Christian teacher brutally attacked in South India & hands cut off by Muslim fundamentalists

T. J. Joseph, a teacher at Thodupuzha New Man College in the Southern most state of Kerala in South India was attacked by Muslim fundamentalists and his hands were cut off.

Kerala claims the highest literacy rate in India and Christians make 19% of the population of state with Islam and Hinduism making 24% and 56 % respectively.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/india/31299-christian-teacher-brutally-attacked-south-india.html


In detail-->Christian teacher brutally attacked in South India & hands cut off by Muslim fundamentalists - CNN iReport

 
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]T. J. Joseph, a teacher at Thodupuzha New Man College in the Southern most state of Kerala in South India was attacked by Muslim fundamentalists and his hands were cut off.

Kerala claims the highest literacy rate in India and Christians make 19% of the population of state with Islam and Hinduism making 24% and 56 % respectively.

]T.J. Joseph is a Malayalam teacher at the NewMan College, Thodupuzha, Kerala State, India. The College was started by Dr. Mathew Pothanamuzhy, the then Bishop of Kothamangalam diocese of Eastern Catholic rite, Syro Malabar Church in one of the most backward district Idukki in Kerala.[

The issue started when Muslim fundamentalist organizations accused the question paper of a second year Bachelor of Commerce degree Malayalam course at the Newman College with a reference to Muhammad as “misleading and inflammatory'[B]”. Protests were called by various Muslim organizations which turned violent in April 2010.[

The Communist Party is in power in the Kerala state. The State Education Minister M.A.Baby then instructed Idukki district administration to register a criminal case against the teacher who prepared the question paper. A witch hunt was followed and the teacher later submitted himself to the Police after his son was allegedly taken in Police custody. Since then the teacher and his family was getting frequent threats from Muslim fundamentalist organizations in Kerala state.

The College management and the Mahatma University whose under the College instigated actions against the teacher.

At least three times group of people broke in and searched the house of the teacher including night time. The state police under the communist government did not act on the complaints by family and failed to undertake investigation and provide security to the teacher.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31299

On 4th of July 2010, when the family returned from the Mass at Church, their car was stopped and the family including his aged mother and sister was tortured by a group of eight people who came in a Maruti Omni vehicle. The teacher was taken out of the vehicle and his two hands were cut off. T J Joseph, has sustained multiple injuries in his whole body. The fundamentalist group created fearful atmosphere with fire crackers to carry out this most heinous act. The teacher is admitted now at a specialist hospital in Ernakulam and his condition is said to be very critical.

The state police has confirmed that Popular Front, a Muslim fundamentalist organization is behind the attack. The Police has arrested five people, Jaffer, Ashraf, Hassan, Ali and Abubekrar so far. The Muslim terrorist organization Popular front has blocked the Police station at Perumbavoor in Kerala to free its activist who did this heinous crime.

I thought that was the required punishment for thieves? Not that I am saying that is justified either. And why torture the family?

Here's a question ..... I could be very much mistaken but it does appear that there are more extremists and fundamentalists associated with Islam than other religions...why is that?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31299
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31299

It's just an observation and I would welcome views from Muslim forum members

Seeker9 ji

It would appear that way, however, there have been and continue to be in the US fanatical members of Christianity and Judaism (here in smaller percentages) whose methods of choice include bombs and sharpshooting (often associated with targeted assassinations). Notorious are extremists within the Christian Identity Movement.

One reason why you hear less about it in this decade of the 21rst century is the result of relentless law enforcement and changes in the US Federal Criminal Code that result in long sentences, and frequently several consecutive life sentences, with incarceration in federal penitentiaries that are designed especially for the criminal who is motivated by religious or political ideology.

Probably a turning point was the use of RICO statutes to apprehend and prosecute them. RICO stands for Racketeer Influcned and Corrupt Organizations Act. RICO was very successful in putting members of organized crime (Mafia, Cosa Nostra) away for a long time in the 1980s and 90s, RICO was so successful that federal law enforcement began to apply it to the prosecution of religious extremists who were associated with hate-movements.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31299

RICO has its critics among civil libertarians because it fosters an attitude to shoot first and ask questions later. Not unlike religious extremists in the Muslim faith, Christian extremists had networks of supporters available to hide them and provide a range of supports and resources, and they would go underground for long periods of time. Before RICO they were hard to catch and hard to prosecute. IMHO, unlike Muslim majority societies the average US citizen is less likely to justify/soft-pedal/ignore crimes driven by religious ideology. Even strong objections by civil rights lawyers fall on mostly indifferent ears. And there have been serious problems with RICO enforcement in the civil rights arena.

Another reason for the relative disappearance of non-Muslim fanatics who engage in terrorism and murder is the sophistication of advocacy groups like the Southern Poverty Leadership Conference. They take a different approach. They outspend the defenders of religious extremists, who are charged with hate crimes, in court pulling every legal trick from the law until the defendant and/or his sponsors run out of money.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31299

That is one kaur's view from the US. And I am sure that there are other opinions about that are worth hearing.

Today most of these individuals are in jail, but RICO has made religion-based crimes unattractive.