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Mediation ends row between Aussie evangelicals and Muslims
Mediation and handshakes have ended a five-year racial vilification battle between an evangelical Christian group and Victorian Muslims.The Catch The Fire Ministries sparked a row with the Islamic Council of Victoria in 2002 when it claimed in a newsletter that Muslims were demons training to make Australia an Islamic state. The newsletter also claimed that the Koran promoted violence and killing and that Muslims derived money from drugs. Catch the Fire pastor Daniel Nalliah said he was relieved the long-running case, which was settled in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after a hearing in the Victorian Court of Appeal, was now over. No one expected it to be so prolonged, Mr Nalliah said. He said the two parties were able to resolve the matter after seven hours of mediation last Friday. The mediation brought two communities to a closer relationship there was a lot of good will and a lot of shaking of hands, Mr Nalliah said. It was the first case to be heard by the tribunal under Victorias 2002 Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. In a joint statement, the council, Mr Nalliah and Pastor Daniel Scot, who aired the offending comments at a seminar, said they recognised the rights of all to express their own religious beliefs, while also recognising everyones dignity and worth. The joint statement said the two communities would also recognise the right to robustly debate religion within the limits of the law, including the right to criticise the religious belief of another in a free, open and democratic society. Posted by: ryuge 2007-06-26 |
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