Jury finds Jones a threat to peace

Interfaith community stands in solidarity with Muslims

Jones released on $1 bond, barred from mosque for 3 years

DEARBORN — Highly controversial Gainesville, Florida Pastor
Terry Jones’ announcement last month of plans to visit the city to protest in
front of the Islamic Center of America against what he termed to be the threat
of “shari’a law” and “radical Islam” set in motion a long
series of meetings between community and interfaith leaders regarding how best
to respond to the complex situation.

Among the religious leaders in support were Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit (C in pink hat and black robe). Vigneron joined ICA Imam Hassan al-Qazwini (to his right) and various other leaders.

After early sentiment that it would be best to ignore the
extremist pastor’s message of hate and divisiveness against a community that
has been seen as a model of religious diversity, other factors entered the
discussion, including the concern that Jones’ protest could be highly
disruptive to Good Friday services at the four churches that line Altar Road
near the ICA, where Jones planned to protest on a grassy area across from the
center.

Eventually, the leaders agreed that interfaith solidarity
vigils should be held at the ICA on Thursday, April 21 along with a press
conference on Friday,  April
22,  the day of the protest, along
with another unity rally from the interfaith community at the Henry Ford
Centennial Library on Michigan Avenue in order to keep the area near Jones’
protest as free of interference as possible for those engaged in religious
services.

But on Thursday, April 21, the story took a surprise twist
as Jones was ordered to stand trial at the 19th District Courthouse in Dearborn
by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who wanted Jones to post a “peace
bond” because she feared the protest would be a violation of Constitutional
statute 752.542 termed “Inciting to riot,” a threat to public safety. Jones
was not given a permit to demonstrate.

The exhausting trial began on the afternoon of Thursday,
April 21 and came to a close on Friday evening after a six-person jury found
that Terry Jones and his assistant Wayne Sapp were likely to “breach the
peace” by holding their protest. They agreed to pay a $1 “peace”
bond after first refusing to do so, freeing them after an hour in Wayne County
Jail.  The pair was expected to
catch a flight home on Saturday morning.

The complaint against Jones was originally filed by Worthy
to hold him accountable for increased security costs  during his planned protest. Jones supervised the burning of
a copy of the Qur’an carried out by Sapp a month ago, which set off deadly
protests in Afghanistan. He had threatened to burn a copy of the holy book on
the anniversary of 9/11 last year but backed down.

Jones was countered with an outpouring of peaceful interfaith opposition during his visit to Dearborn.

After the six-person jury decided that Jones’ protest would
indeed be likely to “breach the peace,”  prosecutors asked Judge Mark Somers to set the bond at
$45,000 to cover security costs, but Somers posted the bond at $1 for Jones and
Sapp. They originally declined and were taken to jail because of concerns that
they might try to protest on their own in defiance of the court as insisted.  An hour later, the two decided to post
the bond, which carries with it the requirement that they won’t be able to
return to the area around the Islamic Center for three years.

Somers ruled Thursday that Dearborn did not violate the free
speech rights of Jones by denying him a permit to protest outside of the
mosque; Jones rejected four alternate sites listed in a Dearborn ordinance.

“Why the Islamic Center, why not the (permit-free)
zones which are of course ridiculous? Why not the courthouse? Because we’re not
protesting American law. We’re protesting an Islamic problem. We’re protesting
a radical element of Islam…,” Jones said in court Friday.

The ACLU also filed a court brief stating that the
government couldn’t interfere in a person’s First Amendment rights simply
because it didn’t agree with the message of the person or because someone else
didn’t agree with the message.

 Officials said
the issue wasn’t free speech, but public safety, however.  A prosecutor told the court that Jones’
past actions, including the accidental discharging of a firearm outside of the
Fox 2 News studio in Southfield on Thursday night following a taping of the
roundtable discussion program “Let It Rip,” were evidence that peace
was threatened. Sapp told TAAN that he and Jones planned to be armed during the
protest.

At the unity rally on April 22 at the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano speaks (above). Also from L-R are ADC-MI Regional Director Imad Hamad, TAAN Publisher Osama Siblani, and U.S. Congressman John Dingell.

Dearborn Mayor
Jack O’Reilly said that his main concern was the situation on the ground and
major logistic concerns leading to safety risks. Traffic surrounding four
neighboring churches that would be conducting Good Friday services and the
mosque, which held Friday prayers, were major issues. At a press conference
Friday Mayor O’Reilly said the churches asked whether they should cancel
services due to Jones’ planned protest; O’Reilly insisted that they should
continue with plans.

 According to
reports over 400 threats had been made against the planned protest as well.
Jones attended court both days wearing a nearly-identical outfit — a faded
leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans. He said during the proceedings that he would
return next week if the trial kept him past his slated 5 p.m. Friday protest
time. 

“They gave many reasons why we should not be allowed to
assemble. In our opinion our First Amendment rights are being trampled upon.
Which of course is not the first time in our world,” Jones added.

Outside the courtroom, protesters against Jones of various
backgrounds gathered including many American Muslims from the city.

“We’re under American rules. We respect this
country.  We respect other
religions. Islam loves peace. Loves forgiveness. Loves our neighbors,”
Rabih Elkadri, 41, of Dearborn said.

Unity rally, press conference held

Friday in response

Meanwhile, as Jones’ court case continued down the street,
hundreds of people from a wide variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds
gathered in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library, one of the two
“permit-free zones.”  A
steady procession continued despite dreary skies, cold temperatures and rain.

Speakers included U.S. Congressman John Dingell
(D-Dearborn), NAACP Detroit President and Reverend Wendell Anthony, Reverend Ed
Rowe of the Central United Methodist Church in Detroit, Hype Athletics Founder
Ali Sayed, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and more.

“We are here in solidarity today, ” said Anthony,
noting that Jones doesn’t even have any followers at his church as he said
during court proceedings. “If you’re going to criticize  a book (the Qur’an), at least read the
book you’ve talked about.”

A group of interdenominational religious leaders and their supporters gather outside the Islamic Center of America mosque to rally for peace in Dearborn on April 21, 2011. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

Ficano said that the community is not stifling Jones’
speech. He said that Jones was jeopardizing security and the rights of other
people and that he should be stopped: “We don’t want to allow people to
come and threaten our communities,” he said.

Osama Siblani, who helped organize the rally and is the
publisher of The Arab American News, noted that most in the crowd did not want
to see Jones put on trial and did not see a significant threat of violence
against him, including a large portion of American Muslims.

“We chose to move our rally from the ICA to the library
because we want to yield to the four churches who are having Good Friday
services,” Siblani said. “We will protect (Jones’) rights to free
speech with our blood and sweat even though we vehemently disagree with his
message.”

Dingell said Dearborn stands united as one community and
that it doesn’t need people who are going to cause division, telling Jones to
“get out of here.”

Earlier in the day, Christian and Muslim religious leaders
gathered at the Islamic Center of America for a press conference.

“I can not even refer to him as Pastor Jones or
Reverend Jones, because Jesus says by this that we love one another. I believe
that he is not exhibiting love, and that he isn’t exhibiting true Christian
principles. And I think that the world needs to know that he does not represent
Christianity,” Detroit Pastor Rev. Kenneth Flowers said.

Imam Hassan Qazwini of the ICA said he met with Jones while
they were both guests on the Fox 2 talk show the night before. Qazwini says he
invited Jones to the ICA, not to protest but to conduct peaceful dialogue.
Jones rejected the offer.

Jones admitted he’s never read the majority of the Qur’an on
the show. “And how could somebody have actually put a trial on a book he
didn’t read. How could anybody say they’re going to condemn by trial a book
they never read. We know what that is,” O’Reilly said.

Qazwini said Jones mentioned concern over a connection
between stoning and shari’a law. He says stoning isn’t mentioned in the Qur’an,
and if he’s referring to stoning under extremist Taliban rule, that doesn’t
represent Islam. Jones also admitted on the Fox 2 show that he had
“limited knowledge” of what shari’a means.

Several religious leaders thanked Jones for visiting, saying
his actions highlighted the unity that exists between religious leaders in
Detroit.

Jones also compared himself to legendary civil rights leader
Martin Luther King, Jr. “For him to compare himself to Dr. King is truly
something that he needs to repent of, and he needs to do so very quickly,”
Pastor Flowers said. He added that King held demonstrations against segregation
and racism, the opposite of what Jones is doing.

To many, Jones is seen as another part of a wave of
Islamophobia sweeping the country.

“I don’t see him as ignorant,” said Imad
Hamad,  regional director of the
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, at the press conference. “It
may be perceived as such. It may be projected as such. I see him as a very
organized person. A person who is serving his cause very well.  He comes from a certain school of thought,
serving a certain political agenda, an ideological belief. And he is not up to
engaging, or hearing the other, or learning from the other,” he added.

Nearly 1,000 interfaith leaders, community members join
hands at ICA

The day before Jones’ planned protest, on Thursday, April
21, nearly 1,000 people formed a semi-circle around the front of the ICA in
peaceful silence as a news helicopter circled overhead and dozens of media
members snapped photos.

The group had filed outside after an interfaith prayer vigil
inside the ICA that saw people of virtually all different races, ethnicities,
and religions stand together, joining hands in the spirit of religious harmony
and tolerance against those preaching hate and division.

Reverend Charles Williams II of King Solomon Baptist Church
in Detroit was among those who spoke, telling the crowd about the great service
the ICA and its leaders have done for the local community. He condemned Jones’
divisive tactics as well but also actually thanked him for uniting so many
people from different walks of life.

Father George Shalhoub of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in
Livonia spoke of unity as well.

“We are gathered here in solidarity in the image of God
to affirm unity against the divisive forces that create havoc against us both
home and abroad,” he said. “Any fundamentalism that undermines the
greatest peaceful aspirations of humanity is against us all.”

Rehab Amer of Dearborn was among those who attended the
vigil. Three of her children were taken by the state and raised by Christian
foster parents that she says were strongly prejudiced against Muslims after she
was falsely accused of killing her son, but Amer said she holds no ill will
against Christians or other religions and was proud to stand alongside her brothers
and sisters in support of tolerance and harmony.

“As Muslims we don’t discriminate against any other
religion, it’s against our religion to discriminate,” she said.
“Christianity, Judaism and Muslims are like a garden of flowers, they are
different flowers and colors but they all are beautiful, that’s what religion
is to us,” she said, thanking those who attended. 

After the end of the semi-circle’s formation, local leaders
including Imam Hassan al-Qazwini of the ICA called on protesters to avoid Jones
or to take protests to the area near Henry Ford Centennial Library on Michigan
Avenue in Dearborn.  Hamad
echoed his thoughts.

“Jones is Jones. He’s nobody but a single man who is a
loner, frustrated, desperate for attention and looking for fame in this
unfortunate climax of an increase in anti-American, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab
sentiment,” he said.

“To me, today’s vigil is America at its best, when you
see people of all religions, Christians, Muslims, Jews, all races and all
colors coming here under one roof to simply embrace nothing but the common
humanity and the message of love for all. That speaks for itself.”