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A Brisbane university lawyer expects to be sacked after posting a video of himself burning the Koran and Bible online.
Queensland University of Technology employee Alex Stewart has taken leave from his non-academic position as a commercial contracts lawyer.
The university is investigating the video in which Mr Stewart appears to smoke marijuana rolled in pages from the religious texts, before rating which "burns better".
The homemade video was posted on video sharing website YouTube on Friday.
Widespread criticism of the clip led The Islamic Association of Australia this morning to call on Muslims to remain calm.
The Catholic Church, QUT and the Queensland Law Society also have condemned the clip.
The video followed international outrage at a firebrand US pastor who threatened to burn 200 Korans to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Terry Jones was apparently persuaded to abandon the provocative ceremony by a promise to rethink plans to build a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero in New York.
Mr Stewart, an atheist, met QUT management this morning and agreed to take leave, a university spokeswoman said.
However, Mr Stewart fears he will not be allowed to return to the Brisbane campus.
"I'm screwed. I think I will lose my job over this. Damn it," he wrote on a website for Brisbane Atheists, of which he is an assistant organiser.
He wrote that the substance portrayed in the video was lawn clippings.
However, on the video he alluded to it being marijuana and pre-empted a police investigation.
"I probably won't appear on webcam again after the police come and arrest me," he says.
A spokeswoman this morning said police would not charge Mr Stewart.
"We haven't detected any criminal offences," the spokeswoman said.
During the 12-minute film Mr Stewart says he is performing an experiment to test whether the Islamic or Christian text is more conducive to burning.
He says people offended by the experiment are taking it "too seriously".
"It's just a f...ing book, who cares," Mr Stewart says.
"Like you can burn a flag and no one cares, people get over it so with respect to books like the Bible, the Koran, or whatever, just get over it."
The Islamic Association of Australia president urged "hurt" Muslims not to retaliate.
"Of course we're hurt ... but I would urge my Muslim fellow men to respond with caution and with responsibility," Sheik Muhammad Wahid said.
"They should be careful when they respond upon these issues. We are a community of tolerance [and] understanding.
"Of course people will be angry but I urge they should not take the law into their own hands and they should show their response in a positive way to explain [to] the whole Australian public that we must live in a way that we respect each other's faith and practices."
Sheik Wahid questioned Mr Stewart's motive for publishing such a video.
"This is very disturbing for us, not [just] for us, for everyone who respects other faiths and practices," he said.
A spokesman for the Catholic Church, Bishop Michael Putney, said Mr Stewart had caused "pain" to religious followers but he did not expect them to retaliate.
"I think some will get a bit cross with him and others will say what a silly fellow he is," Bishop Putney, who chairs the Australian Catholic Church's committee for ecumenism and inter-religious relations, said.
"[Mr Stewart] has caused pain in people and may incite anger in people and I don't think that's ever acceptable.
"I would think his behaviour gives atheism a bad name and I suspect the university will be a little bit embarrassed by what he's done."
QUT vice-chancellor Peter Coaldrake moved to distance the university from its employee.
"QUT does not condone the destruction of any religious artefacts. This was a personal view and action expressed in the person's own time," Professor Coaldrake said.
"[Mr Stewart] does not associate himself with QUT in the clip.
"QUT is tolerant of all religions and welcomes staff and students from many countries to our university and regularly celebrates their cultures and religions."
The Queensland Law Society condemned the clip but has not commented on Mr Stewart's status as a registered lawyer.
"The Queensland Law Society does not support or condone Mr Stewart's recent actions or views," chief executive Noela L'Estrange said.
Almost 1000 people around the world have watched the clip on YouTube, to mixed reviews.
Brisbane Atheist members have inundated the group’s website with support for Mr Stewart.
One member urges him to do a second experiment and recommends which religious texts to use.
In his profile on the site, Mr Stewart claims not to be a radical atheist.
"I consider there is insufficient evidence to support a supreme being and that there is even less evidence to support any particular religion," he says.
