Associated Press
Saturday, September 11, 2010
NEW YORK — A Gainesville pastor said today that his church will never burn a Koran, even if a mosque is built near ground zero in New York City.
Pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center had threatened to burn the Muslim holy book on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks over plans to build an Islamic center near where terrorists brought down the World Trade Center nine years ago.
He flew to New York on Friday and appeared this morning on NBC's Today show. He said his church's goal was "to expose that there is an element of Islam that is very dangerous and very radical."
He told NBC that "we have definitely accomplished that mission."
He said no meeting is planned with the imam leading the center but he hopes one will take place.