A man who torched a Qur’an while off-duty was fired from his job as a New Jersey transit worker, according to the NY Daily News.
Derek Fenton, 39, tore pages out of a Qur’an and lit the Muslim Holy book on fire in front of the planned NY mosque near ground zero on the anniversary of Sept. 11.
Fenton told reporters that he was protesting the planned construction of the controversial mosque.
After burning the Qur’an, Fenton was escorted to jail by police. “He said, ‘This is America,’ and he wanted to stand up for it, in a Tea Party kind of way,” a police source said.
But police say Fenton looked like he was having second thoughts about his actions after being released from jail.
“He looked nervous, like he was starting to think it wasn’t such a good idea,” the police source said.
On Monday Fenton learned he was terminated from his job after 11 years at NJ Transit.
NJ Transit said Fenton was fired but wouldn’t give specifics. “Mr. Fenton’s public actions violated New Jersey Transit’s code of ethics,” an agency statement said.
“NJ Transit concluded that Mr. Fenton violated his trust as a state employee and therefore [he] was dismissed.” [read more]
According to the Daily News, neighbors in Fenton’s town described him as a “family man” who “loves his kids and he loves trains.”
“Good for him for burning the Koran,” neighbor Jacqui Marquez, 40, said.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” she added. “By firing him, they’re sending a message that there’s no freedom of speech. They’re completely wrong for doing this.”
