KORAN BURNING in FL on again, Jones claims he was lied toThe anti-Muslim leader of a tiny Florida church says he was lied to and is rethinking his decision to cancel burning Qurans to mark 9/11. Pastor Terry Jones earlier Thursday had backed off his threat to burn the Quran after he said he was promised that a planned Islamic center and mosque would be moved away from New York's ground zero. Muslim leaders denied there was such a deal. Later outside his church he said that the imam he thought he made the deal with "clearly, clearly lied to us" about moving the mosque.Related * Obama implores minister to call off Quran burning * Quran burning condemned, but Springfield minister to burn copy, too * Muslim leader, pastor meet ahead of burning Jones and Imam Muhammad Musri stood side by side in a news conference where the pastor said he would cancel Saturday's event. Musri later told The Associated Press there was only an agreement for him and Jones to travel to New York and meet Saturday with the imam overseeing plans to build a mosque near ground zero. "As of this time, we have no intention of canceling," Jones said. "We are not convinced that backing down is the right thing." Jones, who took no questions, later released a statement to the Orlando Sentinel about his meeting with Musri. "Our meeting with the imam was pleasant," the statement read. "He was very respectful towards us. He was in agreement with us that it is necessary that both Muslims and Christians condemn acts of terrorism by radical Islam." Denise Gridley, 55, said she bicycled 10 miles to the church carrying a sign that read "America is a defensive not an offensive country," hoping for a face-to-face sit-down with Jones, whose visitors were screened by an assistant pastor. "I don't want to insult him," Gridley said, invoking the Bible: "I just want to remind him that 'blessed are the peacemakers.' " She was not granted an audience. Known for his fiery anti-Islam diatribes, Terry Jones of the 50-member Dove World Center Outreach told The Associated Press that he was praying over his decision, though other church members said they believed the burning would be destroying evil. "What we're trying to do is get people to wake up to what Islam is," said Fran Ingram, a member of Dove World Center Outreach who posted "Ten Reasons to Burn a Koran" on a church-sponsored blog. "We're acting in obedience to God." Ingram added: "As far as we know, we're going for it." Burn permit denied Since Jones first announced his plan to mark the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks by burning the Quran, he has received more than 200 copies of the book and intends to set them ablaze on church grounds, though he lacks a city permit to do so. The church's application for a permit was rejected because it failed to meet guidelines for an open-air burning, said Gainesville spokesman Robert Woods. He said the city will weigh options if the fire is lit. First offenders of the city ordinance usually receive a warning. Musri described Jones as both attentive and considerate during the meeting. He said he found common ground with Jones in condemnation of terrorists, including those who committed "that atrocity on our nation" on Sept. 11, 2001. But Musri said he also expressed his concern about the effect of desecrating a text that is sacred to billions of people. Thursday's announcements by Jones doesn't change Springfield, Tenn., evangelist Bob Old's plan to burn a Quran at his home Saturday and put a video of the event on YouTube and other sites. "That shows how strong his convictions are," Old said. "My event is about establishing who is God and who is not God. I will be burning a Quran, I'm not going to change my mind no matter who calls me." Old, an ordained Baptist minister who runs a ministry called Disciples of Christ -- but does not pastor a church -- compared himself to the Old Testament account of Moses burning a golden calf after finding the Israelites worshipping it. Other conservative Christians, including Middle Tennessee pastors, sharply condemned the Florida pastor's plans to burn the Quran. Jones' plans to burn Islam's holiest text Saturday sparked an international outcry. President Barack Obama, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan and several Christian leaders had urged Jones to reconsider his plans. They said his actions would endanger U.S. soldiers and provide a strong recruitment tool for Islamic extremists. Jones' protest also drew criticism from religious and political leaders from across the Muslim world.
  
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