A controversial Florida pastor says he will lead a rally against radical Islam outside a Dearborn mosque this Friday, despite pleas for him to cancel or move his event to another location. Late Wednesday, the city of Dearborn denied the pastor's permit to protest in front of the Islamic Center of America, meaning he could be arrested if he goes through with his plans for a rally.
Dr. Terry Jones gained notoriety in recent years for his attacks on Islam, including the burning of a copy of the Qur’an. Video of the burning prompted deadly riots in Afghanistan and death threats against Jones.
Wayne County officials have asked a judge to require Jones to pay for extra security for his rally. Jones says he won’t pay for police protection even if a judge orders him to at today's hearing.
He also dismisses suggestions that he move his rally to a ‘free speech’ zone elsewhere in Dearborn. Jones says that’s not what the Founding Fathers intended when they wrote the Constitution.
"They did not have in mind ‘Free Speech Zones’. That is absolutely ridiculous and unconstitutional.”
An interfaith counter protest is scheduled to take place in Dearborn to coincide with Joneses’ protest on Friday. Jones admits radical Islam is not a problem now in Dearborn or anywhere else in the US. But he says he’s committed to keep it from being established.
