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5th March 2004
Hate case pair had 'death threats'
By Barney Zwartz
Religion Editor
March 5, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/04/1078378905192.html

Two Christians involved in Victoria's first religious hatred case have received death threats, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Danny Nalliah, a pastor with the Catch the Fire ministries, told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal that one witness had had five death threats and another had had one.

Also, Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said outside the hearing that he had received disturbing mail from both Christians and Muslims, and the council's media adviser said Muslims involved in the case had been stalked, harassed and photographed.

The council has complained that Pastor Nalliah and Pastor Daniel Scot vilified Muslims at a seminar in March 2002.

Pastor Nalliah was giving evidence yesterday about why he was reluctant to provide his home address. He said Pastor Scot had received five death threats and the previous witness, Jacob Mathews, had also been threatened.

Outside court, Pastor Scot said only one of the threats was made since the complaint. He said police had tracked only one threat, to an Australian Muslim.

Mr Mathews, who also did not give his home address, did not mention death threats in his evidence but indicated that he was worried.

"I have a wife and seven children. This is a very sensitive case, and I don't know what people may do," he said.

Outside court, Mr Mathews said he did not know that the threat he received was made by a Muslim. The day after he got it, his house had a fire, and a year later a second fire burnt it down. No cause was proved.

Mr Soliman said he had received "religiously based threats" about the case by email, letter and fax. Some quoted the Bible, and some the Koran. "That's all the more reason why we need to manage the situation and not let it deteriorate into uncontrolled mobs," he said.

Mr Soliman said he passed the threats to the police, and the Christians should do the same.

The Islamic Council's media consultant, Tess Lawrence, said outside court that Muslims had been stalked and harassed and had photographs and videos taken. "It's our belief the stalking is related to this case. My company has unequivocally established that certain of the stalkers have been witnessed in the vicinity of this courtroom."

Mr Nalliah denied outside court that Catch the Fire was responsible.

In court, Pastor Nalliah admitted he included mosques among strongholds of Satan in a list that included brothels, bottle shops and gambling venues.

Asked by Islamic Council barrister Debbie Mortimer why Catch the Fire literature contained many references to war and battle, he said it was not meant literally.

She replied: "Yet you want the people you talk to to take Islam literally, don't you?"

Asked why his website did not refer to the council's material, Pastor Nalliah said it was his job to promote Christianity, not Islam.

"It was splashed over the media, saying I am a fundamentalist Christian, the ICV is the victim and I am the villain. I need to explain that I am the victim and they are the villain," he said.