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.
"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.
CNN
God’s ways are different, every so called destruction may have a constructive effect, and the Quran burning may back fire on the Christians. 99.9% of the Christian fathers, pastors, priests and clerics have never read the Quran. The Quran has a Chapter on MARY the mother of Jesus and the verses are much more beautiful than they are given in the Bible. By burning the Quran they burn the correct version of the Bible itself. The name of Muhammad is mentioned only 4 times in the entire Quran but the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned more than 20 times in the same Quran. The Quran is the only Book that challenges the Christians by asserting that Jesus had been one of the mightiest prophets of God and not GOD'S SON which is the huge blasphemy on God Almighty. God does not need a son. God does not get involved in animal sex act. God if HE wanted could create a million Jesuses or a million Moseses or a million Muhammads. There is going to be a huge awakening among the Christians and the sale of the Quran and conversion to Islam is going to massively increase in the West and Christians will come to understand the folly on their beliefs.
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