Lebanese judge sentences Virgin Mary insulters to read verses from Qur’an

A judge’s punishment meted to three men who insulted the Virgin Mary went viral on Lebanese social media earlier this week. (Shutterstock)

DUBAI: A judge’s punishment meted to three men who insulted the Virgin Mary went viral on Lebanese social media earlier this week.
Instead of slapping them with jail time or a fine, Tripoli judge Jocelyn Matta ordered the three men to memorize verses from the Holy Qur’an’s Surat Al-Omran, which glorifies the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
The sentence sent shockwaves across Twitter in Lebanon, and even caught the attention of Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri.
The PM tweeted: “A salute to judge of investigations in North of Lebanon chief Jocelyn Matta. Her ruling against the three young men in Virgin Mary’s case, and sentencing them to memorize the Holy Qur’an’s Surat Al-Omran, is the epitome of justice and promotes co-existence between Christians and Muslims.”
The case, which was tried in a Tripoli courthouse last week, was uncommon due to Lebanon’s strict laws concerning offending religions or beliefs.
In her closing statement, the judge said that the sentence “aimed to educate the men on Islam’s reverence for Virgin Mary.”