Anti-Islam Firestorm Top: Signs Are Seen Outside the Dove World Outreach Center, Run by Terry Jones

sunday features SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010 Gainsville tries to deflect church’s anti-Islam firestorm Top: Signs are seen outside the Dove World Outreach Center, run by Terry Jones. Above: Paula Pope protests against Terry Jones in Gainesville, Florida, on Friday. Many of the city’s residents are pondering how to distance themselves from neighbor Terry Jones PHOTOS: EPA AND AFP BY DAMIEN CAVE NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA tephanie George used to see members Marine barracks bombing in 1983 that killed the positive side of our message of who we members of the church wore to school last Perfect, she thought. She printed 200 of the Dove World Outreach Center 241 service members in Beirut. are, and then that will set an example for year and that led to standard uniforms this shirts to test demand, asking only for S at her neighborhood grocery store, “It’s frustrating,” said the Reverend others in our society who are maybe on the year. But she refused. donations. As of Friday evening, more than wearing T-shirts that said “Islam is of the Larry Reimer, pastor of the United Church fence,” he said. On Tuesday, after seeing the firestorm 1,000 shirts had flown out the door. devil.” But on Friday, she and her friend of Gainesville. It was just before noon and That seemed to be exactly the goal of Jones created, she decided to act. She said By nightfall on Friday, Revels, looking Lynda Dillon showed up early at Dragonfly he was standing at the door of Dove in Dragonfly. For 24 years, the tiny four-person “Love, not Dove” sounded like a good motto, younger than her 50 years, with spiky hair Graphics to order a dozen shirts with a a pressed sport coat, with a pile of 8,048 company (with part-time help from the and her graphic artist — Josh Huey, 24, and long plaid shorts, was in the back different message: “Love, not Dove.” signatures and comments from 97 countries, owner’s mother) has been printing thin, scruffy and lip-pierced — turned out a working the presses with Huey. Strangers The design itself, complete with a lyric all demanding that Jones unequivocally T-shirts for companies, students, events tattoo-like image of a dove in distress. and friends streamed in asking for shirts. made famous by Elvis Costello (“What’s so call off his plan to burn the Koran. The and churches. Because that seemed a little harsh, One gone. Six more. Then a dozen. funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding”) thick document was carefully tied in a Joy Revels, the owner, said she even used Revels returned to a favorite Elvis Costello “Whatever Mr Jones does, it’s still the same takes direct aim at the Reverend Terry Jones, white ribbon. to print generic polo shirts for Dove, before song (written by Nick Lowe), which sets in our community,” Revels said. She struggled his church and his threat — now suspended Reimer said people from all over the last year, when Jones put a sign outside his peace, love and understanding against an to explain conflicting emotions. “This isn’t ‘We — to burn copies of the Koran yesterday. world had called him and sent e-mails church saying, “Islam is of the devil.” opening of “As I walk through this wicked hate you, Terry Jones,’” she finally said. “It’s But George and others who have lined up offering to help Gainesville counter Jones. “He called me for the T-shirts,” with world searchin’ for light in the darkness ‘This is who we are, Gainesville.’ We’re not for the shirts from Dragonfly frown and sigh Mayor Craig Lowe said he, too, had been that slogan she said — T-shirts that young of insanity.” going to stoop to his level.” with exasperation that such a public stand is inundated with suggestions. even necessary. One local resident said he might sue “He’s a lunatic, and yet I still feel like I the city or Jones so the community would Koran plans started a fire that spread without ever burning need to get the message out that we’re not be forced to go to court and talk through lunatics with him,” said George, 46. “I don’t what happened. Someone from out of town BY BRIAN STELTER a couple of paragraphs in a story about Sept. want this to represent my neighborhood.” suggested using the National Guard to stop NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, NEW YORK 11 commemorations,” Kathleen Carroll, the Jones has become a reviled figure Jones from setting the holy texts ablaze. A renegade pastor and his tiny flock set fire executive editor of the Associated Press, said around the world. But the people of this “The amount of e-mail that we’ve gotten to a Koran on a street corner, and made sure Thursday. “It’s beyond that now.” youthful city in central Florida are taking is just massive,” Lowe said in an interview. to capture it on film. And they were ignored. In some ways, this week’s events were his actions personally, with anger and “It’s almost one a second.” That stunt took place in 2008, involving heartbreak, as one of their neighbors drags The challenge for many seems to be the culmination of a year’s worth of hateful their hometown into nearly nonstop news managing their anger, and figuring out how members of the Westboro Baptist Church statements and stunts by Jones and the few coverage and infamy. to keep Jones in perspective. Some are from Topeka, Kansas, an almost universally dozen members of his church. Gainesville, after all, is a university town looking to direct confrontation; Jose Soto, condemned group of fundamentalists who Jones started to make noise in that until a few months ago was best known a leader with Students for a Democratic also protest at military funerals. Gainesville in the summer of last year, when for producing college football champions, Society at the University of Florida, But plans for a similar stunt by another he posted a sign outside his church that Gatorade and rockers like Tom Petty. stood across the street from Dove on fringe pastor, Terry Jones, have garnered Would-be book burner Terry Jones. PHOTO: AFP read “Islam is of the devil.” The Gainesville Educated and progressive, with a gay Friday afternoon with a group of students worldwide news media attention this Sun (which is owned by the New York Times mayor and a City Commission made up shouting, “Hey ho, hey ho, Dove Outreach summer, attention that peaked Thursday Company) wrote about the sign, under the entirely of Democrats, Gainesville is a has got to go.” when he announced he was canceling news cycle to promote his anti-Islam cause. headline “Anti-Islam church sign stirs up sprawling metropolis of 115,000 people He said that even after this weekend, — and later, that he had only “suspended” He said he consented to more than 150 community outrage.” where smoothie shops seem to outnumber his group was thinking of following Dove’s interview requests in July and last month, gun shops. leaders when they wore their “Islam is of the — what he had dubbed International Burn News executives said the proposed each time expressing his extremist views Fanatics can come from anywhere, devil” T-shirts and surrounding them with a Koran Day. It had been scheduled for burning took on a greater significance after Gainesvillians will tell you, but why did this signs that identified them as hate-mongers. yesterday, the ninth anniversary of the about Islam and Shariah law. the protests in Afghanistan and in other one have to come from here? “Ignoring them hasn’t worked,” he said. Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Jones’ plan, which he announced in Muslim countries. In Kabul last Sunday, up “He doesn’t represent the community,” “They just escalate.” Jones’ planned event in Gainesville, Florida July, slowly gained attention last month, to 500 people attended a protest at which said Larry Wilcox, 78, reading the newspaper John Esposito, a scholar of religion and coincided with the controversy over the particularly overseas. It became a top story Jones was burned in effigy, according to the at a local Panera restaurant. “This guy is international affairs at Georgetown who has proposed building of a Muslim community in the US after protests against Jones in Associated Press. obviously a publicity hound and a weirdo.” acted as a consultant to the State Depart- center in Lower Manhattan near ground zero Afghanistan and after the commander of The episode has given rise to at least a On Friday, Jones once again turned the ment, offered a different option. Politicians, and a simmering summerlong debate about American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, little soul-searching within news organizations. lawn at Dove into a spectacle, featuring the news media, all of Gainesville, he said, the freedoms of speech and religion. General David H. Petraeus, warned that the Chris Cuomo, an ABC News anchor, wrote dozens of photographers and newly arrived should stop pleading or arguing against the Jones was able to put himself at the Koran burning could endanger troops. supporters, including a former Marine in full Koran burning and shift their energy toward on Twitter Thursday afternoon, “I am in the “Before there were riots and heads of camouflage holding an American flag and all that Jones is not. center of those issues by using the news lull media, but think media gave life to this Florida demanding an apology from Muslims for the “What we have to start doing is delivering of summer and the demands of a 24-hour states talking about him, it could have been burning ..

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