"Islam Is of the Devil" Terry Jones authored a book titled
Islam Is of the Devil. Students from the church attended area schools in August 2009 wearing T-shirts with "Islam is of the Devil" printed on the back, for which they were sent home.
Qur'an burnings Jones believes
Islam promotes violence and that Muslims want to impose
sharia law in the United States. The plan to burn Qur'ans was first announced on
Twitter on July 12, 2010, and was promoted on
Facebook and on
YouTube. National and International discussion, objections and protests contributed to extensive media coverage.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "It's regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida with a church of no more than fifty people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan and get, you know, the world's attention." The commander of the
International Security Assistance Force in
Afghanistan, General
David Petraeus said, "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community." The pastor responded to Petraeus' statement that, "We understand the General's concerns. We are sure that his concerns are legitimate. [Nonetheless] [w]e must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats." President
Barack Obama was asked on September 9, 2010, on ABC's
Good Morning America about the Qur'an burning controversy. He said, "You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities." He said, "I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan. We're already seeing protests against Americans just by the mere threat that he's making." "I just hope he understands that what he is proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notions of religious freedom and religious tolerance," Obama said. "He says he's someone who is motivated by his faith ... I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he's engaging in." Asked if the event could be stopped, Obama replied, "My understanding is that he can be cited for public burning … but that's the extent of the laws that we have available to us."
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called Jones asking him not to go through with his Qur'an burning. Later on September 9, Jones announced the cancellation of the event and a plan to fly to New York to meet with the Imam of
Park51,
Feisal Abdul Rauf. Jones alleged that Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, had arranged the meeting and that a promise had been given him to move the Park 51 mosque in exchange for the event cancellation. This claim was denied by both Imams. On March 21, 2011, Jones and some supporters held a mock trial of the Qur'an and set a copy on fire as a "punishment" for "crimes against humanity." Jones was assisted by Ahmed Abaza, an Egyptian ex-Muslim, and a Texas Imam, Mohamed El Hassan who argued for and against the accusations. Reaction to the event resulted in riots and deaths in Afghanistan. On April 28, 2012, Jones burned a copy of the Qur'an, protesting the imprisonment of an Iranian-American pastor, Saeed Abedini in Iran. An arrest defeated Jones' effort to hold a Qur'an-burning protest on
September 11, 2013, in which the
ISIS flag and hundreds of Qur'ans were burned.
Dearborn, Michigan On April 29, Jones led a rally at the Dearborn City Hall, designated as a free speech zone. Riot police were called out to control counter protesters. Jones led a rally at City Hall and then planned to speak at the annual Arab Festival on June 18, 2011, but on his way there he was blocked by protesters, six of whom were arrested. Police said they did not have enough officers present to maintain safety. On April 7, 2012, Jones led a protest in front of the
Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, speaking about Islam and free speech. The mosque was placed on lock down. Thirty police cars were there to block traffic and prevent a counter protest. Jones returned to Dearborn in October 2012 and led a small protest against alleged "Muslim bullying of non-Muslims" outside Edsel Ford High School. School officials denied there was a problem.
Obama effigy In 2012, Jones hanged an
effigy of
Barack Obama in the front yard of the Dove World Outreach Center. Another effigy of
Barack Obama was burned along with an effigy of
Bill Clinton in January 2013.
Innocence of Muslims film In September 2012, Terry Jones was involved in the promotion of a movie vilifying Islam, titled
Innocence of Muslims. The movie led to
protests in
Egypt,
Yemen,
Tunisia and
Libya. In
Cairo, protesters breached the wall of the U.S. Embassy and burned the flag. The U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya,
was largely burnt and looted, and resulted in the death of the U.S. Ambassador;
J. Christopher Stevens and three other American citizens. Jones screened the film for his followers on September 11, 2012, a day he dubbed, "International Judge
Mohammad Day". ==Legal issues==