: Remarks by Southern Baptist Preacher Anger Muslims

Last week, a gathering of Southern Baptists in Florida heard comments on Islam by the Rev. Jerry Vines, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL, where he called the Prophet Muhammad a “demon-possessed pedophile” and said that Islam inspired terrorism. Florida Muslims responded by placing a full-page ad in a Jacksonville paper calling for a meeting with Vines, while other Muslim and Arab-American groups took the battle to the airwaves. Later, Baptist leaders created some wiggle room by saying they were not at war with Islam, although they refused to speak against Vines’ remarks. Vines himself repeated his comments when asked to clarify them by reporters. Episcopalians responded by defending Islam in face of the attacks and other Christian ethicists concurred. “When Vines seeks to discredit the Islamic faith, he opens the Christian faith to stinging criticism about its own flaws,” said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Christian Ethics. Rounding out the criticism was a statement from the Anti-Defamation League, a rare show of support from an organization that otherwise refuses to meet with Muslim groups over accusations of hypocrisy on terrorism.

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com.  He is based in London, England.