Quran Burning Protests Erupt in Afghanistan
In neighboring Pakistan, hundreds of people in the central city of Multan demonstrated against threats to burn the Quran. Some burned American flags.
The pastor of the small Florida church at the center of the controversy, Reverend Terry Jones, had originally planned to burn hundreds of copies of the Quran on Saturday to coincide with the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. He announced Thursday he was suspending the protest, but has not cancelled it outright. He is seeking a meeting in New York City with the iman behind a proposed Islamic center in there near the site where the World Trade Center once stood.
The pastor's plans have created an international firestorm and prompted top political figures, including President Barack Obama, and religious leaders to issue statements condemning the plans.
The pastor has been repeatedly warned that the burning copies of the Quran could
provoke a backlash of anger and violence and put U.S. soldiers' lives in danger.