For too long, the sensitivities of Catholics have been brushed aside by misinformed Muslims acting on the excuse of ferreting out ‘murtad' cases.

In 2007, the Holy Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes in Silibin was disrupted by group of Muslims on the pretext that Muslims were being converted en masse. This proved to be false of course.

In 2009, Muslim journalists come into our church, unannounced and disguised as Catholics. They took part in the Holy Eucharist and even received Holy Communion, which is reserved for Catholics.

Then they had the audacity to spit out, photograph the expelled communion and publish it in their magazine. What was their reason for acting in this manner?

Again, supposedly to ferret out ‘murtad' cases.

Can we not see a trend in this? They entered our churches and participated in our ceremonies. The sensitivities of Catholics have been completely ignored.

Indeed, the latest episode is but a blatant act of contempt towards our religion. What does this white communion wafer mean to us?

Joachim Francis Xavier and Sudhagaran Stanley, the two people who lodged a police report on this matter, had this to say:

"The 'communion' is held with great reverence and cannot in any way be mishandled or (treated) with a lack of respect. Even Catholics are not allowed to take home the 'communion' but are instructed to consume it immediately during the service.

Xavier and Stanley said they were "outraged that these Muslim men consumed it (the communion) only to spit it out later, have it photographed, and have its image published".

This time it has gone beyond total disrespect. Section 298(A) of the Penal Code makes it a criminal offence to cause disharmony, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing, etc. the maintenance of harmony or unity on grounds of religion.

The fact that the journalists of Al Islam believed that they were ferreting out cases of conversions/apostasy/murtad do not afford them a defence.

Section 298A(7) provides that it shall NOT be a defence to any charge under this section to assert that, what the offender is charged with doing was done in any honest belief in, or in any honest interpretation of, any precept, tenet or teaching of any religion.

I want these journalists to know and understand that there are consequences to their actions. I also question the judgment of the editor of Al Islam who had allowed this article to be published, completely brushing aside the sensitivities of Catholics.

I call on the minister to exercise his powers under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act, 1984 to prohibit the publication of Al Islam .

The same must also be said for the printer of the magazine who may have committed an offence under Section 4(1)(b) of the same Act by printing a document which is likely to promote feelings of ill-will, hostility, enmity, hatred, disharmony and disunity.