power to make sure it is moved," Musri said. "But there is not any offer from there that it will be moved. All we have agreed to is a meeting, and I think we would all like to see a peaceful resolution."

The imam behind the New York Islamic center, Feisal Abdul Rauf, said he was surprised by the announcement of a deal.

"I am glad that Pastor Jones has decided not to burn any Qurans; however, I have not spoken to Pastor Jones or Imam Musri," Rauf said in a statement. "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 to build peace and harmony."

The New York Islamic center and mosque have attracted controversy nationally. The project is planned for two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

Before Thursday, Jones had never invoked the Islamic center controversy as a reason for burning Qurans. He cited his belief that the Quran is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims.

While discussing the situation with Musri on Thursday afternoon, Jones received a call from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who urged Jones to cancel the Quran burning.

Jones said he wasn't pressured and simply listened to Gates' concerns.

The Defense Department issued a statement that Gates expressed grave concern that burning Qurans would jeopardize U.S. troops overseas, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan, and urged Jones to cancel.

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. and other NATO troops in Afghanistan, had expressed similar concerns.

A few minutes after the call from Gates, Jones and Musri walked out of Jones' Dove World Outreach Center chapel in Gainesville to announce the burning was canceled.

Musri told Jones, "I will work my level best" to persuade the imam to pick a different site for the Islamic center. Musri said Jones was fine with that.

Musri thanked Jones and his church members "for making the decision today to defuse the situation and bring to a positive end" something that could have benefitted only "extremists and terrorists" who would use it to recruit radicals.

Jones said he would not change a thing he has done as worldwide attention focused on his small church.

"We have at this time no regrets," Jones said. "We are very, very pleased and happy with the outcome.

"This has been a very, very difficult and trying time," he said. "We have been in very much thought and prayer over this period. We have thought it over many times."

Jones acknowledged he has been defiant this week as world leaders pressured him to cancel the event, adding that he has considered the U.S. military's concerns that burning Qurans would endanger troops.

"We definitely were praying on it," he said. "It definitely weighed heavy on our hearts if any soldiers were injured. But at this particular time, we have no regrets."

Obama had urged Jones to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan. He called it a dangerous "stunt" that could imperil U.S. troops abroad and incite attacks on U.S. soil.

FBI agents met with Jones earlier Thursday, spending about half an hour talking with him. Church spokesman Wayne Sapp would not disclose what they discussed.

Jones said earlier this week that agents had visited him twice since he announced his plans in July. The last of those visits was about two weeks ago.

American Muslim leaders, for their part, urged Muslims not to retaliate should the burning or any other provocation occur on Sept. 11. They said that reacting with anger or violence will only reinforce the stereotypes behind a recent spike in anti-Muslim incidents.

Ramzy Kilic, communications director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Thursday he thought Jones was seeking publicity and wasn't going to go through with burning Qurans.

"I think all along it was a publicity stunt, a way to draw attention to himself or put his church on the map," Kilic said. "I'm not surprised he canceled in the end. I think he used it to get attention for his group."

In Gainesville, students on the University of Florida campus expressed relief after hearing that the burning had been canceled.

"This is the first time I have ever seen Gainesville get so much national attention for something other than football," senior Michelle McKenzie said.

City spokesman Bob Woods also welcomed word of a cancellation.

"We spent a lot of time preparing for an event that didn't reflect the values of this community," Woods said. "I think it's safe to say that the community is collectively breathing a sigh of relief."