A court in Lebanon has found guilty three Muslim boys who insulted Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, and sentenced them to reading all the references in the Quran that acknowledged Virgin Mary.

The court held that the conduct of the boys amounted to “contempt of religion” which according to the Lebanese law is punishable by a prison term of three years.

When the boys were arraigned, many had thought that the court was going strictly apply the law, but delivering the judgment in Tripoli, the Northern part of the country, a Christian judge, Joceline Matta chose to be lenient to them, saying, the law is “a school and not just a prison”.

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There punishment, she said was to go and read the Quran well enough to be abreast of how it revered Christianity especially Virgin Mary and the son, Jesus Christ who she added is recognized by Islam as a major prophet of Allah.

Joceline Matta  further referred the boys to specific parts of the Quran where the Virgin Mary was revered.

She mentioned for instance, the Al-Omran surah, which reads “And [mention] when the angels said, 'O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.”

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According to the independent.co.uk, the judge said the three offenders are ignorant about their own religion, hence the decision to make them read the Quran well enough before they are released.

The unconventional ruling has got many people commending the judge, including the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri who referred to it as an “epitome of justice” that has the tendency to promote coexistence between Muslims and Christians through the “teaching of common ideas”.