Local Organization Plans 9/11 Qur'an Reading

By Rob Christopher in News on Sep 9, 2010 3:00PM

Publicity stunt, freedom of speech, or an equal mixture of both? Whatever your take on it, the Rev. Terry Jones of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida is getting maximum use out of the First Amendment with his plan to burn the Qur'an on Saturday, which just happens to be the anniversary of 9/11. Reaction has been ... well, you can probably guess. President Obama said, "I just hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values [as] Americans." Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has warned that the event will endanger U.S. troops stationed around the world: "Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence." Even Sarah Palin condemned the event though not without using her pretzel logic as another chance to oppose the Muslim community center planned near Ground Zero: "Book burning is antithetical to American ideals. People have a constitutional right to burn a Koran if they want to, but doing so is insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at Ground Zero."

Now, the American Library Association has announced that it plans to "fight fire with free speech" with a local counter-protest of sorts. Whether or not the Reverend carries out his plans - he's indicated this week he's open to cancelling the event - Chicago librarians, library advocates, and other supporters will assemble on the steps of the American Library Association headquarters (50 E. Huron) this Saturday at 1 p.m. for a public reading from the Qur'an. Organized by the Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, Banned Books Week, celebrated yearly in libraries across the country, is all about the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. “Free people read freely,” says Barbara Jones, the Office's director. “That is a fundamental principle of the American Constitution and a basic mission of public libraries. We don’t burn books, we read them.”