MELBOURNE, June 22, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News
Agencies) An Australian court on Wednesday, June 22, ordered two pastors
to apologize for anti-Muslim remarks.
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
found Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot of the Evangelical Order Catch the
Fire Ministry guilty of vilifying Muslims made during a seminar in March
2002, reported The Australian daily.
VCAT deputy president Michael Higgins said the two
breached the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act by giving the remarks in
speech, comments on a Web site and in a newsletter.
They had described Muslims as liars and demons,
accused them of planning to take over Australia and claimed that Islam was
inherently a violent religion.
The Religious and Racial Tolerance Act says a person
must not incite hatred against, serious contempt for or revulsion or
severe ridicule of another person or group on the basis of religious
belief or activity.
Judge Higgins ordered the two pastors to publish an
apology on the Catch the Fire Web site, in its newsletter and in two
metropolitan newspapers.
Muslim organizations in Australia estimate the number
of Muslims in the country at 350,000.
Welcomed
The ruling was welcomed by Australian Muslims, said
The Sunday Times.
"We're satisfied with the remedies," said Waleed Aly,
a member of the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) executive
committee.
The ICV had lodged a complaint with the VCAT accusing
the two pastors of violating the Racial and Religious Tolerance
Act.
"We only ever asked for modest remedies. We never
sought any monetary compensation," Ali said.
"We just hope commonsense prevails now and we can move
on."
The ICV is the umbrella organization of Islamic
societies in Victoria and their sole representative body to Australian
government and Australian community at large.
It is a member of the Australian Federation of Islamic
Council (AFIC), the umbrella organization of all Islamic councils in
Australia.
"No Apology"
Adamant Nalliah described himself as a martyr for free
speech, stressing he would go to jail before apologizing to the Australian
Muslims, The Australian said.
"We will go to prison for standing for the truth and
not sacrifice our freedom and freedom to speak."
Nalliah faces up to three months in jail and a fine of
up to $7000 if he defied the VCAT order, which he vowed to challenge in
the Victorian Supreme Court.
The pastor also opened his salvoes at Victoria's
vilification laws.
