The Muslim cleric who burned a bible in front of the US Embassy in response to a controversial anti-Muslim film has remained defiant in spite of a formal complaint being laid against him.
Abu Islam Ahmed Abdallah was participating in the protests against the controversial ‘Innocence of Muslims’ film which has generated violent demonstrations across the Muslim world on Tuesday when he tore pages from the bible and lit them on fire in front of an encouraging crowd.
Shortly after, protesters stormed the embassy, scaling its walls and removing the American flag.
The act is now the subject of a complaint with the public prosecutor but Abu Islam remains defiant.
“I did what I did with premeditation and a clear vision,” he told the Daily News Egypt after confirming the complaint had been laid.
Abu Islam said he did not recognise the bible as a holy book.
“I didn’t burn the bible, there is no book on the face of the earth called the bible from the Quran’s and the prophet’s point of view,” he said.
A video released by Al Omma TV, which is owned by Abu Islam, shows the cleric speaking through a megaphone to a crowd of supporters in the protest saying that the “time has come for us to quit the policy of disapproval condemnation and denunciation.”
Abu Islam said that “they” have shot and urinated over the Quran before. He held a copy of the Quran above his head, saying that was its rightful place before lifting up an English version of the bible and tearing it before a crowd of men crying “Allah is great”. The video also shows another book being burned.
“I am burning the book that is sacred to the dog Terry Jones,” Abu Islam added.
Terry Jones is an infamous American pastor who has previously called for the burning of copies of the Quran. He did in fact burn it along with a few others last April. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Jones has shown support for the movie and has promoted it.
Abu Islam’s son Abu Yousef, told the Daily News Egypt that they left before the Embassy walls were scaled and before the flag was taken down. “We went there for a specific purpose, to burn and step on the bible. After we did, we left quickly,” he said.
Abu Islam said that anyone who did not understand him could call him for an explanation but those who had a problem with it could bang their heads against “a concrete pole,” in reference to an Arabic expression.
