THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama marked the ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks by declaring that America will "never" be at war with Islam in a speech aimed at reducing tensions sparked by a pastor's plan to burn copies of the Koran.
The US president said at a memorial service at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed: "As Americans, we will not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was Al-Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion."
The Reverend Terry Jones, who single-handedly created an international crisis with his planned "International Burn a Koran day", finally confirmed he had pulled back from the brink after flying to New York from his home in Florida.
Having initially only postponed the event in protest at plans for an Islamic Centre and mosque close to Ground Zero, the Rev Jones said he had now cancelled it altogether.
The pastor, who has a congregation of just 50, told NBC's Today show: "We feel that God is telling us to stop." Pressed on whether his church would ever burn the Islamic holy book, he said: "Not today, not ever. We're not going to go back and do it. It is totally cancelled." Read on and comment >>> Robert Mendick | Saturday, September 11, 2010
