They will read the names, of course, the names of every
victim who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. The bells will ring. And then that
moment of unity will give way to division as activists hoist signs and march,
some for and some against a planned mosque two blocks from ground zero.
This 9/11 is more political and contentious than the eight
before it, with grieving family members on opposite sides of the mosque battle.
The debate became so heated that President Barack Obama felt the need to remind
Americans: "We are not at war against Islam."
Still, there were signs Friday that religious tensions were
abating, and that hushed tones would replace the harsh rhetoric that threatened
to overshadow the commemoration of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly
3,000 people in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The son of an anti-Muslim pastor in Florida confirmed that
his father would not - at least for now - burn copies of the Quran, a plan that
inflamed much of the Muslim world and drew a stern rebuke from Obama.
Activists in New York insisted their intentions were peaceful.
"It's a rally of remembrance for tens of thousands who
lost loved ones that day," said Pamela Geller, a conservative blogger and
host of the anti-mosque demonstration. "It's not a political event, it's a
human rights event."
The site of the proposed mosque and Islamic center is
already used for services, but it was padlocked Friday, closed until Sunday.
Police guarded the block, and worshippers were redirected to a different prayer
room 10 blocks away.
Some supporters planned a vigil near the proposed Islamic
center's site Friday evening instead of Saturday, saying they wanted to avoid
entangling the mosque controversy and the Sept. 11 observance.
Organizers "believe that tomorrow is a day for mourning
and remembrance," said Jennifer Carnig, a spokeswoman for the New York
Civil Liberties Union, one of the vigil's sponsors.
For Terry Jones, pastor of a 50-member Pentecostal church in
Florida, it was to be a day to burn the Quran. He backed off that threat after
drawing angry protests across the Muslim world, a call from the secretary of
defense and impassioned pleas to call it off from religious and political
leaders and his own daughter.
"There will be no Quran burning tomorrow," Jones'
29-year old son, Luke Jones, told reporters outside his father's Gainesville
church Friday. He added that he could not predict what might happen in the
future.
Terry Jones had previously said he would cancel his plan if
the leader of the planned New York Islamic center, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf,
would agree to move the project to another location.
Jones claimed Thursday that an imam in Florida had told him
the mosque would be moved. That imam later said Jones was mistaken, that he had
only arranged a meeting with Rauf in New York on Saturday.
Rauf, however, said that wasn't true, either, that he had no
plans to meet with Jones, although he added in a statement Friday that he is
open to seeing anyone "seriously committed to pursuing peace."
The carefully worded text seemed to leave open the
possibility of a meeting, but only if Jones proved himself to be a serious
peacemaker. With that caveat, it would seem unlikely that the imam would meet
with a man whose threat to desecrate the Muslim holy book stirred anger and
protest and even some bloodshed in the Islamic world.
In Afghanistan, 11 people were injured Friday in scattered
protests of Jones' plan. Only a few thousand people attended those rallies and
no large-scale demonstrations were reported elsewhere. In Indonesia, the
world's most populous Muslim country, cleric Rusli Hasbi told 1,000 worshippers
at Friday prayers that whether or not Jones burns the Quran, he has already
"hurt the heart of the Muslim world."
As on other 9/11 anniversaries, official ceremonies were planned
at the three locations where the terrorists struck. Obama will be at the
Pentagon, Vice President Joe Biden will go to New York, and first lady Michelle
Obama and former first lady Laura Bush will travel to Shanksville.
Obama told a White House news conference that Sept. 11 would
be "an excellent time" for the country to reflect on the fact that
there are millions of Muslims who are American citizens, that they also are
fighting in U.S. uniforms in Afghanistan, and "we don't differentiate
between 'them' and 'us.' It's just 'us."'
Biden will attend the largest commemoration, at a park near
ground zero, where 2,752 people were killed when Muslim extremists flew planes
into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Houses of worship in the city
will toll bells at 8:46 a.m., when the first plane struck the north tower, and
three more times to mark the moment the second plane hit the south tower and to
observe the times each tower fell.
Activists are organizing a pair of rallies - one against the
planned Islamic center, one supporting it - to follow the official ceremony.
Sally Regenhard, who lost her firefighter son, Christian
Regenhard, planned to attend the morning ceremony and the anti-mosque protest.
"The purpose is to speak out and express our feelings
that this mosque, the location of it, is a grievous offense to the sensitivity
of 9/11 families," Regenhard said. "There's nothing political about
people who want to speak out against something they think is so wrong, so
hurtful and so devastating."
But Donna Marsh O'Connor, whose pregnant daughter, Vanessa,
was killed in the attacks, supports the mosque. She said she strongly opposes
the anti-mosque rally and the political motivations behind it.
"It's more of the same hate-mongering and
fear-mongering that's been going on for years," O'Connor said.
"People have a right to free speech. But if they're talking about
sensitivities to 9/11 families, why are they rallying and doing events on a day
we should spend thinking about those we lost?"
John Bolton, who was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
under President George W. Bush, was expected to send a videotaped message of
support to the anti-mosque rally, as was conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.
Anti-Islam Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who advocates banning the Quran and
taxing Muslim women who wear head scarves, plans to address the crowd in
person, as do a handful of Republican congressional candidates who have made
opposition to the mosque a centerpiece of their campaigns.
Also Saturday, former Republican vice presidential candidate
Sarah Palin was expected to observe the anniversary in Alaska with Fox News TV
host Glenn Beck.
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan spoke out Friday against
Saturday's planned New York protests, saying Sept. 11 "has become a holy
day in our community and our nation."
"We must never allow Sept. 11th to become a time for
protest and division," he added. "Instead, this day must remain a
time for promoting peace and mutual respect."
---
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers
Tom Hays, Verena Dobnik, David Caruso and Colleen Long in New York, Ayi
Jufridar in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia; Robert Reid in Kabul; Darlene Superville,
Anne Flaherty and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington; and AP Legal Affairs Writer
Curt Anderson in Miami.
