In the Afghanistan mountains of Badakhshan, 10 aid workers and medical volunteers associated with the Christian group International Assistance Mission (IAM), were murdered while helping people in need of care. Both the Taliban and Hizb-i-Islami have reportedly claimed responsibility for the massacre of the aid workers, which included six Americans, one German, one Briton, and two Afghans.
Portraits of Real Courage - IAM Aid Workers Killed in Afghanistan - (left to right) Row 1: Tom Little, Dan Terry, Cheryl Beckett, Brian Carderelli; Row 2: Dr. Thomas Grams, Glenn Lapp, Karen Woo, Daniela Beyer; Row 3: Marham Ali and Jawed. Most Photos from IAM website. Dr Grams Photo: Minnesota Star Tribune; Glenn Lapp, AP; Karen Woo, Nicholas Razzell.
The IAM aid group workers and volunteers killed were:
Tom Little - IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Tom Little, New York optometrist, America
— IAM states: “Tom was affectionately known as ‘Mister Tom’ amongst the many staff at the National Organization for Ophthalmic Rehabilitation (NOOR). He arrived in 1976, with his family, and worked as an Optometrist and Manager at NOOR, setting up clinics and ophthalmic workshops. He was much loved by both foreigners and Afghans, and was the inspiration for other IAM team members coming to Afghanistan. Tom leaves behind his wife and 3 daughters.”
— Media reports:
— Tom Little, man of peace
— Danger part of daily work
Dan Terry, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Dan Terry, Wisconsin aid worker, America
— IAM states: “Dan came to Afghanistan in 1971, he had a heart for the rural areas of Afghanistan and worked for many years in Lal-wa Sarjangal. Dan specialized in relating to local communities and liaising with aid organizations and the government to improve services in remote areas. Dan is survived by his wife, 3 daughters, and one granddaughter.”
— Media reports:
— Wisconsin Native Killed In Afghanistan
— Aide worker killed in Afghanistan has Janesville ties
Cheryl Beckett, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Cheryl Beckett, Knoxville, Tennessee interpreter (IAM lists Ohio), America
— IAM states: “Cheryl Beckett was working as an aid worker in Afghanistan since 2005 and had been involved in community development with a focus on nutritional gardening and mother-child health. She had been asked to assist the IAM medical team as a translator for women patients. Cheryl was a Pashto speaker who worked in a clinic in Pul-e Charkhi on the outskirts of Kabul. She is survived by her parents and 3 siblings.”
— Media reports:
— “Faith led daughter’s work in Afghanistan”
— “Afghan victim’s dad: group was not proselytizing”
Brian Carderelli, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Brian Carderelli, Harrisonburg, Virginia videographer, America
— IAM states: “Brian Carderelli was a professional free-lance videographer. Brian served a number of other organizations in Afghanistan active in development and humanitarian efforts throughout the nation. Brian quickly fell in love with the Afghan people and culture and hoped to stay within the country for another year.”
— Media report:
— “Slain aid worker Brian Carderelli found beauty in daily Afghan life”
Dr. Thomas Grams, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: Minnesota Star Tribune)
— Glen Lapp, Lancaster, Pennsylvania nurse, America
— IAM states: “Glen trained as an intensive-care nurse and worked in Lancaster, New York City City and Supai, Arizona, and had previously worked in the responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He came to Kabul in 2008, and initially worked in the IAM HQ. Then after 5 months of Dari language training he began his work with NOOR, he was responsible for organizing the mobile eye camps that reached the remote areas of Afghanistan.”
— Media report:
— “Mennonite worker slain in Afghanistan remembered”
Karen Woo, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: Nicholas Razzell)
— Daniela Beyer, Chemnitz, Germany
— IAM states: “Daniela was a linguist and a translator in German, English, and Russian. She also spoke Dari and was learning Pashto. She worked for IAM between 2007-2009 doing linguistic research and joined the eye camp so that she could translate for women patients. She is survived by her parents and 3 siblings.”
— Media reports:
— Bild (German): Das gefährliche Leben der Dolmetscherin aus Chemnitz
Mahram Ali, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Marham Ali, Wardak, Afghanistan
— IAM states: “Mahram Ali worked as a watchman at NOOR’s maintenance workshop since the end of 2007. He stayed guarding the vehicles in Nawa when the rest of the team walked over the pass into Nuristan. He leaves behind a wife and 3 children, at secondary school age and below.”
Jawed, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Jawed, Panjshir, Afghanistan
— IAM states: “Jawed was employed as cook at the Ministry of Public Health’s Eye Hospital in Kabul and had been released from there in order to attend the Eye Camp. He leaves behind a wife and three children below school age. Besides being the team’s cook, he also assisted with the dispensing of eyeglasses. Jawed had been on several eye camps into Nuristan in the past, and was well loved for his sense of humor.”
The Independent has reported that the massacre of the IAM aid workers has made other charities “forced to rethink” their aid in Afghanistan.
The Baptist Press reports: “Ten workers affiliated with a Christian aid group were murdered in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan after providing eye care to people in a remote area of the country. International Assistance Mission, an openly Christian charity, has operated in Afghanistan for 44 years, negotiating with the Soviets, the mujahedeen government and then the Taliban for permission to continue its work assisting people in need of care. But on Aug. 5, only one member of a team survived an ambush by several men wielding guns. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deaths of six Americans, one German, one Briton and two Afghans, though police have not ruled out an attack by thieves.”
According to the Washington Post, “The Taliban asserted responsibility for the attack, accusing the medical volunteers of being foreign spies and trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, accusations the group denies. Police in Badakhshan province have not ruled out that thieves unaffiliated with the Taliban could be responsible, as the victims’ belongings were ransacked after they were killed.”
The Washington Post also reports that “Dirk Frans, executive director of the International Assistance Mission, appeared at a news conference and confirmed the names of the 10 dead team members, whose mission to provide eye care for poor Afghans in dangerous and remote Badakhshan province ended in tragedy…. At the news conference, Frans repeatedly denied that the volunteers were proselytizing or working for the government.”
International Assistance Mission (IAM) Aid Convoy Traveling in Afghanistan (Photo: Reuters)
In the IAM public statement, the organization stated “IAM is a Christian organization — we have never hidden this. Indeed, we are registered as such with the Afghan government. Our faith motivates and inspires us — but we do not proselytize. We abide by the laws of Afghanistan. We are signatures of the Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs Disaster Response Programmes, in other words, that, ‘aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.’ But more than that, our record speaks for itself. IAM would not be invited back to villages if we were using aid as a cover for preaching. And in particular, this specific camp led by Tom Little, a man with four decades experience in Afghanistan, has led eye camps for many years to Nuristan — and was welcomed back every time.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) applauds the examples of real courage and commitment to our universal human rights, not just with words, but with deeds, of the volunteer aid workers of the International Assistance Mission (IAM), and we extend our sympathies to the families of the murdered aid workers.
To those who still fear to commit to our universal human rights with even words, we urge you to learn from the examples of selflessness and dedication to our fellow human beings of the IAM aid workers. To the Taliban religious extremists, it remains a disgraceful definition of their ideological commitment to hate against those they perceive to be different that Taliban figures would readily claim responsibility for this act, regardless of who is ultimately found to be responsible. In the perspective of such Taliban extremists, the life of a Christian has no value, even aid workers helping the Afghanistan people. This demonstrates the ultimate corruption and cancer of hate and intolerance that extremistviews by people of any religious, race, or identity group can become.
We urge all those who promote hate and intolerance to understand that the human rights of those you hate are also your human rights. When you attack the human rights of others, you also attack your own human rights as well.
In Columbus, Ohio, in the case of Muslim-to-Christian convert girl, Rifqa Bary, a Franklin County Juvenile Court Magistrate Mary Goodrich granted findings that would her to apply for “special immigrant juvenile status,” by Tuesday August 10, 2010, when she turns 18.
Her parents refute the claims of such a threat. The Columbus Dispatch reports that “Rifqa continues to say that she is afraid of her parents, who have maintained that they love her and wouldn’t hurt her.”
Regarding the latest court findings, the Columbus Dispatch quoted a member of the Ohio attorney general’s office, Ken Robinson, on the matter, stating: “An allegation of abuse is not usually sufficient. Still, immigration officials might be more lenient toward Rifqa, given the high-profile nature of her case, Robinson said.”
Columbus, Ohio: R.E.A.L. Public Awareness Activities on Behalf of Rifqa Bary and Freedom of Religion
Women’s rights activist Phyllis Chesler wrote on August 5, 2010: “Kudos To The Legal Team of Angela Lloyd and Kort Gatterdam… She arrived here as an undocumented Muslim. Nevertheless, lawyers in both Florida and Ohio stepped forward to protect and defend her. The system-we-love-to-hate appointed these lawyers. No angry grassroots group, no Christian activist association did what the American state did: Actually pay for it all.”
R.E.A.L. hopes for healing, peace, and safety in the case of Rifqa Bary. We recognize that this decision is not the end of her struggles, and we hope the immigration courts ultimately grant her sanctuary in the United States of America. We defend her and all others’ universal human rights.
Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.
Update: On August 10, 2010, Rifqa Bary turned 18 years old and Franklin County Children Services’ custody of her ended. In September 2010, Rifqa received permanent residence status and can apply for United States citizenship once she turns 23.
Update: On September 19 2014, the Columbus Dispatch reported that: “In a news release, publisher WaterBrook Press said Bary is now a college student living in an undisclosed location and still convinced her life is under threat.”
On the first anniversary of the mob attack on Gojra, Pakistan, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)’s Jeffrey Imm issued the following online petition for the people of the world to promote pluralism to the Pakistan people and Pakistan government, stating:
“We support tolerance, freedom, and respect for all religions in Pakistan, including freedom of worship for all Pakistanis without oppression, harassment, attacks, or violence. We stand united for pluralism and united for the universal human rights allowing such freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience for all people in Pakistan.”
“We call upon the Pakistan government and the people of Pakistan to respect such diversity of religious views and protect such freedoms that are the inherent universal human rights of all people. We stand united in pluralism, with respect and love for our fellow human beings.”
We urge all those who support such pluralism and human rights, dignity in Pakistan to sign our online petition at:
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) remembers the tragic attack on Gojra, Pakistan, on August 1, 2009, where a reported mob of 20,000 murdered Christian men, women, and children, burned Christian homes, and burned Christian churches – all in the name of religious intolerance and a spurious charge of “blasphemy.”
August 1, 2009 Pakistan mob attack in Gojra: "A Christian house set ablaze" (Photo: UCAN)
We will join the Pakistan Christian Congress and members of other faiths in Washington DC on August 2, 2010 to remember this horrific attack, and the ongoing pattern of religious intolerance, hate, and violence that continues against religious minorities throughout Pakistan.
Religious intolerance is not the problem for any one faith or identity group.
On July 21, 2010, two Pakistan Christian brothers were gunned down in the street in broad daylight on courthouse steps after being falsely charged with “blasphemy.” Christians not killed are being imprisoned for “blasphemy,” including a Christian in March 2010, who received a life sentence for such a charge. Mobs continue to attack Christian families, such as the May 2010 attack in Essa Nagri Karach, and have Christian church services disrupted. Some Christians have been put to death for refusing to convert to “Islam.” In Karachi, a Christian nurse was raped in July then thrown from a fourth floor of a medical building where she worked; the Pakistan Christian Post reports that there are hundreds of unreported rapes of Christian nurses. Anti-Christian banners are seen in Lahore. In March 2010, a Christian housemaid was burned alive.
On July 31, 2010, seven of a Hindu family were killed in Jaffarabad, Balochistan in an attack there, and Pakistan Hindus are routinely oppressed for their faith, not just by the Pakistan Taliban, but also by government officials, including government plans to destroy an 87 year old Hindu temple in Rawalpindi. On July 9, 2010, the Pakistan Hindu Post reported that 60 members of a Hindu family had to take shelter in a Karachi cattle pen, after a Hindu boy drank from a drinking fountain in a mosque. In June 2010, a Hindu trader was shot dead in Quetta, Pakistan Hindus have had forced kidnappings and conversion to “Islam.”
Sikhs have been beheaded and targeted by the Pakistan Taliban, and have also been harassed and victimized for their faith.
Minority Muslims are also not safe from such religious intolerance. On May 28, 2010, attacks on Ahmadiyya Community Muslim mosques during prayers left 98 dead. The terrorist attacks were against Ahmadiyya Community Muslim during worship services in Garhi Shahu and Model Town mosques. On July 1, 2010, a terrorist attack against a Sufi Muslim shrine in Lahore, left 43 dead. Shiite Muslims have been targeted by bombings and attack, including a bombing in Karachi, and truck drivers murdered for every providing supplies to Shiite Muslims.
Religious extremist hate does not only reach to minority religious members, but also to majority religious individuals as well. In Punjab alone from January to June 2010, there have been 102 “honor killings” reported.
Whatever your faith or none at all, religious extremist hate and intolerance is a threat to us all. That threat seeks to deny freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience, and our other universal human rights to all people, and rationalized such intolerance, hate, and violence based on religious views.
Peace in Pakistan and around the world begins respect for one another as human beings and respect for our universal human rights. This is why we call upon support for our universal human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 states that:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
R.E.A.L. does not seek to suggest that such problems are limited to Pakistan alone. Such intolerance, hate, and, violence is unfortunately a universal problem. This is why we need a consistent, universal answer. We urge Pakistan’s government and the people of Pakistan, as well as people around the world to support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Pakistan Daily Times reports on 2,909 women victimized over 6 month (January through June 2010) in Punjab, including 102 “honor killings.”
— Pakistan Daily Times reports – on report from January to June 2010 “8 Out of 2,690 cases reported, 913 were abductions, 381 murders, 102 honour killings, 377 rapes and gang rapes, 166 suicides”
— “The aforementioned facts have been taken from the first bi-annual report on incidents of violence against women, titled ‘Situation of Violence Against Women in Punjab’, compiled by Aurat Foundation in collaboration with the Violence Against Women (VAW) Watch Group.”
— “Out of the 2,690 cases reported, there were 913 cases of abductions, 381 murders, 102 honour killings, 377 rape and gang rape and 166 cases of suicide.”
— “Geographically, 1,141 cases had been reported in the urban areas and 1,546 in the rural areas, while the area could not be identified in three cases. According to the status of first information reports, 2,353 cases had been registered in the police stations concerned, 96 were not registered anywhere, while there was no information regarding the registration of FIRs in 241 cases. Out of the total 3,066 victims of violence, 1,535 female victims were unmarried, 1,217 were married, 48 were widows, 39 divorcees, while no information was available for the remaining 227 victims. Almost 467 of the victims were under 18 years of age, 185 women were aged between 19 and 36, 58 female victims were above the age of 36, while in 2,356 cases, no information was available about the victims’ ages.”
— “Maximum incidents: According to the report, the 12 districts where a maximum number of cases of violence against women were reported were Lahore with 458 cases, followed by Faisalabad with 393, Sargodha 161, Sheikhupura 157, Rawalpindi 139, Okara 134, Kasur 116, Sialkot 114, Sahiwal 88, Gujranwala 87, Jhang 76 and Multan with 71 reported cases of violence.”
— “The six-month picture of the current year reveals that out of 2,690 various types of offences committed against women, abduction tops with 33 percent women and girls abducted in Punjab, followed by murder and rape and gang rape at 14 percent, suicide six percent and domestic violence four percent. Interestingly, the report also reflects the relationship of the accused with the victims, as the accused in all 2,690 cases had been found to be close relatives such as husbands, fathers, brothers, cousins, in-laws, besides local influentials, police or neighbours.”
— “The cases of violence against women were collected from local sources of information, mainly local and regional newspapers, individuals and shelter homes, the report says.”
In its July 28, 2010 statement, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) joins those who oppose the development of the planned Islamic Community Center. While ADL states that is supports freedom of religion, the ADL states “this is not a question of rights, but a question of what is right.” The ADL statement concludes: “In our judgment, building an Islamic Center in the shadow of the World Trade Center will cause some victims more pain – unnecessarily – and that is not right.”
As Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has pointed out Muslims have held prayer services at the 45-51 Park Place location since December 2009. 45 Park Place is a good two blocks away from “Ground Zero,” or as one person has calculated about 600 feet (that’s roughly about two American football fields). In the dense concrete jungle of New York City, two blocks might as well be a mile away in terms of visibility.
Individuals and groups may have a rainbow of subjective opinions about what is “right” or “wrong,” which they are entitled to have. But America as a nation, and for the human beings around the world, ensuring justice and fair treatment for all is not based primarily on our subjective opinions on what we like and what we don’t like, but on our objective guarantees for freedoms for all Americans and all human beings.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) mandate is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike.” Without supporting our universal human rights, there cannot be justice and fair treatment to anyone, anywhere. To those in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Tennessee, who seek to gain legitimacy for protests against mosques by flying the Israeli flag or claiming their protests are based on their views on Israel, they do not represent American Jews, but they represent simply those who seek to deny human rights to others.
There have been many American Jews, including NYC Mayor Bloomberg who understand the importance of defending our objective guarantees of our Constitutional and human rights, for all people.
The Associated Press reported on the astonishment by many American Jews and Jewish groups on the ADL statement, reporting “Its position on the mosque was met with shock and condemnation by several groups. Jeremy Ben-Ami, head of J Street, the dovish, pro-Israel group, said he would hope ADL would be at the forefront in defending the freedom of a religious minority, ‘rather than casting aspersions on its funders and giving in to the fear-mongerers.'”
— “The principle at stake in the Cordoba House controversy goes to the heart of American democracy and the value we place on freedom of religion. Should one religious group in this country be treated differently than another? We believe the answer is no.”
— “As Mayor Bloomberg has said, proposing a church or a synagogue for that site would raise no questions. The Muslim community has an equal right to build a community center wherever it is legal to do so. We would hope the American Jewish community would be at the forefront of standing up for the freedom and equality of a religious minority looking to exercise its legal rights in the United States, rather than casting aspersions on its funders and giving in to the fear-mongerers and pandering politicians urging it to relocate.”
— “What better ammunition to feed the Osama bin Ladens of the world and their claim of anti-Muslim bias in the United States as they seek to whip up global jihad than to hold this proposal for a Muslim religious center to a different and tougher standard than other religious institutions would be.”
The AP also stated that the “Rev. Welton Gaddy, head of the Interfaith Alliance, a Washington advocacy group, said he read the ADL statement ‘with a great deal of sorrow.’ ‘As an organization that for nearly 100 years has helped set the standard for fighting defamation and securing justice and fair treatment for all, it is disappointing to see the ADL arrived at this conclusion,” Gaddy said.”
There are other international groups that recognize this anti-mosque campaign in America as a human rights disgrace, including those who have been victims of attacks by radical extremists.
A year after a mob of 20,000 came to burn down Christian homes and churches in Gojra, Pakistan, and weeks after Pakistan Christians were gunned down on courthouse steps for apocyrphal “blasphemy” charges, The Pakistan Christian Post published “‘Mosque’ ado about nothing. by Parvez Ahmed,” which condemns the NYC mosque protests. In India, Hindus have suffered for many, many decades of endless terrorist attacks, including the Mumbai terrorist attacks that left the city in flames. However, on July 29, The Hindu published ‘Refudiate’ Palin’s bigotry, condemning the protests against mosques in America, stating “Opposition to the project remains strong and vocal, fueled by a mix of prejudice, paranoia, and misinformation… It would be a great pity if the most liberal-minded of American cities joins the list of places that suffer from Islamophobia.”
Those who consistently support our universal human rights don’t support calls to block the construction of any house of worship, of any faith, anywhere.
Our universal human rights and American Constitutional freedoms are not just for those we like or who are like us. We stand with NYC Mayor Bloomberg, we stand with J Street, we stand with interfaith groups, we stand with Hindu groups, we stand with Christian groups, and we stand with all those Americans and our brothers and sisters in humanity with the courage to consistently support our universal human rights for all people.
On July 30, 2010, in Temecula, California a group protested outside the current facilities being used by the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley, while the Islamic Center is planning to build a mosque in Temecula, where it purchased land in 2005. As previously reported, the facility is a business warehouse where area Muslims go to worship. According to KABC news, “The existing Islamic center has been operating in Temecula out of an industrial building for almost 10 years.”
The Islamic Center of Temecula has held worship services in an industrial building for nearly 10 years (Photo: Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times)
Those opposed to the planned mosque went outside the existing Islamic Center facilities during the Friday worship services to protest “no more mosques in America.”
The protesters with loudspeakers and signs, denounced the right of the Islamic Center or any Muslims to their freedom of religion to hold worship services in mosques, with signs such as “No More Mosques in America,” “Mosques are Monuments to Terrorism,” “No Rights for Mosques,” and “Stop Taqiyya – Lies to Non Muslims to protect and spread Islam.”
The Southwest Riverside News Network (SWRN) reported that there were about 35 anti-mosque protesters. SWRN reported that “Using a bullhorn, the protesters shouted anti-Islamic slogans as Muslim families came to worship Friday afternoon. ‘Go back home’ and ‘We don’t want you here,’ the protesters said.”
Temecula, California Anti-Mosque Protesters (Photo: Press-Enterprise, Terry Pierson)
According to the Valley News, “many of the mosque foes equated Muslims to ‘terrorists’,” and that “Ernie White, who described himself as a possible candidate for Temecula City Council in November, was among the most outspoken critics of the mosque plan.” Ernie White is an activist with a California Tea Party group in the Riverside, California area.
Tea Party Activist Ernie White at Anti-Mosque Protest in Temecula, California (Photo: Press-Enterprise, Terry Pierson)
On Diana Serafin’s posting at the national Tea Party Patriots web site, she described the anti-mosque protest as “Silent Majority Silent No More! We will not be Submissive! An Islamic Mosque is planned to be built in Temecula. We are holding a Singing – Praying – Patriotic rally on Friday on the side of the road on Rio Nedo in Temecula. Bring your Bibles, flags, signs, dogs and singing voice on Friday to let everyone know we are a Christian community and will not tolerate Sharia law and radical behavior.”
The Valley News reported that “The anti-mosque rally was largely publicized via a July 18 electronic newsletter that was distributed to newspapers and local conservative political activists. The rally notice was listed among opinion pieces and upcoming activities planned by Republican and Tea Party activists.”
Another one of the protesters, Zorina Bennett of Temecula, was one of the mosque protesters, who told the Los Angeles Times that Muslims “are known terrorists.” Zorina Bennett brought her dog Meadow to the protest in the belief that many Muslims view the saliva of dogs as impure, when going to pray. According to the Valley News, Zorina Bennett “carried a sign fashioned in the shape of a cross. ‘This is America. This is a Christian country, not a Muslim country.'”
Other anti-mosque protesters speaking to the press included: Mano Bakh of Wildomar with a sign “No More Mosques in America, according to SWRN’s report;” Cynthia Daum (Cynthia Don?) with a sign “No Allah’s Law Here” who told KPCC “I do no want them here just like I do not want the illegal Hispanic people here, I don’t want ’em.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, “One of the most heated moments came around 12:20 p.m. when Fred Carlson, a heavy equipment operator from Temecula, drove his pickup truck past the Islamic Center twice, calling Muslims ‘pedophiles’ and hurling a few curse words.”
KPCC Southern Public Radio Network news reported that local Calvary Baptist Church pastor Bill Rench had sent out an open letter to parishioners stating that “We certainly find ample cause to oppose the spread of Islam.”
According to the Valley News, “The protesters were outnumbered by mosque supporters – some from as far away as Los Angeles and San Diego – who carried signs and gave speeches of their own. Many of them sat under a shade awning in front of the Islamic Center and wore lapel tags with the word ‘Friend’ printed upon them.”
July 29, 2010: Anti-Islam Hate Group Dove World Outreach Center Pastor Jones Interviewed on CNN on "Burn A Koran Day" Plans (Photo: CNN Video Snip)
The CNN video is shown online. Excerpts from the interview follow. Hate pastor Terry Jones came on CNN to state that “Islam is of the Devil,” and to promote his right to burn the Qur’an. Terry Jones stated that as the Qur’an “is not sacred to… in doing this action… on burning the Qur’an on 9/11, what we are saying is stop to Islam.” Terry Jones stated that the group viewed that “Islam is of the Devil.” Jones also said that Muslims have “right to worship,” and the CNN interviewer made no comment about Dove World Outreach’s support of protests against mosques, including its July 4 protest of a mosque in Gainesville, Florida.
The CNN interviewer asked Terry Jones “why would you sound or do something as hateful as to burn their most sacred book?” Terry Jones’ reply was “Because we believe that the times call for it. It calls for radical times. If we do not stand up, if we do not do something, if we do not… this church and other churches call people to stand up, do you know what is going to happen to us? We are going to end up like Europe… A true Muslim is a believer in the Qur’an…in Sharia law…” Terry Jones ended by asking “Is that a religion we want in America?”
Dove World Outreach Anti-Islam Hate Campaigns: "Burn A Koran Day," Protest Against Florida Mosque, Partners with Westboro Baptist Church (Photos: Facebook)
— August 1790 – George Washington: “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent national gifts. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”
…
— “May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.”
United States President George Washington - President: 1789 - 1797
