Controversial pastor still expected
DEARBORN — The group expected to protest here next week with Terry Jones, the Quran-burning pastor from Florida, has canceled their appearance.
After a two-hour roundtable with area interfaith leaders, leaders of the demonstration group announced today they would no longer take part in the event that they planned for Good Friday at Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.
“The protest has been canceled,” said Frank Fiorello, the group’s president “We decided to (have the meeting) instead of the protest. . . I never believed Dearborn was under Sharia law.”
Fiorello is a founder of Fraternal Order of the Dragon, a 15-member outfit that goes by the motto “knights of the constitution.” Fiorello said the protest was supposed to be in response to a “pro Sharia” rally in Washington D.C. publicized -- but eventually called off -- by Anjem Chaudary, an extremist Muslim cleric from Britain.
“With Chaudary protesting for Sharia in Washington we felt that our best impact would be to come to the largest mosque in North America to do our protest. That was the only idea behind it, nothing more,” Fiorello said.
Terry Jones, who wrote a book titled “Islam is of the Devil,” got involved as an uninvited guest when he picked up word of FTOD’s protest over the internet, Fiorello said.
“We were never really affiliated with Terry Jones,” he said. “He asked to come out in the beginning of March and we agreed not knowing who he was or anything he stood for really – like, ‘you want to protest with us, that’s fine.”
But when Fiorello started finding out more about Jones he started to distance himself and his group.
“I tried to tell them not (to) offend Christians or the Muslims on Good Friday, to bring their protest over to Dearborn City Hall,” he said. “They disagreed to do that and we separated ways.”
DEARBORN — The group expected to protest here next week with Terry Jones, the Quran-burning pastor from Florida, has canceled their appearance.
After a two-hour roundtable with area interfaith leaders, leaders of the demonstration group announced today they would no longer take part in the event that they planned for Good Friday at Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.
“The protest has been canceled,” said Frank Fiorello, the group’s president “We decided to (have the meeting) instead of the protest. . . I never believed Dearborn was under Sharia law.”
Fiorello is a founder of Fraternal Order of the Dragon, a 15-member outfit that goes by the motto “knights of the constitution.” Fiorello said the protest was supposed to be in response to a “pro Sharia” rally in Washington D.C. publicized -- but eventually called off -- by Anjem Chaudary, an extremist Muslim cleric from Britain.
“With Chaudary protesting for Sharia in Washington we felt that our best impact would be to come to the largest mosque in North America to do our protest. That was the only idea behind it, nothing more,” Fiorello said.
Terry Jones, who wrote a book titled “Islam is of the Devil,” got involved as an uninvited guest when he picked up word of FTOD’s protest over the internet, Fiorello said.
“We were never really affiliated with Terry Jones,” he said. “He asked to come out in the beginning of March and we agreed not knowing who he was or anything he stood for really – like, ‘you want to protest with us, that’s fine.”
But when Fiorello started finding out more about Jones he started to distance himself and his group.
“I tried to tell them not (to) offend Christians or the Muslims on Good Friday, to bring their protest over to Dearborn City Hall,” he said. “They disagreed to do that and we separated ways.”
The meeting with local clergy was designed to show that there is no Sharia practiced in Dearborn’s civic arena. Sharia is essentially an Islamic code of conduct that has differing interpretations among branches of the religion.
The idea that Sharia precepts are infiltrating Western institutions has become increasingly popular in recent years among social conservatives. The growth of the idea has, in turn, led to counter informational campaigns like the one today.
“It’s absurd,” said Michael W. Hovey, coordinator of interfaith relations for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. “There is no Sharia law in Dearborn or anywhere else in the United States. I mean it’s not a conversation to be had. It’s ridiculous.”
FOTD’s absence doesn’t mean the anti-Sharia protest won’t happen, however. Jones’ group has requested its own permit to protest between 5-8 p.m. Police Chief Ronald Haddad is reviewing it and said he would have a decision sometime next week.
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly said he would pre-fer Jones uses City Hall as the location due to concerns about accessibility at the Islamic Center, which is located next to several churches that will be offering Good Friday services.
“As a city policy we will not have churches cancel their Good Friday services because of what people outside our community choose to do,” O’Reilly said.
If it does go on as planned, it would be the second time Jones has showed up as an interloper to a protest about Sharia – and the second time when the actual organizer didn’t show. Jones and some followers went to Washington D.C. in March to demonstrate against the pro-Sharia rally that was canceled by Chaudary.
The idea that Sharia precepts are infiltrating Western institutions has become increasingly popular in recent years among social conservatives. The growth of the idea has, in turn, led to counter informational campaigns like the one today.
“It’s absurd,” said Michael W. Hovey, coordinator of interfaith relations for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. “There is no Sharia law in Dearborn or anywhere else in the United States. I mean it’s not a conversation to be had. It’s ridiculous.”
FOTD’s absence doesn’t mean the anti-Sharia protest won’t happen, however. Jones’ group has requested its own permit to protest between 5-8 p.m. Police Chief Ronald Haddad is reviewing it and said he would have a decision sometime next week.
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly said he would pre-fer Jones uses City Hall as the location due to concerns about accessibility at the Islamic Center, which is located next to several churches that will be offering Good Friday services.
“As a city policy we will not have churches cancel their Good Friday services because of what people outside our community choose to do,” O’Reilly said.
If it does go on as planned, it would be the second time Jones has showed up as an interloper to a protest about Sharia – and the second time when the actual organizer didn’t show. Jones and some followers went to Washington D.C. in March to demonstrate against the pro-Sharia rally that was canceled by Chaudary.
Maybe we should organize a koran burn in solidarity with Rev Terry Jones. Just a tasteful 500 korans..nothing pretentious..
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