Christians Under Attack

The East Preston Islamic School in Melbourne was the center of controversy last week, when it was revealed that two students had been expelled for desecrating a Bible. The incident happened at the end of November, when 33 teenage Muslim pupils had been on a school camp at Bacchus Marsh, 36 miles west of Melbourne.

One student urinated on the Bible, tore out some pages and burnt them, followed by spitting on the book. Another student "tore pages from the Holy Bible and then he rolled it up like a cigarette and pretended to smoke it."

The school receives Aus $ 3.9 million (US $3,071,942) annually, in state and federal funding. The principal, Shaheem Doutie, said he was appalled by the incident, and commissioned an imam from Newport mosque to lecture the school's 650 pupils that the Bible and Christianity should be respected by Muslims.

22 of the school's teachers had signed a petition which included the statement: "This whole incident implies a deep hatred inculcated in the students towards the Christians/non-Muslim teachers."

Half of the school's teachers are non-Muslims, and it was subsequently related by one non-Muslim teacher that he had witnessed students being shown an extremist video. The video was of a lecture by British convert Abdur-Raheem Green, (born Ashley Green) who argued that non-Muslim Australians are "evil people". On the video Green urged Muslims to openly condemn Christianity and turn people to Islam.

The widespread publicity given to this case has now brought a negative reaction from at least one non-Muslim. Samir Mohandis, a member of the East Preston Islamic School's board was inside the school at around 4.45 pm on Friday. A man wearing a grey T-shirt and dark trousers, and apparently with a gun entered the school grounds.

The man, who was in his 30s with straight brown hair and of slightly above average height, approached Mr Mohandis and physically attacked him.

Mr Mohandis said that the man told him that his name was "Jesus". Jesus has a muscular build and bears a tattoo on his right forearm. The school official told Southern Cross Broadcasting: "I still have scars to my head".

Security at the school will be increased. Police said that the attacker was not known to Mr Mohandis and had said nothing to indicate that the attack was racially motivated.