At the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in north Belfast in May 2014, Pastor James McConnell called Islam “satanic” and “heathen”. Accused...
At the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in north Belfast in May 2014, Pastor James McConnell called Islam “satanic” and “heathen”. Accused of a hate crime, he is now standing trial this week (December 14-16).
His sermon was streamed online and he is being “charged with improper use of a public electronic communications network and causing a grossly offensive message to be sent by means of a public electronic communications network,” according to BBC.
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| Belfast Pastor on Trial for Calling Islam “Satanic” |
In this sermon, McConnell said, “People say there are good Muslims in Britain – that may be so – but I don’t trust them. Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell.”
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| Belfast Pastor On Trial For Calling Islam “Satanic” |
However, McConnell denies the severity of his words. In a personal statement on his website he wrote,
“The Public Prosecution Service, a year ago, accused me of a ‘hate’ crime, but the Police proved it was not. I have never hated anybody in my life and that includes Muslims.
I was given a so-called ‘informed’ warning but I refused it because what I said I believed and I believed it was right.
They came back, a year later, saying I had transgressed against the Communications Act as my sermon was heard all over the world via the Internet! By the way, they are still being heard all over the world!”
He explained a story he heard about a Muslim woman who converted to Christianity who was to be tortured for her faith. Fortunately, she wasn’t and is now safe.
He continued, “This was my main reason for preaching that sermon. Surely a so-called ‘religious’ organization (who brutally would do this to a young woman; mutilating thousands of women; and imprisoning, torturing, crucifying and beheading thousands of men) ought to be branded ‘satanic’!”
