Category Archives: USA

Jones’ anti-Islam rally reset for Dearborn city hall

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Rev. Terry Jones, controversial Florida pastor whose church burned a Qur’an last month, has rescheduled a protest for 5 p.m. Friday in front of Dearborn City Hall, this time protesting “the denial of our First Amendment rights.”

A protest against “radical Islam, Sharia, and jihad” had been scheduled for last Friday outside the largest mosque in North America, but was postponed after Pastor Jones spent most of the day and part of the evening in Michigan’s 19th District Court. The city had denied him a permit to speak outside the Islamic Center of America and a jury on Friday evening determined that Mr. Jones was “likely to breach the peace.”

Judge Mark Somers then set bond of $1 each for Mr. Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Center, and his associate, the Rev. Wayne Sapp, and barred them from going near the Islamic Center. The two ministers were jailed after telling Judge Somers they would not post the $1 bond, but were released several hours later after posting bond.

Dearborn’s City Hall is one of the city’s four “free speech zones” where anyone can speak or protest without requiring a permit.

Toledo Blade, 26 April 2011

See also “Terry Jones says he’ll sue over his arrest”, Detroit News, 25 April 2011

Transport authority files appeal in fight against ‘Leaving Islam?’ ad for Detroit buses

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SIOA ad

Florida Pastor Terry Jones isn’t the only controversial character fighting for the First Amendment right to bring a controversial anti-Islam message to Metro Detroit.

New York activists Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer last month won a temporary injunction against the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, which initially denied their application for bus ads that seemed to characterized Islam as a violent religion and encouraged Muslims to leave the faith.

The ruling effectively required SMART to run the ads on buses it operates in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties, but Crain’s Detroit reports SMART filed an appeal Monday in an attempt to overturn the injunction.

MLive.com, 26 April 2011

Geller is not happy. She sees the legal challenge as evidence that SMART “seeks to impose Sharia laws on Dearborn buses”.

Terry Jones jailed

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A controversial Florida pastor was jailed on Friday after a Michigan court determined that his planned demonstration outside a mosque was likely to provoke violence and he refused to pay a $1 bond.

Terry Jones, 59, was sent to the county jail in Detroit after he declined to meet the terms of a ruling by District Judge Mark Somers in an apparent protest.

Somers had ordered Jones and a supporter, Wayne Sapp, to each pay $1 under the terms of an order that would have also barred them from the Islamic Center of America mosque and nearby public property for three years.

A six-person jury heard over five hours of testimony and argument before concluding that the planned protest by Jones was “likely to breech the peace.”

Jones, who represented himself and wore a faded leather jacket and jeans, sat stone-faced and said little after the jury read out its verdict. When Somers asked if he was prepared to meet the terms of the $1 bond, Jones said, “No.”

“I strongly voice my disagreement with the ruling,” said Sapp, 42, when asked by Somers if he had any comment on the ruling. “The peace bond is to prohibit free speech.” Sapp was also ordered to jail.

Jones had asked for a permit to protest outside the Islamic Center of America on Good Friday, a time when both the mosque and four nearby churches were expected to be crowded with worshipers.

Dearborn police had denied Jones’s request and asked him to protest instead in a “free speech zone” in front of one of the city buildings. But Jones, who represented himself in court on Friday, argued that violated his free speech rights.

Reuters, 22 April 2011

Terry Jones says he will defy judge’s order and protest at Islamic Center of America next week

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A defiant Terry Jones says he plans to protest next week at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn despite a judge’s order that he stay from the mosque for three years. The Quran-burning pastor from Florida said his rights were violated Friday by a judge due to the influence of Islamic law.

“We plan to protest next week in front of the Islamic Center,” Pastor Terry Jones said today. “The arrests, the whole proceedings, were a definite violation of our Constitutional rights. As a matter of fact, we were arrested and had not even committed a crime. It is a complete violation of our First Amendment right of freedom of speech. It was clearly influenced by the mosque.”

Jones had wanted to protest Friday against jihad and sharia outside the Islamic Center on Friday, but was thwarted by authorities. The center is the largest mosque in metro Detroit, a region with a sizable Muslim population.

On Friday, Judge Mark Somers ordered that Jones and Pastor Wayne Sapp be remanded to jail after a jury determined they would be likely to breach the peace. In his decision Judge Somers set a $1 cash bond for Jones and Sapp, and also said Jones and Sapp could not go to the mosque or adjacent property for three years. The only exception would be if the leadership of the mosque, such as its board, decided it would be ok for him to visit, Somers said.

Jones said that was an example of the influence of sharia, or Islamic law, in Dearborn. “Sharia is much closer than we thought,” Jones said. “The judge even made a statement, that if the mosque elders and leadership would have desired the restraints placed on us of not going near the mosque be lifted, then he would have taken that into consideration. Thus proving that this whole thing is a direct violation of freedom of speech and that they are favoring the religion of Islam.”

Detroit Free Press, 23 April 2011

See also “Jones’ Jesus stunt and his inadvertent supporters”, Weblog of Dawud Walid, 23 April 2011

Detroit’s religious leaders unite against Terry Jones as pastor battles to hold anti-Muslim rally

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dearborn demonstration

With some of metro Detroit’s biggest political and religious leaders united behind Muslims in Dearborn, Florida Pastor Terry Jones is expected to appear in court this morning for a jury trial that could determine whether he can hold a rally at the largest mosque in the city.

This “bigot does not represent” us, Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, head of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, declared to a crowd of about 700 on Thursday at a rally that drew U.S. Rep. John Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat, and the local heads of the Catholic and Episcopal churches.

Al-Qazwini’s mosque is where Jones wants to rally today against what he calls “the radical element in Islam.” Jones appeared in court Thursday and refused to post a bond for the massive security effort Dearborn says it would have to deploy if Jones were allowed to rally. The judge then ordered the trial.

As Jones addressed reporters during a chaotic day, Dearborn residents shouted at him. “Shame on you!” yelled Leyla Abdul-Ghani, 40, who is Muslim. “We are decent, hardworking people.”

Detroit Free Press, 22 April 2011

See also “Koran-burning pastor’s gun discharges outside of Detroit TV station”, Fox News, 22 April 2011

For Pamela Geller’s take on the situation, see “Sharia trumps Constitution in Michigan: Terry Jones denied permit to rally, could face arrest”, Atlas Shrugs, 21 April 2011

Tennessee: Republican politician defends right to ‘confront a political-militaristic-religion responsible for 10 out of the last 11 terrorist attacks on Americans’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Rick WomickDebate surrounding proposed state legislation that critics say unfairly targets Islam continues to spill beyond the halls of the state Capitol. In a fiery email response to a local Jewish man, state Rep. Rick Womick defended his confrontation with a Columbia Muslim after a House committee hearing this week.

Womick, a Rockvale Republican who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote an email Wednesday to Aaron Nuell of Murfreesboro stating that he sat “respectfully and politely” and listened to four people, including Daoud Abudiab of Columbia, accuse him and fellow legislators of denying them their constitutional rights, inflaming intolerance, making false accusations and being hate-mongers, racists and white supremacists such as the KKK.

“And you write me to scold me because I dare speak up and defend my character and confront a political-militaristic-religion responsible for 10 out of the last 11 terrorist attacks on Americans?” Womick wrote.

Continue reading →

Springfield: community backs Islamic Center against threats

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Vandalism and threats aimed at a local Muslim community have inspired others in Springfield to stand with the Muslims and in opposition to bigotry. Representatives of faith groups, human rights advocates and city government will join members of the Islamic Center of Springfield on Saturday afternoon to speak against recent incidents at the center and for religious freedom.

Carl Haworth with the Interfaith Alliance, which organized the event, said “everyone who supports religious freedom” is invited to join. “We want to show that we feel everyone has the right to be here as long as they want to contribute to the Springfield community and make this their home,” said Haworth.

City Councilman Bob Stephens said representatives from the city will be on hand. “Because those acts of vandalism were so despicable, we felt there definitely needs to be some representation from the city,” he said. “Springfield is not like this.”

George Davis, president of the city’s Human Rights Commission, said Saturday’s event will “show unity in diversity”. “Our community has people of many faiths and cultures,” he said. “We want to make it clear bigotry will not be tolerated through displays of actions.”

Francine Pratt, president of the local chapter of the NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – said the civil rights organization will also be represented. “We want to show them that we love them and embrace them,” she said. “We have to stick up for what’s right.”

Members of the Islamic Center will be on hand to greet the community visitors.

“The wide range of response from the community at all levels … is very profound,” said Wafaa Kaf with the center and a member of the Interfaith Alliance. “All, from the ground up and from top down, agreed upon a call to action in response to hate crimes, burning the holy Quran, and the threatening letter against Islam and Muslim community of Springfield.

“The crowd wants to show that they, ‘average citizens,’ are united, and that such hatred actions against Islam are not welcome in our community, which promotes mutual respect and trust between interfaith groups. Every one of us is adding a hand toward shaping a better community.”

News-Leader, 22 April 2011

CAIR: Georgia mosque targeted by hate vandalism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate two apparently bias-motivated attacks on a Georgia mosque as hate crimes.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says vandals twice this month shattered doors and windows of the Islamic Center of Cartersville with rocks, one of which was reportedly painted with “Muslim murderers”. Local police are investigating the incidents and the FBI has been “asked to determine if the attacks fall under federal hate crime laws”.

“The hate message on a rock used to damage this mosque is a clear indication of a bias motive,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “State law enforcement authorities and the FBI should take whatever actions are necessary to protect the congregation’s right to worship without fear of attack.”

CAIR press release, 19 April 2011

Tennessee Muslims gather at state Capitol for hearing on anti-sharia bill

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hundreds of Muslims thronged the state Capitol Tuesday morning for a hearing on a bill that once targeted adherents to Islamic law.

Muslims from across the state packed a committee room and corridors to hear testimony a bill that supporters say would help Tennessee law enforcement stop terrorist plots but opponents believe targets Muslims by targeting their beliefs. The bill has since been amended to remove any references to Islam and Shariah, the basic set of Muslim religious laws that covers everything from the rules of warfare to inheritance.

But opponents said in brief testimony that the bill is inherently flawed because it was written by an Arizona organization that has been described as a hate group. They urged the House Judiciary Committee and the measure’s sponsors, House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, and state Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, to withdraw the bill.

“If a bill was written by the KKK, would you consider it even if it was amended?” said Sabina Mohyuddin, a youth coordinator at a Nashville mosque, who testified. “The intent of the bill remains the same.”

The Tennessean, 19 April 2011