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Blasphemy in Pakistan and Australia: Contrasting Responses - Teh_Curious - 01-25-2007
December 8, 2006
Blasphemy--Gary Lane
Last week, Muslim students in Australia committed blasphemous acts against the Bible.
One male teen apparently urinated on a Bible, spat on it and then tore and burned some pages from the book. Another student tore and burned pages from the Bible while a third teen rolled up pages “like a cigarette and pretended to smoke” them.
The Australian reports three teenage students performed the acts of desecration while attending the Easton Preston College school camp in Bacchus Marsh near Melbourne.
What was the reaction from the Australian Christian community? Christians were offended, but there were no riots in the streets, no burning of mosques, no calls for the teens to be lynched.
In contrast, one year ago a crowd of 2,000 Muslims burned two churches and a convent school in the Pakistani town of Sangla Hill after rumors spread alleging that Christian Yousaf Masih had set fire to pages of the Koran. The mob called for Masih’s immediate death. He was taken into police custody and that probably saved his life. He was jailed for three months and released in February of this year when the Lahore court declared him innocent.
Also, late last month a married Christian couple, Boota Bibi and James Masih were asked to burn garbage from a Muslim store. Koranic papers were discovered in the fire as the garbage pile burned. An angry mob threatened to destroy Christian homes and churches, but police controlled the crowd by arresting the couple. James and Boota are illiterate and did not know they were burning pages of the Islamic holy book. A Pakistani judge has sentenced the couple to 15 years in prison for burning the Koran.
Few Islamic leaders in Pakistan urged restraint in these two incidents.
But in Australia, teachers at the Islamic school responded quickly, expressing “grave concern” about the Bible desecration and “inculcation of hatred and radical attitudes towards non-Muslims” at the school. Principal Shaheem Doutie apologized for the “horrible act” and two of the students involved were expelled, the others were suspended.
Easton Preston officials should be applauded for their response and Islamic officials in Pakistan should learn a few lessons from the Australian example. They should urge restraint and tolerance by Muslims when Christians are simply accused of wrongdoing against them.
As for the Australian Christians—
They should be given praise for responding in a Christ-like manner. They were offended, yes. But they forgave their offenders so our ‘Father in Heaven may forgive” our sins. (Mark 11:25)