Qur’an burning American pastor barred from entering Canada

A controversial American pastor, who sparked outrage for burning the Qur’an and was scheduled to debate a local imam at Queen’s Park on Thursday, will not be allowed into Canada in time for the evening rally.

Event organizer Allan Einstoss said Terry Jones was turned back at the Detroit-Windsor border after being held there for five hours. Jones was told he was barred from entering the country when officials could not verify whether or not he had a criminal record in the U.S., he said.

Einstoss decried the decision to keep Jones from attending a multifaith debate on freedom of speech, which was slated to take place in front of the Ontario legislature on Thursday evening.

He poured scorn on the official reason for the denial, saying it defied logic.

“In terms of checking for criminal records, I would make the assumption that’s what they do on a daily basis,” Einstoss said in a telephone interview.

Jones told CityNews customs officers had thoroughly searched his car and luggage and questioned him in an interrogation room three times.

He said he was denied entry to Canada because of a charge related to a rally planned in Dearborn, Mich., which he said he beat on appeal.

He is considering whether to get the papers he needs to visit Canada.

Jones was supposed to discuss another controversy with imam Steve Rockwell of the Sheikh Deedat mosque in front of the provincial legislature at 6 p.m. They would have debated whether the Innocence of Muslims, the film that sparked protests in the Middle East, should be shown in public.

A trailer for the film on YouTube angered many Muslims over its negative depiction of the Prophet Mohammad.

The event was being organized by the groups For Love of Our Charter and Canadians United Against Terror.

“We have been inundated with requests from various controversial figures, (from both sides) wanting to participate in this event,” For Love of Our Charter says on its Facebook page.  

Others set to speak at the event included authors Masud Ansari and Bikram Lamba, and Ron Banerjee, director of Canadian Hindu Advocacy.

Banerjee is no stranger to controversy. Last year he was an outspoken opponent of Muslim prayer sessions at Valley Park Middle School. After voicing his opinions, Canada’s largest Hindu group, Canadian Hindu Network, said Banerjee’s views were not representative of mainstream Hindus.

Last month, Banerjess said his group wanted to screen the Innocence of Muslims in Toronto.

Jones, who was barred from England and Germany, heads the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida. After threatening to burn the Muslim holy book in 2010, he burned copies of the Qur’an in April and received a fine from local police.

Innocence of Muslims was allegedly made by California fraudster Nakoula Basseley Nakoula.

With files from The Canadian Press