John Raoux / AP Photo
A Florida church is going ahead with its plan to burn copies of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, even as the stunt has earned massive criticism—from Gen. David Petraeus, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and, in an "emergency summit" on Tuesday of three dozen important leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. The Rev. Terry Jones of Gainesville’s Dove World Outreach Center said his church would pray about the holy book burning, but isn’t canceling it, saying, “Instead of us backing down, maybe it's time to stand up. Maybe it's time to send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behavior." “This is not America,” countered Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the emeritus Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington. “America was not built on hate.” At the National Press Club, the religious leaders said they were worried about the “anti-Muslim frenzy” that has gripped the country and could undermine America’s reputation for religious freedom. Clinton called the Quran burning a “disrespectful, disgraceful act,” Tuesday, as others in the Obama administration sharply condemned the plan.