March 22, 2011
Koran burned after Fla. church "trial"

Pastor Terry Jones presides as judge over mock execution of Islamic holy book after jury finds it guilty of crimes against humanity

(CBS News)  Terry Jones, the Gainesville, Fla., pastor who ignited rage across the world with his scuttled plans to burn a Koran on September 11, has overseen the burning of a Muslim holy book, after a mock trial found the Koran guilty of crimes against humanity.


The torching of the book was part of an event Jones called International Judge the Koran Day, which was streamed live online and promoted on Facebook.


Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, himself presided over the trial Sunday as "judge," hearing evidence and testimony against the Koran.


Jones, speaking from a judge's bench, said that like in an American court, if one is found guilty, there are consequences.


"If you are found guilty," he said, "if you are convicted of murder, you don't get to go home. It does not matter if we love you, if your mommy loves you, if your daddy loves you - you do not get to go home, because you have killed someone.


"And because of that you will face punishment. You will go to jail, you will possibly someday be electrocuted, or you will be shot up with poison and you will die," he said. "That is what justice is."


And to anyone watching who may disagree with the verdict, Jones said, "All you have to do is put together your own trial."


The "jury" considered the charges of crimes against humanity; of promoting terrorist acts; of death, violation and torture of people worldwide "whose only crime was not being of the Islamic faith"; and of crimes against women, minorities and Christians, and with promoting prejudice and racism.


The trial featured as prosecutor a Christian convert from Islam. An Imam from Dallas, Texas, served as the book's defense attorney.


After several minutes of deliberation, the jury handed its verdict to Jones: Guilty on all counts.


An online poll had helped decide the punishment following a guilty verdict. (The choices: Burning, shredding, drowning, or firing squad.)


The kerosene-soaked book was placed in a metal tray and ignited with a barbecue lighter by pastor Wayne Sapp.

About 30 people attended the trial and execution. One supporter of Jones, Jadwiga Schatz, told Agence France-Presse that she was concerned about the growth of Islam in Europe.

"These people, for me, are like monsters," she said. "I hate these people."


The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, issued a statement condemning the burning, and rejected religious intolerance in any form.


"The deliberate destruction of any holy book is an abhorrent act," Ambassador Cameron Munter said. "The U.S. commitment to freedom of religion and freedom of expression goes back to the founding of our nation and is enshrined in the Constitution."


"This is an isolated act done by a small group of people that is contrary to American traditions," the embassy said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/22/national/main20045858.shtml

Quran-burning preacher headed to Dearborn

7:21 PM, Mar. 23, 2011

Terry Jones, the Christian pastor from Florida who drew international attention last year for threatening to burn the Quran on Sept. 11, says he's coming to Dearborn on April 22 to protest against Islamic law outside the Islamic Center of America, a mosque in Dearborn.

Jones backed down from burning the Quran on Sept. 11 after many urged him not to, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who spoke with him over the phone.
But on Sunday, Jones led a Quran burning after he set up a mock trial of the Quran, Islam's holy book.

Jones said today that he's not against Muslims, but wants them to "honor, obey, and submit to the Constitution of the United States." He said he's worried about sharia, or Islamic law, coming to the United States.

Dearborn has the highest concentration of Arab-Americans in the U.S. and is known for its established Muslim community. Muslims and other critics have said Jones is promoting hatred and that his fears about Muslims are unwarranted.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110323/NEWS02/110323053/1001/rss01

Pakistani president condemns Quran burning by U.S. national

10:08, March 23, 2011 

Pakistani president condemns Quran burning by U.S. national 10:08, March 23, 2011     

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday strongly condemned the burning of the Holy Quran by Wayne Sapp under the supervision of the infamous Terry Jones in Florida.

"I on behalf of the people, government and my behalf strongly condemn the deliberate desecration of the Holy Quran by a fanatic in Florida," Zardari told the parliament.

"We condemn this act in the strongest possible words. It is a serious setback to the efforts at promoting harmony among civilized communities throughout the world," he said.

He urged the Pakistani parliament to adopt a resolution, urging the UN to address the issue for the sake of harmony and peace in the world.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the leadership and the government of Pakistan strongly condemn the reported despicable act of the burning of the Holy Quran by Wayne Sapp in Florida.

Commenting on the report, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, stated that such a reprehensible act could only be the work of extremists and is evidently designed to provoke dissent and discord among communities and people across the world.

"There could be no justification for such acts. This has deeply hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and Muslims all over the world," she said.

She said Pakistan expects that the U.S. Administration and the American people as well as all civilized societies will take due cognizance and express their revulsion on this sacrilegious act.

"As a strong proponent of inter-faith harmony, Pakistan believes that in troubled times, civilized peoples and societies must resist and oppose any tendency towards 'extremism' of any kind," she said.

source:Xinhua

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7328383.html

Afghanistan, Iran condemn Quran burning in US

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday strongly condemned the burning of the Quran by a US evangelical preacher in a Florida church and called on the United States to bring those responsible for the incident to justice. "President Karzai on behalf of the Muslim people of Afghanistan and on his own behalf denounce the disrespectful and abhorrent act," a statement from his office said. Karzai called the incident an effort to incite tension between religions. American pastor Wayne Sapp burned a copy of the Quran on Sunday. Terry Jones, a US pastor that cancelled a plan to burn copies of the holy book last year to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was also present at the Florida church. Sapp, a member of the Dove World Outreach Center, claimed that the holy book had been found "guilty" of crimes in the course of an eight-month trial and was therefore "executed," Iran`s semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast also condemned the act, which he described as "blasphemous and repugnant". ??"Such radical acts are the result of Islamophobic moves in the US and those who have committed such crimes are contributing to US hegemonic plots, which seek to create a rift between divine religions," Mehman-Parast said, as cited by the news agency. ??"The US government, under the international norms and laws, is obliged to prevent the spread of religious hatred," he added.? The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan condemned the incident on Tuesday and said that it was an isolated act done by a small group of people. Ambassador Cameron P. Munter added that the United States absolutely rejects religious intolerance in any form.

http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/afghanistan-iran-condemn-quran-burning-in-us_118642.html

Did the Saudi Arabian govt conderm the act at all?Shame.

Qur'an 15 verse 9, Allah s.w.t. has promise for preserving and take care of his words the below verse is clearly evidance. Meanwhile the evils people that take charges of burning Qur'an on one way or the other Allah has made to them a punishment which you people don't have a knowledge to understand.

{ إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ }

(Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder) We sent Gabriel with the Qur'an, (and lo! We verily are its) the Qur'an's (Guardian) from satans such that they do not add or diminish from it anything nor change its judgements; it is also said that this means: We are Guardian of Muhammad (pbuh) from the disbelievers and satans.