Muslim Insulters Of Virgin Mary Forced To Re-Study Qur'an, Judge Rules

A Lebanese judge sentenced three men guilty of “contempt of religion” for insulting the Virgin Mary, forcing them to learn about the Holy Qur’an’s Surat Al-Omran that glorifies both the Christian figures of Mary and Jesus Christ.

Referring to the law as “a school and not just a prison,” Christian judge Joceline Matta was widely applauded across Lebanon for the sentence that she she said “aimed to educate the men on Islam’s reverence for Virgin Mary,” Arab News reports. The Muslim boys had been found guilty earlier this week on contempt of religion charges that refers to both physical defacement and verbal insults of nearly all religious figures.

Islam regards Jesus as a prophet in the Quran, while the Virgin Mary is also highly regarded throughout the sacred Muslim text. As historian Giancarlo Finazzo notes, “In addition to being the object of as many as thirty-four direct or indirect references, Mary also gives Sura XIX its name and is its central figure as the mother of Jesus,” he writes.

The judge’s sentence forces the men to learn and memorize several verses related to the Virgin Mary, including the Al-Omran surah, which reads: “And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.’”

Although it is unclear exactly what criminal act the Muslim boys committed under the contempt of religion law, Lebanon is a country that seeks the “teaching of common ideas” as a means of avoiding its violent past of sectarian violence. Lebanon has strict laws related to insults directed at other religious sects. An estimated 120,000 people were killed in the 1975-1990 religious-based infighting between Muslims, Christians and Druze factions.

Under Lebanon’s constitution promoting religious harmony, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, the parliamentary speaker must be a Shiite Muslim and the president must be a Maronite Christian.

Judge Matta’s decision resonated across the Middle East, with Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri tweeting earlier this week, “A salute to judge of investigations in North of Lebanon chief Jocelyn Matta. Her ruling against the three young men in Virgin Mary’s case, and sentencing them to memorize the Holy Qur’an’s Surat Al-Omran, is the epitome of justice and promotes co-existence between Christians and Muslims.”