April 5, 2011: Koran-Burning Pastor Says He Plans to Put Prophet Muhammad on ‘Trial’

Pastor Terry Jones, whose recent burning of a Koran (see March 20, 2011) sparked protests that have cost dozens of lives (see April 1, 2011 and April 1-5, 2011), announces that he now plans to conduct a “trial” of the Prophet Muhammad. Jones and his associate pastor Wayne Sapp conducted a “mock trial” of the Koran that led to their burning of the holy book. Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida who has attempted to work with Jones to prevent his Koran-burning (see September 9-10, 2010), says he was outraged by Jones’s burning of the Koran and calls him “a nut job.” Jones says he has no interest in causing further violence or in promoting his small Gainesville, Florida, church, saying: “We are actually not doing it because we desire to be killed, we are not doing it because we desire publicity. We really believe our message is that important, that the radical element of Islam is a danger to our society.” Muslims in and around Gainesville worry that Jones’s further actions may cause violent repercussions. [Orlando Sentinel, 4/5/2011; Huffington Post, 4/6/2011]