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VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, October 2003: A court case seen to be legal challenge to Christians’ freedom to question the validity of other religions is now underway in Australia. It is worth following as Hindus may also be able to prevent attacks under the same laws. Two Christian pastors accused of vilifying Islam at a seminar to explain the teachings of Islam to Christians appeared before a tribunal in the state of Victoria on October 15, 2003. Muslims who attended the seminar organized by a Christian organization, Catch the Fire Ministries, claimed they were horrified by what they heard and took up the matter with the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) which then took the case, under new anti-discrimination legislation, to a state body called the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC). EOC mediation efforts failed, and the ICV and the three individual Muslims took the pastors to a tribunal set up under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. In their response, the pastors said, “Many of the complaints were about statements that are in fact part of the foundations of Islam, some taken straight from the Quran.” Some statements were taken out of context, while others were inaccurate, when compared to recordings of the seminar. A Christian ethical action group called Saltshakers is closely following the case. Executive officer Peter Stokes said all Christians in the state were affected by the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act “if they stand up and declare the truth.” “The Christian gospel — that Jesus died to save the world and there is no other way to gain eternal life — is going to be offensive to followers of other faiths because it exposes their religions as “false,” he said. Click here for the Catch the Fire Ministries home page, and here for a description of the group and the related “Toronto Blessing” movement, considered a “cult” by some Christians.

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