Quran Burning Pastor: 'We Are Definitely Prepared To Give Our Lives' (VIDEO)

The Christian minister who has ignited a media firestorm with his intention to commemorate the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by burning copies of the Quran appeared on "Nightline" Tuesday (Sep. 7) to reassert his church's commitment to the plan.

Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, a small, evangelical church in Gainesville, Fla., said that he and his congregation will go forward with the proposed "International Burn a Koran Day" on Sep. 11, 2010, in spite of concerns from the government that the event could put troops in danger.

"It's something that we feel we need to do," Jones said. "It's a message that we feel we need to send."

The pastor stated that he and his congregation have received death threats and will be armed on the evening of the Quran burning. "We are definitely prepared to give our lives for this particular message and cause," he said.

Jones' plans have been met with harsh condemnation from U.S. government officials. General David Petraeus warned that the Taliban could use images of the church's Quran-burning rally to incite violence against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed Petraeus' fears, adding that burning the Islamic holy book is a "disrespectful, disgraceful act."

"We understand that those concerns are valid," Jones said. "The question that we have is if we don't do it, when do we stop backing down?"

WATCH:

Comments

[OlongapoEd]

10:30 AM on 09/13/2010

It is simply not possible to have a "reasonable discussion" with some people.

[luziannagirl]

08:21 AM on 09/13/2010

Manhajsadiqeen:

First, an aside: Really hate this new, clunky HP comment protocol. Not sure you will even get this. That said, I appreciate the civility of your comments despite our obvious major differences. Very refreshing.

Suggestions on where I should read to get a better picture of issues? Maybe, links to web sites or specific pieces? I listen to shortwave. Any English broadcasts I might could pick up?

On women in Islam--I think I kind of "get" it, in a way. Often, I have noticed, American women working in the higher levels of academia will dress in a way which most of the rest of us would term "shapeless" or "shabby" or "dressed down". Expensive clothes, just sort of seeming to make the statement, "My worth is in no way connected with my appearance".

In my view, the difference between these academic women and those you describe is that the former freely choose to "go shabby", while the others are forced and/or coerced to choose modest/conservative public attire.

And, finally, I consider the allowance of the presence of foreign-owned corporate or multi-national business interests to be a totally separate issue than personal freedoms for individual citizens. Many freedom-loving Americans---including this one--- have their own issues with large corporations and capitalism as it exists today---essentially---white-collar predation.

As for crime and personal safety for women---I would choose more personal freedom over a cage any day, no matter how gilded the bars.

[OlongapoEd]

07:35 PM on 09/12/2010

What sort of person stalks someone he calls "boring" just to rant and rave at them?

[WolfieCA]

10:19 PM on 09/12/2010

I don't know. What sort of person makes bad arguments, and when called on to defend them goes on degrading the real crime of stalking by calling those who called him out stalkers.

So, do you have anything else to add? I'm still waiting for you to support your claims. I do hope you realize that your antics only reflect badly on you. I'm only playing along to see if you actually finally deign to make an actual argument or if name-calling, ala Rush Limbaugh, is the extent of you rhetorical skills.

[OlongapoEd]

10:47 AM on 09/12/2010

What we have going on in this thread is an example of one of the un.savory aspects of "free.dom of spe.ech" zea.lotry. The zea.lots will trumpet their unlimited devotion to "free.dom of spe.ech", but they will all too often engage in hara.ssment, stalking, etc. when they encounter people who unapologetically dispute their abso.lutist mindset.

[OlongapoEd]

10:46 AM on 09/12/2010

What we have going on in this thread is an example of one of the unsavory aspects of "freedom of speech" zealotry. The zealots will trumpet their unlimited devotion to "freedom of speech", but they will all too often engage in harassment, stalking, etc. when they encounter people who unapologetically dispute their absolutist mindset.

[WolfieCA]

07:03 PM on 09/12/2010

Yeah, sorry it's called making an argument. You've been unable to do so. And have resorted to name-calling since you can't assemble even the most half-baked argument for the position you've taken.

So call it what you will. This tangent you've decided to take only makes you look more foolish, and more and more like you are unwilling and/or unable to actually hold an adult conversation.

[OlongapoEd]

10:29 AM on 09/12/2010

Yaaaaawn...selfrighteous tr0//z get boring so quickly.

[WolfieCA]

06:49 PM on 09/12/2010

You've been boring for a while, I just haven't seen you actually do anything but try to call others trolls because you can't make an argument.

[OlongapoEd]

08:55 PM on 09/11/2010

Somebody really needs to get over himself...a sad case, to be sure.

[WolfieCA]

09:03 PM on 09/11/2010

So you admit that you have nothing. That's a good first step. Kind of pathetic, to be sure. But not something that wasn't pretty obvious for some time.

[OlongapoEd]

06:32 PM on 09/11/2010

I have a stalker...isn't that cute!

[WolfieCA]

08:19 PM on 09/11/2010

Your delusions aside, when are you going to actually supporting your claims?

[Eugene V Solot]

01:00 PM on 09/10/2010

Instead of burning the Koran maybe it is time to read and discuss it in the public forum instead of repeating empty platitudes like Islam is a religion of peace. This has been done widely in the media and in movies on Christianity and Judaism with specials on the life of Christ and movies on the life of Christ and Moses and other prophets but unless I have missed something i have never seen any on the life of Mohamed.

If Islam is to be considered one of the mainstream religions in America then it should be able to withstand the same scrutiny as the other mainstream religions. In a society of free speech nothing should hide behind Political Correctness embellished with platitudes such as "Islam is a Religion of Peace." If it is prove it to the American public and not only by listening to not very impartial Imams and Islamic Professors but former Muslims and Christian, Jews, Hindus and others who have lived in Islamic countries. Let us learn what abrogated verses mean and what jihad means and what the importance of the Hadith are and the details of the Prophet Mohamed's life just as we know about Christianity or Judaism. Political Correctness is not the law of the land but if we practice it too much it may abrogate our laws and our Freedoms.

[Kathy Wittig]

10:55 AM on 09/10/2010

He reminds me of my dad before a schizo episode. I saw the look of insanity in his eyes. He has been told to stand down by the Sec. of Defense... do you think they'll shoot? Or, just arrest him?

[OlongapoEd]

01:37 PM on 09/11/2010

"Freedom of speech" is a national piety in the US (so is "freedom of religion", but that is another discussion). It is an altar before which all "good Americans" must genuflect lest they be branded as Enemies! of! Freedom! or (gasp!) "unamerican". For too many people, an uncritical support of absolute "freedom of speech" has become a mark of "personal virtue".* "Freedom of speech" zealots might give lip service to the reality that "freedom of speech" cannot be absolute, but they will then proceed to act like it *is* absolute. Bigots who spout bigoted things don't seem to bother them very much, but they lash out with ferocity if any self-respecting non-conservative dares to question the sanctity and inviolability of "freedom of speech". It has been that way on this thread, and it is very likely to be so on*any* thread where there are "freedom of speech" issues.

* Notwithstanding Darth Cheney's misuse of the term, the phenomenon most certainly exists, and is seen regularly on this site.

[WolfieCA]

05:45 PM on 09/11/2010

That's a whole load of sanctimonious twaddle, there, tex. And yes, basically freedom of speech is an absolute. As to the rest, until you've actually provided me with some sort of immediate threat that this man poses, you've got nothing but the usual hysterical blatherings of a bunch of cowards who are completely willing to roll over if even the potential of a threat comes their way.

But then, gathering from the tone and content of your post, you really don't have anything to go on besides hysterics, so I'm not holding out much hope that you'll actually mount any real defense of your vast overreaction to one loan idiot and his gang of fools.

[Kathy Wittig]

10:52 AM on 09/10/2010

Yet another Hate crime... or do amerikans want to argue about that too?

[JohnFromCensornati]

11:00 AM on 09/10/2010

It's not a crime.

[Kathy Wittig]

11:38 AM on 09/10/2010

I rest my case.

[kwinter]

11:44 AM on 09/10/2010

"Hate speech" is not a crime in this country ... yet ... and, hopefully never will be!

[WolfieCA]

09:52 PM on 09/11/2010

People periodically try to make offensive speech illegal. Like the seemingly perennial flag-burning amendments we see proposed.

That's why Jefferson said (at least it's commonly attributed to him) "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." Those who would limit freedoms because of some perceived convenience need to be fought whenever they pop their ugly little heads up.

[Cerkez Ethem]

09:28 AM on 09/10/2010

I myself being a Muslim am amused by this pastor, burning 200 or more Koran's is not going to bring back the 3000 odd innocent lives, it will not stop the Mosque being built near "ground zero" all it will do is become a poster for the criminally insane Al - Qeda types and as Obama says increase recruitment to those criminally insane organisations by illiterate young muslims that don't know their own religion. I ask you how many churches are there in the town of Auschwitz in and around the various death camps there ? Because Hitler and his cronies were criminally insane does it make it that all Christians are criminally insane ?? The simple answer NO. If the crazy Milk Sheik Osama Bin Laden and his cronies are criminally insane does that make me an ordinary Muslim criminally insane ? (Now that's a rhetorical questions guys don't answer in the affirmative).

I appreciate, understand and empathise with the hurt all those feel in and around ground zero and the U.S. in general but lets not forget there were innocent muslims that died that terrible day as well in the Towers (not the planes, they were just criminally insane). However there are also workers at ground zero helping rebuild that are also muslim. So why all the hate against one religion as a result of certain criminal types ?

[WolfieCA]

11:32 PM on 09/10/2010

The simplest answer is that when you have no positive plans or ideals to run on, many politicians find the easiest way to score cheap political points is to find some group of "others" and turn them into demons. And unfortunately, there is, and has always been, a portion of the populace in general that is more than happy to oblige them and give them those cheap points.

And the only solution for ending this is to make the cost for promoting it greater than the benefits. That mean education and outreach, and making sure that when the next Terry Jones stunt comes about every mainstream voice shouts him down and calls him out.

That's something that's really offensive to me about this whole thing is that far too few politicians have condemned this creepy toad. Instead of ignoring him like we should have done, our politicians gave him a seat at the table and tried negotiating with him as if was a legitimate force instead of a lone crackpot.

What they should have done was tell him: "Look, we're not going to play along with your game. You want to go ahead with this, we can't stop you, they're your purchased books, you can do what you want with them. But any and all backlash against our people overseas will lie squarely on your head. We're done here. Good day, sir." And then leave the building.

[JohnFromCensornati]

07:04 AM on 09/10/2010

How about giving all your stuff to the sick and the poor?

[Kathy Wittig]

10:52 AM on 09/10/2010

I have.

[kwinter]

11:50 AM on 09/10/2010

Everything?
So, are you using the public library's computer, or are you living with mom and dad?

[WolfieCA]

05:51 PM on 09/11/2010

I currently have no reason, given what you've said, to believe anything you have to say about anything.

Good day.

[soo tuck choong]

04:09 AM on 09/10/2010

Ah! Now I think I know why he wants to do this. He wants to be like the infamous Jim Jones!

[Hysterian68]

03:10 AM on 09/10/2010

To mark the commemoration of 9/11, if the Quran burning doesn't occur, there may be other Christian groups, just as insane as Pastor Jones and his flock, prepared to get into a plane and send themselves crashing into Jones' church.

[Kathy Wittig]

11:40 AM on 09/10/2010

Sadly some must still believe the official version.... and in Santa Clause...

[WolfieCA]

08:02 PM on 09/10/2010

Oh wow, a truther. Shock.