Truth has always been an absolute defense to defamation. This is the law in all Anglo jurisdictions. The King should never punish you for speaking the truth.

Posted by: David England at May 5, 2005 7:37 AM

Judge Higgins replied that he regarded his being made a party as "inappropriate."

Why can`t his judgement be questioned? Seems to me he`s neither an authority on the Koran nor is he a historian specialising on muslims.
Rather he sounds like an ignoramus.

Posted by: hutchrun at May 5, 2005 7:46 AM

This is what is so terrifying:

He said his nephew was killed in Pakistan by Islamic extremists

He went to Australia and found himself persecuted by the same kind of religious fanatic that hounded Christians and killed his nephew in Pakistan. How have we come to a situation in which the writ of the Islamists runs to so called Western liberal democracies? And remember,it happens everywhere, dont forget the Coptic lecturer in a college in America who was threatened by an Egyptian Muslim lecturer, who made sinister threats to his family in Egypt.

Posted by: Zico at May 5, 2005 9:13 AM

Hutch:

I'm not an expert on legal processes in Canada let alone Australia, but this smells of an unusual way to question the way a judge conducted a trial at a lower court. Appeals are of themselves "trials of trials" and not -- except in the most unusual circumstances -- a second trial of fact.

Posted by: waterdragon52 at May 5, 2005 10:14 AM

BUT YOU CAN BET THAT IF A MUSLIM SAYS A CHRISTIAN IS A LOW_LIFE SCUM SUCKING PIG, that'll be OKIE DOKIE. Unreal.

BRAVO! Good for that minister. We must stand up and we must do it now. TOO Late and we'll all be dead.

Posted by: Owl at May 5, 2005 10:30 AM

Judges in Australia are- for the most part- pompous farts and ignoramuses. Some still insist on being addressed as "your worship". (I live here, my experience is not good)

We should do everything we possibly can to help this priest to have his conviction overturned and to get this idiocy out so that people get the message about how they are being played.

Posted by: Terminator at May 5, 2005 12:15 PM

This text is based on a 3rd century prayer used in Synagogue worship on High Holidays

Our first record of its use by Christians was in 1171 in France, after they had witnessed it sung by Jewish martyers at the hour of their death.

--------------------

Let us adore the everliving G-d

and render praise unto Him,

Who spread out the heavens

and established the earth,

and whose glory

is revealed in the heavens above

and whose greatness

is manifest throughout the whole earth.

He is our G-d,

there is no one else.
-----------
My G-d bless those who stand up for righteousness sake.

Posted by: Carolyn2 at May 5, 2005 12:37 PM

"And the truth will set you free" ; well maybe--except in Australia. Just think! most of us on JH could be subject to arrest for are comments on the intolerant,antisemitic, totalitarian religion that fundamental Islam is. Imagine if we where denied our first amendment rights in America to criticize religion . As you know, it could happen here as the attempt has been made in Britain, Canada, and some European countries. Can you see yourself coming up against a judge who doesn't have a clue as to what Islam is all about as well as the ignorant law makers who passed the bill into law in Australia clearly where. Yep thats it ; keep putting your collective heads in the sand and hope it will all go away some day. Unfortunatley as we all know ,that day will not come. The acts of terrorism against free societies and those who call out for them are only going to increase sadly as they have been for over half a century now.

Posted by: Mackie at May 5, 2005 12:38 PM

Crikey, Tahminata - y'ought ta gat them jedges in a roight little head-clamp, ouw tells ya, and give em a little tickle on tha tummy! Puts em roight ta sleep!

For are they not like crocodiles?: sharp of tooth, slow of wit, ponderous, cold-blooded and not easily stirred in the morning.

Geoff

Posted by: Geoff at May 5, 2005 12:48 PM

Pastor Scot is a brave man. May God bless him and free him from this travesty of "justice".

I hope every media outlet in Australia runs this horrid story and that the outcry frees Pastor Scot immediately!

Posted by: Freedom1 at May 5, 2005 1:38 PM

Pastor Scott is martyr.

Geoff: Faiuh Dinkum.

Posted by: Kepha at May 5, 2005 9:38 PM

Shouldn't every Muslim preacher in Australia also then be thrown in jail -by this same indefensible law- for speaking the same words (from the Koran) that the Catch The Fire pastor tried to read out in court in his defense but was forbidden to utter as hatespeech?

(What's in the Fosters lately, mates? Saltpeter?)

The justice in Oz sounds like it's upside down.

Posted by: BigSleep at May 5, 2005 9:40 PM

Lucky the pastor is in Australia. At least it is better than at Iran. Well maybe not for much longer.

Read this (these).

http://www.compassdirect.org/en/lead.php

(The URL above may change but there you can see some photos of the people in the story)

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/1327905.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/1327905.html

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/1327905.html

http://www.compassdirect.org/en/lead.php

Lead story - Saturday April 30, 2005

IRAN : VENUE FOR APOSTASY TRIAL CHANGED

Convert pastor to be tried in southern Iran.

April 30 (Compass) -- Iranian authorities abandoned preliminary hearings against Christian convert Hamid Pourmand before an Islamic sharia court in Tehran last week, apparently after news of his trial leaked out to the international press.

Less than two weeks after secretive court proceedings began against the Protestant lay pastor, officials informed his lawyer and family that he was to be moved from Tehran’s Evin Prison to his home city of Bandar-i Bushehr to stand trial for his life.

No indication was given as to when Pourmand would be transferred to one of several prisons in the southern port city.

Nor did officials specify when he would actually go on trial, facing the death penalty under the Islamic regime’s laws forbidding apostasy and proselytizing.

Second Trial for Pourmand

Pourmand, 47, was arrested by the Iranian security police last September for deserting Islam 25 years ago to become a Christian. A former colonel in the Iranian army, he was serving as lay pastor of an Assemblies of God congregation in Bandar-i Bushehr.

After five months in solitary confinement, he was convicted by a military court martial in mid February for “deceiving the Iranian armed forces” about his conversion; he was sentenced to three years in prison. Judges at the military tribunal declared the written evidence that his army superiors knew about his Christian faith to be “falsified documents.”

Iran’s Islamic law statutes forbid a non-Muslim to hold any position of authority over Muslims.

For the past two months, Pourmand has been jailed in Tehran in a group cell with a number of well-known political dissidents. He had lost nearly 40 pounds while undergoing interrogation in the first five months of strict isolation.

Legal Rights Ignored

“The prisons in Bandar-i Bushehr are terrible,” one Iranian source commented. “By law, he should be allowed visitors once or twice a week. But in Iran, nobody pays any attention to the law.”

According to rapporteurs of two working groups monitoring arbitrary detention and free expression in Iran under the auspices of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Iranian judiciary routinely ignores the legal rights of citizens subjected to arrest and imprisonment.

“The rapporteurs have observed the use of arbitrary procedures by the judicial institutions violating the most basic rights of defendants, who are tried in secret hearings without a lawyer being present,” declares the groups’ report. They also noted “very harsh prison conditions, including long periods in solitary confinement, that are equivalent to torture.”

family
Hamid's wife and sons
Family Suffering

Pourmand’s officer salary was suspended at the time of his arrest, with his entire pension cancelled after his military court conviction. Although court orders were issued immediately to evict his family from their army housing, local authorities in Bandar-i Bushehr have postponed the eviction of his wife and two teenage sons until the end of the current school term.

“Hamid’s wife and sons feel very alone now,” an Iranian source told Compass. “They are isolated, without any source of income, and no place to go when summer comes.” Reportedly, local church leaders are under such government pressure that they do not dare to have any contact with her and the children.

Posted by: Informed Christian at May 5, 2005 10:06 PM

The laws used in the Catch the Fires case are applicable only in the state of Victoria - although the NSW government is making noises about adopting a version of the same law, so we should be on our guard.

Terminator is right - a lot of Australian judges are a total disgrace. In Sydney, where I live, one judge is under fire for falling asleep during his cases. Many incompetent and inexperienced female judges have been appointed to meet feminist demands. Not only are judges addressed as Your Worship, or Your Honour, everyone in the courtroom is expected to bow to the judge when they enter or leave.

On the other hand, many Aussies are aware of the possible threat from this kind of law, and they are also aware of how strongly Muslims are pushing their own agenda - and their own big mouths, which they dont know how to keep shut, are alerting people to the fact that there are people in our society who hate us and want us dead.

If they send this pastor to prison, it will wake up more Australians - they may even ask why this man is in prison while a Muslim sheik who blamed women for their own rape walks free.

Posted by: DianaC at May 5, 2005 11:19 PM

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

ARTICLE 19

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION: THIS RIGHT INCLUDES FREEDOM TO HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE AND TO SEEK, RECEIVE AND IMPART INFORMATION AND IDEAS THROUGH ANY MEDIA AND REGARDLESS OF FRONTIERS.

Let's look real hard at a critical aspect of Article 19, and that's the freedom "to seek, receive and impart information and ideas". Not only have Mr. Scot's human rights been violated, but yours have been violated, as well.

Posted by: Mike at May 5, 2005 11:53 PM

Where can we voice support for this brave man, and some way to tell the appropriate aussi govt that we, the world, are watching.

Posted by: dby at May 6, 2005 12:27 AM

DianaC:

Let's watch this closely! We need to get organized and get some support happening for this priest (wasn't there another one too?)

I am pretty busy right now , business is down and I spend a lot of time in the studio recording more anti-Jihad songs.In another 6-7 weeks I hope to have more time. If we can get some sponsors perhaps we can start Jihad Watch/Australia!

In the meantime, let him ride:

http://www.terrorists-suck.org/fight/winds_of_jihad.html

one more: (not by me)
http://www.faithfreedom.org/audio/Islamsnot4me.htm

Posted by: Terminator at May 6, 2005 4:37 AM

Terminator - I think the problem is that most Aussies are incredulous that anyone would want to come to this country - supposedly for a new life - yet drag all this medieval garbage along with them. And unless they spend time on the internet, they are not aware of the problem - the MSM certainly doesnt report much about the antisocial behaviour of Muslims in Europe.

My sister has just come back after living and working in Europe for the past five years - she saw with her own eyes what Muslims are doing there, so between us, we have managed to open some eyes to the danger.

The Schapelle Corby case is also opening some Aussie eyes - I read today that Australian travel agents are intending to stop publicising Bali as a holiday destination.

I wonder how Keysar Trad and his mates would react to an Australian jihadwatch -

Posted by: DianaC at May 6, 2005 7:34 AM