http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-29/us/fl...2?_s=PM:US

In protest of what it calls a religion "of the devil," a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.

Jones wrote a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," and the church sells coffee mugs and shirts featuring the phrase.

Muslims and many other Christians -- including some evangelicals -- are fighting the initiative.

The church launched a YouTube channel to disseminate its messages.

"I mean ask yourself, have you ever really seen a really happy Muslim? As they're on the way to Mecca? As they gather together in the mosque on the floor? Does it look like a real religion of joy?" Jones asks in one of his YouTube posts.

"No, to me it looks like a religion of the devil."

The Islamic advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Muslims and others to host "Share the Quran" dinners to educate the public during the monthlong fast of Ramadan beginning in August. In a news release, the group announced a campaign to give out 100,000 copies of the Quran to local, state and national leaders.

"American Muslims and other people of conscience should support positive educational efforts to prevent the spread of Islamophobia," said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper in the release.

The National Association of Evangelicals, the nation's largest umbrella evangelical group, issued a statement urging the church to cancel the event, warning it could cause worldwide tension between the two religions.

"The NAE calls on its members to cultivate relationships of trust and respect with our neighbors of other faiths. God created human beings in his image, and therefore all should be treated with dignity and respect," it said in the statement.

Dove's Facebook page, set up for the September event, has more than 1,600 fans.

"Eternal fire is the only destination the Quran can lead people to, so we want to put the Quran in it's [sic] place -- the fire!" the page says.

But another Facebook group with more than 3,100 fans says it stands "against the disrespect and intolerance that these people have for the Muslim people" and encourages people to report Dove's page to Facebook.

Targeting another group it calls "godless," the Dove center is also hosting a protest against Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe, who is openly gay, on Monday at Gainesville's City Hall. The group previously fought -- unsuccessfully -- to derail Lowe's election campaign.

"We protest sexual perversion because the Bible protests it. ... What is acceptable to today's leadership becomes acceptable to tomorrow's society," the church says in its blog entry about the event.
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Lowe and other government figures and media outlets received e-mails from the church about the event, The Gainesville Sun reported. Lowe isn't concerned with Monday's event.

"I've got other things to do," he said, The Sun reports.

On the outreach center's front lawn, alongside a sign reading "Aug. 2 Protest, No Homo Mayor, City Hall," stands not just one, but three signs bearing the slogan "Islam is of the Devil."

One of the signs -- one reading "Islam" on one side, "Devil" on the other -- was vandalized. On its blog last week, the church said the sign will be replaced.

"This is private property and vandalism is a crime here in America," the blog says. "In Islam, many actions that we consider to be crimes are encouraged, condoned or sheltered under Islamic teaching and practice, though. Another reason to burn a Quran."

The morons are out in full force trying to make every Christian hate every Muslim, whether they are terrorists or not. Depersonalize them all, and they can be killed with impunity, because you've now managed to make people see them as less than human...

The moron who organized this event shouldn't be allowed to reproduce. This would greatly improve the intellect of the human genome, which would be a good thing...

Since when was this they year 1150.

Most idiotic sh1t I ever heard.

*just a thought*

Since Muslims are the "perceived" enemy, why not encourage your people to read the Quran. I always learned the best way to defeat your enemy is to know your enemy. just sayin just sayin.

Know thyself is the first commandment. I wonder how many people take the time to do this much...

Anyone know if this buffoon plans on proceeding with this. Last I heard he was postponing the burning.

yeah, he called it off after he said the new york imam promised to move the community center after the ny imam spoke to the orlando imam and the 3 of them agreed to a meeting in new york. keywords there being "he said". from what i heard from the orlando imam, there was no promise to move the community center. in fact i hear the community center is still on target.

my take: the guy was an attention whore and shame on the media for getting played by this guy. if they simply ignored him like the jim jones/fred phelps wannabe that he is none of this would have merited a blip on the radar. do some searching on this cult preacher guy. he did some real interesting things in germany that need to get out and spread around.

Since we're on this topic of insanely nonchristian preachers, how bout this church that protests at funerals of slain troops. Talking about a joke man. I saw a special on them on 20/20 or Nightline not too long ago. I tell ya, let one of those wingnuts protest my brothers funeral(if he would die in combat). I'm pretty sure plenty of my family would tell them whats up. These morons actually staged an event at a local high school on their way to Washington for some Congressional hearing.

Oh don't get me started on the Westboro Baptist Church, they really are just awful. I'm all for freedom of speech just about anywhere, but a funeral is definitely not the place especially the funeral of a combat veteran who just gave his/her life for their country.

Stupidity knows no boundaries...

(10-14-2010 04:55 PM)brista21 Wrote:  Oh don't get me started on the Westboro Baptist Church, they really are just awful. I'm all for freedom of speech just about anywhere, but a funeral is definitely not the place especially the funeral of a combat veteran who just gave his/her life for their country.

Yea, i'm all for freedom of speech rights and the freedom to protest. But there is a time and a place to protest and where freedom of speech applies. Its against the law to saw bomb in a movie theater and airplane for obvious reasons.

The freedom of speech ought to come with the freedom to get your @ss kicked - if you get obnoxious...