December 17, 2004
By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Two Australian Christian pastors have been found guilty of vilifying Muslims.
The decision was handed down in Melbourne on Dec. 17.
In a press release, Bill Muehlenberg, the National Vice-President of The Australian Family Association (www.family.org.au) said the decision could “could mark the beginning of the end of freedom of speech in Australia, and the official restriction of proclaiming the Christian gospel.”
Judge Higgins said, according to the same release, that the two pastors, Daniel Scot ( a former Muslim), and Danny Nalliah, breached section 8 of Australia’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 which says a person cannot engage in conduct that “incites hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, that other person or class of persons.”
While exemptions are in place, Muehlenberg said, for “‘any genuine academic, artistic, religious or scientific purposes or any purpose that is in the public interest,’ the judge found that these exceptions did not here apply, because the person’s conduct could ‘not be regarded as reasonable and in good faith.’”
However, Muehlenberg, said, section 9 of the Act says a “‘person's motive in engaging in any conduct is irrelevant.’ If so, how can one be accused of acting in bad faith? Who decides what is reasonable here or unreasonable?”
Higgins said, according to the release, that Scot “failed to differentiate between Muslims throughout the world, that he preached a literal translation of the Quran and of Muslims’ religious practices which were not mainstream.”
Muehlenberg said that “Most Muslims would of course object to this, arguing that they do adhere to a literal understanding and translation of the Quran. And how does a secular judge with no expertise in religion make such decisions, when Islamic scholars themselves are divided on such crucial questions of theology, interpretation and exegesis?”
Much of what Higgins considered offensive, Muehlenberg said, was just quotations from the Quran itself.
“To argue that quoting a religious book makes one guilty of vilification would put 98% of religious discussions out of bounds,” Muehlenberg said. “The truth is, probably the majority of what any Christian has said or written about other faiths will be found to be vilifying, based on the decisions of the judge. Many of us are now liable for jail terms or hefty fines.”
Muehlenberg expressed serious concern about the judge’s decision, saying “This could well be the beginning of a government-sanctioned crackdown on Christianity in Victoria. And if some Federal Labor MP’s have their way, national laws would be introduced as well, threatening believers right across the country. This decision must serve as a wake up call to all believers.”
According to its web site, “The Australian Family Association is a voluntary, ecumenical, non party political organization which has been formed to provide a forum and a vehicle for those individuals and organizations in the community concerned with the strengthening and support of the family. Founded over 25 years ago, the AFA is Australia's leading family advocacy group.”
Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico and is a candidate for the Ph.D. in intercultural education at Biola University in Los Angeles. He is married with five children and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at reynalds@joyjunction.org. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A black and white JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at assistcomm@cs.com.
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s04120068.htm