Terry Jones

Terry Jones (born October 1951) is an American anti-Islamic right-wing activist and the pastor of Dove World Outreach Center, a small nondenominational Christian church located, until July 2013, in Gainesville, Florida.

He is the president of a political group, Stand Up America Now.

Jones, a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, graduated from Cape Girardeau's Central High School in 1969.

He then attended Southeast Missouri State University for two years.

Jones worked as an assistant hotel manager in the late 1970s, then became an assistant pastor with Maranatha Campus Ministries in Kentucky.

He went to Cologne, Germany with his first wife to work as a missionary and founded and led the Christliche Gemeinde Köln (CGK) in 1981, with that church growing to as many as 1,000 members over the years, initially as a branch of the Maranatha Campus Ministries and a sister church to Dove World Outreach Center of Gainesville, Florida.

Jones received no academic degree in theology but was given an honorary degree from the unaccredited California Graduate School of Theology in 1983, which sought to disassociate itself from him during the 2010 Koran burning controversy.

His first wife, Lisa Jones, died in 1996, after which he married Sylvia Jones, with whom he runs TS and Company.

His daughter from his first marriage, Emma, has distanced herself from his beliefs and practices.

Terry Jones authored a book titled Islam Is of the Devil.

On September 18, 1997, Jones spoke during the First Session of the 105th Congress at a hearing before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Washington D.C., concerning the religious persecution of Christians in Europe.

While living in Germany, Jones was fined $3800 by a Cologne court for using the "doctor" title awarded with an honorary degree from an unaccredited school.

According to the German Evangelical Alliance, Jones was released from the leadership of the Christliche Gemeinde Köln in 2008 due to his indefensible theological statements and his craving for attention.

The Gainesville Sun reported that he left the church in Germany after being accused of fraud.

A leader of the Cologne church said that Jones "didn't project the biblical values and Christianity, but always made himself the center of everything."

German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that church members said Jones ran the Cologne church like a sect leader and used psychological pressure on members, "subordinating all activities to his will."

Der Spiegel reported that Jones had been ejected by Cologne church for creating "a climate of control and fear."

Following Jones' departure, the CGK closed, then reopened under new, independent, leadership.

Jones came to lead the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida church by way of his association with the Maranatha Campus Ministries.

In July 2009, Dove World Outreach Center posted a sign on its lawn which stated in large red letters "Islam is of the Devil," resulting in objections from the community and media attention.

Students from the church attended area schools in August 2009 wearing T-shirts with "Islam is of the Devil" printed on the back, for which they were sent home.

Jones believes Islam promotes violence and that Muslims want to impose sharia law in the United States.

He did not become widely known until after announcing plans to burn copies of the Koran.

He first gained national and international attention in 2010 for his plan to burn Qurans, the scripture of the Islamic religion, on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks and for burning the Koran afterward.

In October 2010, Jones founded the political organization, Stand Up America Now.

The plan to burn Korans was first announced on Twitter on July 12, 2010, and was promoted on Facebook and on YouTube.

National and International discussion, objections and protests contributed to extensive media coverage.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "It's regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida with a church of no more than fifty people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan and get, you know, the world's attention."

The commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus said, "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community."

On October 27, 2011, Jones announced that he was running for President of the United States, as an independent candidate, with no political party affiliation.

His platform calls for the deportation of all illegal immigrants, withdrawal of American troops abroad, and a reduction in bureaucracy and corporate tax rates.

Jones was an independent candidate in the 2012 and 2016 United States presidential elections.

In March 2013, Florida media sources reported that Jones, with Dove World Outreach Center, and the organization Stand Up America Now plan to leave Gainesville, Florida and move to Tampa, Florida.

In August 2013, the Bradenton Herald reported that the Pastor had purchased property near Bradenton and planned to move his ministry there.

Jones relocated to Bradenton, Florida, breaking with most of his 15-member flock at Dove Outreach, but retaining his associate pastor Wayne Sapp.

In 2015, Jones opened a Fry Guys Gourmet Fries stand at a mall in Bradenton, selling Buffalo wings and speaking his mind until later in the week when a mall manager, concerned about potential trouble, requested him to stay out of the mall, remove photos of himself from the premises and take his name off the lease, though he remains an owner of the company.

He also owns a furniture moving company, TSC, with his brother.

TSC deliveries became backlogged and received consumer complaints shortly after the January 15 Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015 raised concerns about al Qaida.

In 2017, Jones was reported to have worked as a driver for Uber's ride-hailing service.

He was removed by the company after a report that accused him of sharing anti-Islamic messages with passengers.