Evangelical leaders strongly condemned the burning of Qurans by Florida Pastor Terry Jones on Saturday in protest of Iran‘s continued imprisonment of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.
Jones burned copies of the Quran and an image depicting Muhammad on Saturday evening in front of his church Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., where about 20 people gathered to witness the event, OCALA.com reported. Gainesville police were stationed near the church and patrolled the area.
The event was streamed live over the Internet.
Gainesville Fire Rescue issued the church a citation for violating the city’s fire ordinances. Fire Chief Gene Prince was quoted as saying that Jones had approval for a burn but did not have the required authorization to burn books, which can harm environment. The fine is $271, which includes court costs.
