September 10, 2010: Obama: Pastor’s Plans to Burn Koran ‘Endangering Our Troops’

President Obama condemns Florida pastor Terry Jones’s announced plans to ceremonially burn a Koran (see July 12, 2010 and After and September 9, 2010). During a press conference, Obama says: “With respect to the individual down in Florida, let me just say, or let me repeat what I said a couple of days ago. The idea that we would burn the sacred texts of someone else’s religion is contrary to what this country stands for. It’s contrary to what this nation was founded on. And my hope is that this individual prays on it and refrains from doing it. But, I’m also commander in chief. And, we are seeing today riots in Kabul, riots in Afghanistan, that threaten our young men and women in uniform (see September 6, 2010). And so, we’ve got an obligation to send a very clear message that this kind of behavior or threats of action put our young men and women in harm’s way. And it’s also the best imaginable recruiting tool for al-Qaeda. Although this may be one individual in Florida, part of my concern is to make sure that we don’t start having a whole bunch of folks all across the country think this is the way to get attention. This is a way of endangering our troops. Our sons and daughters. Fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, who are sacrificing for us to keep us safe. You don’t play games with them.” Jones’s proposed Koran-burning could cost the US “profound damage around the world,” Obama says, “and we gotta take it seriously.” [ABC News, 9/10/2010] Spokespersons for 11 governments have called on Jones to halt his planned Koran-burning (see September 6-9, 2010). Jones has announced that he will not burn Korans (see September 9-10, 2010).