A Detroit court has ordered controversial anti-Qur’an pastor Terry Jones to be sent to jail for harming peace over his planned anti-Islam rally in Dearborn, a ruling that failed to satisfy Muslims and rights activists.
“This was never about prohibiting free speech or fearing rioting but about a situation that could potentially place the public in danger in Dearborn.”
The court ordered Jones to be jailed briefly for refusing to post a $1 peace bond before his rally in front of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, which was scheduled for Friday.
With the Islamic center located next to six churches, prosecutors said that the protest by the fundamentalist pastor might draw violent protesters if he burnt the Qur’an, recalling similar events last month.
Jones, a 58-year-old pastor and the head of a small fringe church in Gainesville, Florida, burnt the Qur’an in front of a crowd of about 50 people on March 20 in what he called “International Judge the Qur’an Day”.
Video posted on the website of his church showed a kerosene-soaked book going up in bright flames, sending thousands of angry Afghans into the streets in deadly protests that left scores of people dead.
The ruling said that the Friday’s rally, which coincides with the Good Friday, could have affected worshippers’ movement in neighboring churches.
Though prosecutors had asked for a bond of $45,000, Dearborn District Judge Mark Somers set it at a symbolic $1 for Jones and his associate, Wayne Sapp.
Judge Somers also ordered both Jones and Sapp to stay away from the mosque and adjacent property for three years.
Both pastors were tried under a rarely used 1927 law that requires those who are likely to breach the peace to post “peace bonds.”
As both men rejected to pay the 1$ bond, Dearborn police led them to Wayne County Jail where they stayed for a few hours before releasing them after paying the bond.
“We thought it was important because of public safety,” Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for Worthy, said.
Miller added that Jones “will be subject to arrest” if he disobeys the judicial order.
Criticism
Muslims and activists criticized the court ruling, warning that it plays into the hands of extremists.
“Unfortunately I think what’s going to happen now is this situation is not going to go away, there’s still going to be problems brewing in our community surrounding Terry Jones,” said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Michigan chapter.
“He’s going to come back and I wouldn’t be surprised if Terry Jones sues the city of Dearborn. So this controversy is going to continue for months and months to come.”
Walid confirmed that he did not believe the pastors should have been jailed “although I believe Pastor Jones is misguided and has tried to make himself a First Amendment martyr.”
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly Jr., who opposed Jones rally, said it was never the city’s intention to prosecute or jail Jones as they wanted to prevent the rally from affecting neighboring churches from all the traffic the protest might attract.
“We never intended to arrest him,” he said on Fox 2’s “Let It Rip” talk show.
“I have no control over the prosecutor.”
The court process was also criticized by Rana Elmir of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, for giving the anti-Islam pastor to a platform to spread his hatred.
“This should have never come to this point to begin with,” she said.
“The judge should have dismissed the case (Thursday) instead of giving Jones and his cohorts a platform. It’s a complete abuse of the court process, and all those involved should be ashamed.”
Elmir said the Prosecutor’s Office and Dearborn court breached the First Amendment.
“In a free society no one should be thrown in jail for speech, even as distasteful and offensive as Mr. Jones” is, she said.
Their expectations were fulfilled soon after Jones declared his plans to ignore the judicial order Friday and says he will hold a protest outside the Islamic Center of America next week.
“The city of Dearborn used the court as an instrument to prevent our protest from taking place… and has now violated our civil liberties by preventing us from exercising our freedom of speech as planned,” said Jones, about an hour after being released from jail Friday evening.
“We will be in contact with legal representation and plan to protest next week.”
The whole protest issue and its developments were condemned by Detroit people who regarded Jones as someone who occupies headlines with his controversial messages.
“I think he’s out for publicity,” Greg Jakes, 55, told the Detroit News as he shopped Friday afternoon.
“I think we should have ignored him. He would’ve went away.”
Source: OnIslam
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