AJC: Provocateurs Should Not Divert 9/11 Commemoration

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Sep 07, 2010, 05:30 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee urged that provocative acts timed to mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Al Qaeda atrocities - including a mass burning of copies of the Qu'ran and a conference showcasing 9/11 conspiracy theorists - not divert Americans from the principal aim of commemorating that tragic day in a dignified manner.

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Two of the events causing grave concern are:

A threatened mass burning of thousands of copies of the Qu'ran, the Muslim holy book, by Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla. Although Jones heads a marginal Church with a membership of only 50 families, his planned provocation has fueled worry about rising anti-Muslim sentiment in America. Jones's proposed act has resulted in a warning from Gen. David Petraeus, head of Multinational Forces in Afghanistan, that the Qu'ran burning could incite further violence against U.S. soldiers and civilians in the Islamic world.

A march and conference in Lower Manhattan that will feature supporters of terrorism and 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Organized by the group "We Are Change," the march will proceed to Ground Zero. Among the speakers at the subsequent conference are: former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who has described the U.S. government as being under the control of "Zionist agents;" former British parliamentarian George Galloway, who is an outspoken supporter of the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations; and Wayne Madsen, a conspiracy theorist who claims that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.

"As we prepare to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11, extremists are exploiting the atrocities of that day to further their sinister agendas," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "That they are protected in doing so is a mark of what makes our country distinct - and is a necessary price we pay for our cherished principles of free speech. Those very same principles mean we are confident Americans will reject these hatemongers and their insidious messages."

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SOURCE American Jewish Committee