GEN DAVID Petraeus, the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan and the most respected US military officer, has warned that a Florida church’s plans to burn the Koran next Saturday could endanger the lives of US servicemen.
“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” Gen Petraeus told the Wall Street Journal. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses, and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.”
At a demonstration in Kabul on Monday, prompted by the planned bonfire, protesters shouted “Death to America” and called for US troops to go home. Westerners in Afghanistan have been warned to stay away from public places.
Pastor Terry Jones, who heads a congregation of 50 at the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, Florida, says he scheduled the Koran-burning on the anniversary of the 2001 atrocities to stop what he sees as the encroachment of Sharia in the US and because “we must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats.”
In an interview with CNN, Pastor Jones yesterday called on moderate Muslims to support him. That was unlikely, the anchorwoman said, since he intends to burn the Muslims’ holy book.
“We understand the general’s concerns. We are sure that his concerns are legitimate,” Pastor Jones said. But he has maintained plans to go ahead with the bonfire.
Lt Gen William Caldwell, who is in charge of training Afghan troops, said he learned of the planned Koran-burning from an Afghan government minister.
Afghans did not understand that the first amendment guarantees freedom of speech, or that President Obama could not simply ban the Koran-burning, Gen Caldwell said. Training has been interrupted at least twice this year because of allegations of mishandling of the Koran.
This is not the first time Gen Petraeus has spoken out on US relations with the Muslim world. When he was commander of the US military’s central command, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “foments anti-American sentiment due to a perception of US favouritism towards Israel”.
