The trial of the Christian couple accused of insulting a Muslim guest because of her faith has now ended, and the case dismissed. That is a relief, but has the real question been asked let alone answered.
The BBC's report yesterday ( Muslim woman 'abused' over dress by Christian hotelier heard the prosecution case that the Muslim woman guest was "asked by a Christian hotelier if she was a terrorist and a murderer because she was wearing Islamic dress", and spoke of the Prophet Muhammed as a "warlord, like Saddam Hussein and Hitler"
Today was the defence turn ( Muslim dispute 'ruining' business) and the couple running the hotel said of of their Muslim guest:
"Her wording was, in essence, 'I've tried all the religions, I've tried Jesus, it didn't work for me but the Bible is untrue anyway and Jesus is a minor prophet'. "She called Our Lord a minor prophet. My reaction was 'You haven't prayed alone and asked God to prove himself to you'.
The case has been dismissed ( Christian hoteliers cleared in Muslim woman abuse row ) because the evidence was inconsistent.
The case of the Christian hoteliers was backed by The Christian Institute who are now asking why the case was brought. Its a very good question. But I ask it from a very different position that they do. As a Christian I find CI's attitude to this case rather disturbing. Clearly as the judge realised this was about two groups whose only model for interaction was an agressive one, engaging with each other as stereotypes and trading what were in effect insults. The CI however took the side of the Christian couple without any apparent concern for the behaviour of their client, which on all I hear does not seem to be very appropriate to a follower of Jesus Christ.
Church leaders and Christian ministries need to be helping their people learn to live in a plural society, being good neighbours. Sharing faith is good. Anyone who is passionate about their faith will want to do that, Muslim or Christian. But lets do it appropriately.(see the Christian Muslim Forum's material on Ethical Witness) and my own posts at te time they were brought out (Ethical Witness - Muslims and Christians get to the heart of things and Ethical Guidelines for Christian and Muslim Witness in Britain).
And its not just the Christian Muslim Forum who advocate that. The Bible does too in 1 Peter 3.15:
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
You can surely be encouraging people to do a bit better that that, Christian Institute?
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