GAINESVILLE – The US pastor, whose burning of the Holy Quran sparked deadly violence in Afghanistan, has called for immediate US and UN action against its perpetrators, saying the whole religion of Islam must be held accountable.
“Islam is not a religion of peace,” Dove World Outreach Center Pastor Terry Jones said in a statement issued after seven foreign UN workers had been killed in Afghanistan by protesters angered by the Holy Quran burning, in the deadliest attack on the UN there since the 2001 invasion.
“The time has come to hold Islam accountable,” he added. Four Nepalese, one Swedish, one Norwegian and one Romanian worker were believed to have been killed on Friday, and several protesters killed or wounded after a mob overwhelmed guards at the UN compound in the normally relatively calm city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the violence following a battle of over three hours in which part of the building was burned down amid small arms fire and explosions. Jones called the killings a very tragic and criminal action. “The US government and the United Nations itself, must take immediate action,” he continued. “We must hold these countries and people accountable for what they have done as well as for any excuses they may use to promote their terrorist activities.”
The controversial evangelical pastor said he and his supporters demanded action from the United Nations. “Muslim-dominated countries can no longer be allowed to spread their hate against Christians and minorities,” he said. “They must alter the laws that govern their countries to allow for individual freedoms and rights, such as the right to worship, free speech, and to move freely without fear of being attacked or killed.”
In a separate interview with AFP, he said that he was devastated by the killings in Afghanistan but did not feel responsible for them. “We don’t feel responsible for that,” he said. “The radical element of Islam takes that as an excuse to promote their violent activities… What we would like to see is the US government standing up, the UN standing up.”
“It’s time to stop ignoring the violence going on in Muslim countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.
