BLAIR WOYNARSKI
News Writer

A dismal cloud lay heavy over the United States this past weekend, as millions of Americans commemorated the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks.

Remembrances of the dead, however, took a backseat in media coverage to two current issues inflamed by fear and anger that still linger in the air like ash in the wake of the World Trade Center collapse.

The biggest story of the week turned out to be one Florida pastor and his plan to burn several copies of the Qur’an on Sept. 11. Pastor Terry Jones (not to be confused with Terry Jones of Monty Python fame), who heads a meagre congregation of about 50, gained international attention last week when he announced his intention to host a public burning of the Qur’an on the anniversary of 9-11, in retaliation against Islam.

This came in response to news of an Islamic community centre and mosque to be built two blocks away from Ground Zero. The announcement of this development unleashed a wave of protestors, calling the construction of an Islamic centre so close to the site of the World Trade Center insensitive to those who died in the attacks.

This, in turn, launched a wave of counter-protest from people who decried those opposed to the centre as “un-American” and insisted that the mosque was protected under freedom of religion.

In the days leading up to Sept. 11th, the limelight was hot on Gainesville, FL. Some took the side of the pastor, either because they agreed with his views or simply because they believed in his right to express them; many others took a harsh stance against him.

Gainesville citizens were in vocal protest, eager to announce that the majority of their community did not support the actions of this tiny church. Many Americans feared that Jones’ plan would stoke the fires of hatred against Americans and endanger troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As soon as word reached the Middle-East, there was an eruption of protest and threats of violence against Christians and U.S. soldiers if the burning was carried out.

Even President Obama weighed in on the issue. In a televised statement, he said, “the idea that we would burn the sacred texts of someone else’s religion is contrary to what this country stands for.” He added that he wanted to “send a very clear message that this kind of behaviour or threats of action put our young men and women in harm’s way,” and that the burning was “the best imaginable recruiting tool for al-Qaeda.”

With most of the country stacked against him (and a personal phone call from the U.S. Secretary of Defense urging him to give up his plans) Pastor Jones announced on Thursday that he was prepared to call off the Qur’an burning. He complicated that message with a statement that he had agreed to cancel the burning because he had spoken with the Imam behind the Islamic community centre in New York, and that plans for that had been cancelled as well.

In the furor that immediately followed this statement, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who heads the controversial Manhattan mosque, said that he had never spoken to Jones and that there were no plans to move the Islamic centre to a different location.

In the following 48 hours, Jones kept the media in suspense. He said he had been lied to and planned to fly to New York on Saturday to have a discussion with Imam Feisal.

He also announced that he was no longer certain that he was going to cancel the burning. Jones did a talk-show circuit on Friday before finally officially calling off the Qur’an burning early on Saturday. He also flew to New York City as promised but was unable to meet with the Imam or engage in any discussion about the mosque.

Despite Jones’s last-minute cancellation, protests in Muslim countries still escalated, resulting in the deaths of two protesters in Afghanistan and one Christian civilian in Indonesia. Ultimately, the stunt seems to have done nothing but further inflame Muslims and turn Jones into a celebrity.

Indeed, by the end of the week, Jones appeared to be doing all he could to keep himself at the centre of attention for as long as possible. The media have been accused of escalating this story. Some critics say that if Americans at large had chosen to ignore Jones, nothing would have happened. Obama defended his decision to get involved, saying that “in the age of the Internet, this is something that could cause us profound damage.”

Had Jones gone ahead without the eyes of the country watching him, footage would almost inevitably have leaked. Whether the media coverage that ultimately led to the event’s cancellation was beneficial, or if it just inflamed the situation, is a question that lingers in the air, as another Sept. 11th passes by.

– –
image: Ramy Alaa