I always enjoy reading through the semi-monthly publication Mission Catalyst. The folks there gather together snippets of mission-related news from around the world, email it to you, and give you the links so you can read the complete story if you like. Really a valuable service. Thanks!
In today's issue which I just got in my inbox, there is an interesting story about tolerance in Algeria, may God prospoer that country and the church there. Here is a part of it:
The incident took place in Ain El-Hammam, a town in the province of Tizi Ouzou about 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Algerian capital. Tizi Ouzou is part of Kabylie, an area of Algeria where the country’s Protestant church has grown with relative freedom in recent years.
Officers at a nearby police station saw the two men eating and confronted them for not fasting. When police realized the two men were Christians, they accused them of insulting Islam, according to local French-language press reports.
“I do not apologize for anything, and I regret nothing,” Fellak said before the verdict, according to Dernieres Nouvelles d’Algerie. “I have the right to not fast. I am a Christian, and until found guilty, the Algerian constitution guarantees respect for individual freedoms.”
The rest of the story is here.
4 comments:
The question on my mind is, would such an acquital establish a precedent or would it be treated as an isolated case? My understanding (admittedly negligible) of Islamic jursiprudence is that they do not have the Western concepts of precedent or stare decisis, so what one judge decides can be ignored by other judges in identical cases. I am glad that these men won their case, but I wonder if it will have any impact on the culture at large.
The case was decided according to civil law (ie, secular law) so I think stare decisis will not apply. Had it been a shari'a case, it might apply.
What a story to show the tolerance of muslims,
Two selfish and disrespected persons, eating and drinking in a muslim country, on the day of Ramadan, in front of all muslims who are hungry and thirsty because of fasting.. What the muslims did to them?? they took them to the judge who released them because there is no punishment for such stupidity …
If you want to take an example of Islam tolerance, read the Biography of prophet Muhammad (PBUH) how he didn’t say NO to someone asked him something ever in his life, unless it’s against Islam..
But, let’s take one of the tolerance stories in the bible, that every time I read it I feel sad:
Imagine a woman had a sick daughter asking a doctor to check her and treat her, and he answered her I don’t treat “dogs” because she is from a different race, and his followers are screaming on her so not to follow them, untill she admitted that she is like a dog in her weakness, then he treated her..
Imagine such thing happens now, what will happen to this doctor, how many cases will be charged for??
The story:
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
[Mathew 15:22-28]
Abdullah, how would you feel if Muslims were arrested for eating meat on Friday during Lent in a Catholic country? Those Christians had the right to eat if they wanted to. They weren't Muslim. They didn't have to follow Muslim rules. No compulsion in religion, either.
As far as Jesus and the woman with the sick daughter is concerned--how do you know if he wasn't testing her faith to see if she was a true believer?
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