Pastor Terry Jones, the infamous Pastor of Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida has arrived in Dearborn, Michigan. Mr. Jones' arrival comes guised as a "peaceful protest" outside of the Islamic Center of America. Jones has requested a permit to hold a demonstration in front of the Center on Friday, April 22nd, 2011 to bring awareness to what Jones calls a religion that promotes terrorism and violence. Jones was appeared in the 19th District Court located in Dearborn today for jury selection. Jones' appearance in the court is in response to a petition for a permit to legally hold the demonstration outside of the Islamic Center.
City officials have made it aware that Jones has the freedom to hold his demonstration at the Dearborn City Hall, a legitemate free speech zone located within the city. The city of Dearborn and Wayne County Prosecutors have declared Jones' protest a threat to public safety and indicate that rioting may occur. On top of the plausibility of physical or violent retaliation against Jones and the Dove Outreach group, the city of Deaborn has included that the protest could also cause traffic problems or disrupt Friday services commemorating "Good Friday."
While some empathize, maybe even sympathize with the constitutional right of Terry Jones to exercise free speech, others are carrying out the very same behavior they accuse Jones of through open, public, and media saturated criticism. As all the opposition to Jones' act of defiance against Dearborn, the Islamic Center of America, and his self proclaimed crusade against Islamic terrorisom's message comes to the docket of Dearborn's district courtroom, there are those who have chosen to take the proclaimed middle ground, and unite together in spite of religious diversity.
As the hearing at the 19th District Court was carried out, religious leaders from around the Metro-Detroit area gathered together at the Islamic Center to celebrate and proclaim unity of faiths. As hundreds gathered in a counter protest to Terry Jones' arrival in Dearborn, they hoped to simply demonstrate that hatred and intolerance will not be tolerated.
The hatred that is being resisted is Terry Jones' mock trial and subsequent burning of the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an. It is believed that Jones' burning of the Qur'an led to 20 deaths in violent protest and response in Afghanistan this past March.
After all of the dust settles on this fiasco, the trial is over for Jones, and the success or defeat of his protest finally takes place, there are a few things that become glaringly obvious.
- Either both sides terribly misunderstand the Bible and the Qur'an, or the adherents of either book are sorely mistaken in the truth it teaches. Those in the middle crying tolerance who have no proverbial dog in the fight are willfully or mistakenly ignorant of the true message of the Qur'an. When Jones' exercise of free speech is restricted or criticized based on the premise that it could incite violence, everyone should ask themselves the question, if an Imam protested Terry Jones or the Bible and burned it, would violence erupt.
- Jones' actions are a far cry from the response required by a disciple of Jesus Christ, and although there are many who claim to be disciples decrying Jones' effort, they too misunderstand the fundamental nature of the message of Jesus Christ. The Qur'an and Islam reject the crucified, resurrected, and God the Son, Jesus Christ and his message of repentance and faith in him as a sacrifice for sin. All those who say they love Muslims, yet fail to deliver the message of Christ to them, do not love them, but hate them, for they are woefully inconsistent in their own belief system.
- Islam offers no tolerance for those that repudiate it, yet disciples of Jesus Christ are called on to pray, love, and serve their enemies
In the end, whether your sympathy lies with Jones, Dearborn, Islam, Christianity, or you side with no camp at all, the truth of this situation should be found in the heart of the matter. The true message of Christianity fundamentally disagrees with the true message of Islam. If Jones truly believed and taught what Christ taught concerning salvation and peace he would not likely be toting a gun and threatening to use it if he is attacked. Likewise, if others examined the claims of the Qur'an and looked at the logic behind refusing Jones' request to demonstrate in front of the Islamic Center, examined the claim that it would incite violence, from Muslim's, locally and abroad, the conclusion should be very easy to come to.
Regardless of the interfaith meeting at the Center and the question of proper use of free speech, Islam does not teach peace, and Jones' is not a messenger of peace. Let us remember to be diligent in our observations and if you have questions, read what Jesus taught concerning violence and compare it to what the Qur'an and Muhammad taught about it. You might actually be surprised.
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