Friday, September 02, 2011

Pastor Sentenced For Blocking Access While Proselytizing At Islamic Center

A state court trial judge in Wichita, Kansas has sentenced Wichita pastor Mark Holick after a jury last month convicted him on charges of loitering and disrupting a local business. The jury trial in the state district court came after an appeal from a Municipal Court conviction.  According to yesterday's Wichita Eagle, Holick, the pastor of Spirit One Christian Ministry, was arrested when he and a dozen followers went to Wichita's Islamic Center and attempted to hand out Bibles to Muslims arriving to celebrate Ramadan. Holick blocked access to the driveway at the Center and created a disturbance, marching in place when police ordered him to move to a public sidewalk. The court sentenced Holick to 12 months unsupervised probation, a fine of $300 and ordered him to stay at least 1000 fee away from the Islamic Center. During his sentencing hearing, Holic gave a 15 minute speech quoting Bible verses and invoking his 1st Amendment rights. Holick told the court: "I am not your enemy. Islam is. The Lord said there will be no other gods before me."