Author(s): DEEN, HANIFA

Spirituality

In March 2002, three Muslims attended an evangelical Christian seminar promoted to reveal the inner secrets of 'Holy Jihad'. Shocked by what they heard, they convinced the Islamic Council of Victoria to lodge a complaint against Catch the Fire Ministries, under a controversial new hate speech law. A case expected to be over in three days turned into an unholy war of words lasting five long years: freedom of speech versus freedom from vilification is under the spotlight. Award-winning author Hanifa Deen follows this case from beginning to end, witnessing the religious impulse at its best - and worst. Her very human account focuses on the personalities and motives of the two religious tribes - Muslims and born-again Christians. Real people on both sides of the courtroom express their pain at a hearing that turns into a nightmare.