Boozing Jesus image outrages India's Christians, sparks riots

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

SHILLONG, India — Christians in India's northeast are outraged after a picture showing Jesus Christ holding a beer can and a cigarette was discovered in primary school textbooks.

The image appeared in a handwriting book for children in church-run schools in the Christian-majority state of Meghalaya, where it was used to illustrate the letter "I" for the word "Idol".

"We are deeply shocked and hurt at the objectionable portrayal of Jesus Christ in the school book. We condemn the total lack of respect for religions by the publisher," Shillong diocese Archbishop Dominic Jala told AFP.

Police said they were hunting for the owner of the New Delhi-based publisher, Skyline Publications, who faces charges of offending religious sentiment, local police superintendent A.R. Mawthoh told AFP.

The Roman Catholic Church in India has banned all textbooks by Skyline, while Protestant leaders called for a public apology.

The state government also denounced the publication.

"We strongly condemn such a blasphemous act. Legal action has been initiated against the publisher," M. Ampareen Lyngdoh, an education minister in the Meghalaya government, said.

English-language daily The Shillong Times said Skyline had apologised for "hurting people's religious sentiments", but had offered no explanation as to how the error occurred.

Efforts are underway to recall all copies of the book, the publisher was quoted as saying.

AFP was unable to reach Skyline for comment.

Christians account for 2.3 percent of India's billion-plus Hindu-majority population. The main concentrations are in the northeast, the eastern state of Orissa and in the southern states of Kerala and Goa.

In 2008, anti-Christian riots in Orissa left more than 100 people dead, according to Christian groups, after missionaries were accused of killing a Hindu holy man.

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587032,00.html

Objectionable Jesus poster sparks violence, curfew

An indefinite curfew is imposed in the Punjab town of Batala on Saturday after tension prevailed following the publication of a poster depicting Jesus Christ in an objectionable manner. Clashes also broke out as some members of the Christian community forced shopkeepers to down shutters.

The curfew was imposed after members of the Christian community came to know about the poster, depicting Jesus Christ holding a beer can in one hand and what appeared to be either a cigarette or a chicken leg in the other.

They started gathering in the town and forced the shopkeepers to close their shops, leading to clashes. The police intervened when they tried to burn a few buildings.

Batala, 40 km from Amritsar, has a sizeable Christian population and several leading schools and other institutions have been run by the community for the past several decades.

The curfew will continue till further orders, officials said here.

Punjab police chief P.S. Gill said a case had been registered against the printer of the objectionable poster.

"The printing press in which the controversial poster was printed had been sealed and a case has been registered against the accused at the police station in Jalandhar's Division No. 4.

"Additional forces have been sent to sensitive areas to restore the confidence of the people," Gill said in Chandigarh, 250 km from here.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the state home minister, condemned the act and said no one would be allowed to disturb the peace of the state.

Pictures of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in the other in a book for primary classes triggered a row in Meghalaya Friday. The objectionable pictures were found in the cursive writing exercise books at a school in Shillong.

The Catholic Church in India has banned in all its member schools New Delhi-based Skyline Publications for printing the pictures in class 1 cursive writing books.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/punjab/Objectionable-Jesus-poster-sparks-violence-curfew/Article1-511035.aspx

Curfew relaxed in Batala

The Gurdaspur administration decided to lift curfew in Batala during day after the Christian and Muslim communities ensured peace today. The curfew from 6 pm to 6 am will, however, be enforced.

Meanwhile, the bandh call by the Hindu bodies passed off peacefully.

DC Gurdaspur Dr K S Sra and SDM Batala Rahul Chaba said no untoward incident was reported anywhere. They said the night curfew has been imposed as a precautionary measure. The two community members had clashed following violent protests by Christian youths leading to the imposition of curfew on Saturday. The police had rounded up persons who were released today. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Curfew-relaxed-in-Batala/583134

[Rubystars]

That picture is really awful. 

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

i understand, but its not worth to start protests and riot. Are we going the Muslim way when they had gone on a rampage on Muhammad's cartoon depiction?

anyways, i am sure Christians in the Western world wouldnt have behaved like what Indians did.

There are much more democratic ways of protesting, I remember last year an Amercian beer manufacturer printed Hindu deities on Beer bottel, it was taken down on request by letters and email exchanges, No Hindu has been asked to boycott the company manufacturer. (http://www.samaylive.com/news/company-removes-lord-ganeshas-image-from-beer-bottle-apologises/637789.html). I dont support the Christian clergy asking Christians to boycott the publisher in the above article. Cause it sounds more like islamic fatwas.

[alonmizrahi]

Hey how are you man fine hey is true that christians in Bharat support the jehadis if they are [censored] it up man we don't have to care about them if they're not so is truly bad that christians and hindus are fighting while the jehadis laugh of both

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

you have a point, only time will tell when both sides get together. However there have been Hindu nationalist organisation who have openly called for Chrisitians to join them to fight Islam (Refer: http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=54834), yet none Indian Christian organisation is speaking out against jihad. Maybe they are all leftist?

[Rubystars]

Who wrote the textbook? Was it Hindus or Muslims or some other group?

[Ari Ben-Canaan]

i understand, but its not worth to start protests and riot. Are we going the Muslim way when they had gone on a rampage on Muhammad's cartoon depiction?

anyways, i am sure Christians in the Western world wouldnt have behaved like what Indians did.

There are much more democratic ways of protesting, I remember last year an Amercian beer manufacturer printed Hindu deities on Beer bottel, it was taken down on request by letters and email exchanges, No Hindu has been asked to boycott the company manufacturer. (http://www.samaylive.com/news/company-removes-lord-ganeshas-image-from-beer-bottle-apologises/637789.html). I dont support the Christian clergy asking Christians to boycott the publisher in the above article. Cause it sounds more like islamic fatwas.

Exactly.  Rioting over a cartoon is so Muslim.