Pastor James McConnell defended his sermon in which he derided the Muslim religion as a satanic faith

A second evangelical minister has publicly condemned Islam, comparing Muslim fundamentalists to Adolf Hitler.

Pastor Paul Burns of Adullam Christian Fellowship Church in Sandy Row, south Belfast, contacted the Belfast Telegraph yesterday to voice support for Pastor James McConnell.

"I understand exactly where he is coming from," he said.

"That is not building up hatred against Muslim people but the teaching of Islam. The Koran teaches that all infidels who do not convert to Islamic teaching, then it is correct to be able to kill all those who oppose the teaching of the Koran.

"When Pastor McConnell is talking about it as a direct teaching of Satan – it is.

"Hitler murdered over six-and-a-half million Jewish people. I would class him as Satanic. The people who are blowing up buses are told in the teaching of the Koran they are going to have 75 virgins who are going to wait upon them, whom he would have total control over.

"Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the way of salvation and teaches that God is the God of love, and teaches to repent of your sins. It doesn't teach to go out and murder in the name of Jesus Christ.

"It doesn't teach to go out and burn villages down."

Pastor Burns also voiced concern over halal meat being eaten in the UK.

"Halal meat had been coming across into the UK, into our schools where Muslim clerics have prayed over the food that is actually being given to our children, who are of a Christian nation," he said.

Adam Walker, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and commentator on Islam said: ''The comments of Pastor James McConnell and Pastor Paul Burns about Islam and Muslims are ignorant and medieval.

"The remarks of Pastor Burns are particularly unhelpful. The Qur'an clearly deems it against God's law to commit murder (Q. 5:33). In fact, if the pastors were to study the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they would find that he had great love for Christians and particularly for Christian clergy.

"I completely understand and share in the frustration and outrage caused by the tragic case of Mrs. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, who has been sentenced to death in Sudan on blasphemy charges after converting to Christianity.

"The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community immediately condemned this grave injustice. Freedom of religion is enshrined within Islamic law, with the Qur'an categorically stating that, 'there should be no compulsion in religion' (Q. 2:257), and that each person has a right to leave Islam (Q. 4:138) and to enjoy freedom of religious belief (Q. 109:7).

"Thankfully, both pastors are not representative of the vast majority of Christians and pastors who I have had the pleasure of meeting. Similarly, the twisted reading of Islam that calls people towards violence is in no way representative of the peace-loving Muslim community.''

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