INCENDIARIO TERRY JONES

Top of the Agenda: Koran Burning Postponed Amid Protests Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who threatened to burn copies of the Koran on September 11, said he would cancel or postpone his demonstration (NYT), as protests against him were staged in Afghanistan and beyond. Jones's plans drew criticism from U.S. President Barack Obama, members of Congress, and others. The FBI met with Jones, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called him, interrupting a meeting between Jones and Imam Muhammad Musri, a well-known Islamic leader in Florida who had been trying to broker a deal to move the proposed Islamic center near ground zero to a new location. Jones said his postponement decision was based not on the risk to U.S. troops but because he reached a deal to stop the construction of the Islamic center (WashPost). Jones appeared to have misunderstood the discussions about the center after Musri said at a press conference he had merely reached an agreement to meet with the project developers in New York. Around ten thousand Afghans protested the possible Koran burning at a NATO-run base in northeastern Afghanistan. Demonstrations (al-Jazeera) were also staged in Pakistan, Indonesia, and other Muslim countries. Analysis: On WashingtonPost.com, Howard Kurtz says the Florida controversy was brewing long before it gained national media coverage, raising the question of what role the media should play in amplifying the "antics of one obscure book-burner in Florida." This BBC roundup offers a sampling of media reactions to the pastor's plan from the Muslim and Arab worlds. In this CFR roundup, five experts address the controversy over the proposed Islamic center near the 9/11 attack site in New York, the foreign policy implications, and how the issue should be resolved.