Srinagar: A Sharia court on Thursday issued a
decree seeking the expulsion of five Christian clergymen from
Jammu and Kashmir and asked the state government to monitor
activities of Christian missionary schools in the Valley.
The court issued the diktat after the missionaries,
including chief pastor of All Saints Church in Kashmir C M
Khanna and Dutch national Jim Borst, were found "guilty" of
attracting Muslim youth to Christianity through monetary
allurement.
"Khanna and his associates have been found guilty of
spreading communal disaffection and were involved in immoral
activities. They are ordered to be expelled from the state,"
deputy grand mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Nasir-ul-Islam said
while reading the verdict of the Sharia court here.
The court had conducted a trial after a video clip showed
Khanna baptising seven Muslim youths at a church here last
year.
Following a public outcry, the pastor was arrested by
police and is currently out on bail.
The decree also asked the state government to monitor the
activities of the local missionary schools where a majority of
the students were Muslims.
"Since the majority of students in these schools are
Muslims, Islamic studies should also be included in the
curriculum," the court said.
The court also called for the inclusion of local scholars
and educationists in the governing bodies of these schools.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 20:36