Barbarians and Liberals, 1, Civilization, 0

Jones has folded.

CNN reports this morning:

Florida pastor calls off Quran burning

(CNN)—The pastor of a Florida church says his congregation has decided to call off the burning of the Quran that was to be held Saturday—the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States by the al Qaeda terror network.

“We will definitely not burn the Quran,” the Rev. Terry Jones told NBC’s “Today” on Saturday “Not today, not ever.” The burning had been planned for 6 p.m.

Jones arrived in New York late Friday night and was working to set up a meeting with the imam in charge of the Islamic center planned near ground zero. The planned meeting, Jones had said, helped persuade him to halt the burning.

Earlier Friday, Jones gave mixed messages about whether he intends to carry out his plans, which have sparked international controversy and protests in the Muslim world. U.S. military leaders said the event would imperil the lives of troops abroad.

President Obama said Friday that the idea that “we would burn the sacred texts of someone else’s religion is contrary to what this country stands for.”

He said he hopes Jones “prays on it” and refrains from doing it. The government has to send a “very clear message” that burning the Quran would endanger U.S. troops and serve as a major recruiting tool for al Qaeda, Obama added.

On Saturday, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said police met with Jones and plan to keep a “close tab on him” for his own safety.

“His safety could be an issue, and we emphasized that to him last evening. And, he seemed to agree. You know. We would like to make certain that he remains safe while he’s in this city.”

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Sophia A. writes:

As it stands now, Jones will not burn a Koran. You are disappointed. I was too, initially, but after reading a few cooler heads, I think that he never intended to go through with the act.

He intended to expose the violence at the core of this “religion”, and our cowardly reaction to it.

He succeeded.

He’s a bloody genius. Maybe he’s a madman, but this wouldn’t be the first time genius and insanity were linked in the same mind.

LA replies:

As has been pointed out, Jones is not what matters here. The reaction he set off is what matters.

An Indian living in the West writes:

Had he gone ahead with it, he would lived in fear for his life as long as he is alive. Perhaps it was impressed upon him that this was the issue and he understood it.

Salman Rushdie (and I’m no fan by the way) still gets security cover and must be careful with his movements lest some crazed “believer” try to kill him.

This is the world we live in today. Your right to freedom of speech is limited by the Muslim ability to kill you—regardless of what constitutional freedoms your country guarantees you. I grew up in that world—where one’s ability to do certain things was limited by the Muslim ability to create havoc in society. In India with the Muslim population now well in excess of 200 million, people must live their lives in perpetual fear of what will set off the mobs.

It is like being permanently chained to a psycho for your whole life and learning to live with the fear that anything you do could set off the psycho.

LA replies:

“Had he gone ahead with it, he would lived in fear for his life as long as he is alive. Perhaps it was impressed upon him that this was the issue and he understood it.”

I suppose this is probably true.

But what has given Muslims the power to intimidate a Florida pastor into doing their will? One thing and one thing only . They are here. Their presence here, in our country, means the end of our freedom. Period. The only way to regain our freedom is to make them leave. Period.

Sophia A. writes:

OK, Jones folded. But in so doing he exposed our hollow cowardly core and their violent core. He threw the entire leadership class into a frenzy. He provoked the reaction he intended to provoke. He accomplished his aims.

Give him credit for that. A good poker player knows when to fold ‘em.

Dean E. writes:

Two comments so good they should be said again::

1) “As has been pointed out, Jones is not what matters here. The reaction he set off is what matters.”

2) “It is like being permanently chained to a psycho for your whole life and learning to live with the fear that anything you do could set off the psycho.”

And here’s a third:

“Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been made victorious with terror!’”

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 11, 2010 10:51 AM | Send