Sydney, Janaury 03: The distribution of an offensive pamphlet depicting a Muslim man physically abusing a woman and a child and alleging that the practice is condoned by the Islamic teachings is sparking a storm of condemnations from Australian Muslims.
“We are sad about it, we don’t agree with the booklet or its logic,” Yusef Mansuri, the vice-president of the Islamic Society of the ACT, told Canberra Times on Tuesday, January 3.
“But that said, Australia is a democratic country and people are entitled to express themselves.”
Offensive pamphlets were distributed to homes throughout Queanbeyan during Christmas holidays.
The pamphlet, entitled Is Allah Like You?, depicts a Muslim man physically abusing a woman and a child and an Islamic elder condoning the violence as acceptable in his faith.
Drawn as comics, the story goes till the man converts to Christianity and learns the error of his ways.
The pamphlets were published by Chick Publications, a United States-based evangelical company.
Yet, it was not clear who distributed the pamphlets as several church groups in the town denied responsibility.
The word “beating” of wives is used in a verse of the Qur’an, but scholars maintain it does not mean “physical abuse”.
Scholars stressed that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) generally used to discourage his followers from taking even this measure.
There is no record of the Prophet striking one of his wives; rather, he would withdraw when angered.
In Islam, the marriage of a man and a woman is not merely a financial and physical arrangement of living together but a sacred contract, a gift of God, to lead a happy, enjoyable life.
Un-Christian
Mansuri questioned the legality of the offensive material, describing it as running counter to Christian teachings.
“They have a very narrow view on the message of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Founded by Jack Chick, Chick Publications is responsible for more than 100 cartoon booklets targeting different issues from Catholicism, Mormonism to homosexuality and evolutionary theory.
According to its website, its founder converted to Christianity nearly 50 years ago and has dedicated his cartoons to convert others to his faith.
Mansuri invited those interested in learning more about Australia’s Islamic community to attend an open day at their local mosque.
“We would like to emphasize that Jesus Christ is our beloved prophet,” he said.
“I don’t think he would have condoned such behavior, especially at this time of year.”
Muslims, who have been in Australia for more than 200 years, make up 1.7 percent of its 20-million population.
Islam is the country’s second largest religion after Christianity.
Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.
In the Noble Qur’an, Jesus is called “Isa”. He is also known as Al-Masih (the Christ) and Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).
As for his crucifixion, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was lifted up to heaven. Muslims believe that Jesus will come back to earth before the end of time to restore peace and order, fight the Anti-Christ (Al-Masih Al-Dajjal) and bring victory for truth and righteousness.
The true followers of Jesus will prevail over those who deny him, misrepresent him and reject him.