Karachi: July 5, 2010. (PCP) Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC have strongly condemned attack on Christian Professor in Kerala and chopping off his hand in broad day light on a road when he was returning home after morning prayers with his family. Nazir Bhatti said that attackers were supposed to wait for court verdict when Professor T. J Joseph was on bail and also sacked from his college run by Church. “The fundamental Muslim groups are taking law in their hands on pretext to blasphemy leaving behind human respect and dignity around globe which is very alarming for peace loving society” said Nazir Bhatti According to news agencies, T J Joseph, a Malayalam language professor, who was released on bail after his arrest in April for provoking religious sentiments through the question paper. Joseph was also sacked by the church-run Newman College in Thodupuzha town of the hilly district of Pathamthitta following angry protests by Muslim organizations which said the question paper was blasphemous. The Christian Professor also suffered deep cuts on the body and was rushed to a hospital in Kochi for a surgery to reattach the severed palm. “We saw a van in front of us stopping our car. Suddenly its doors were open and in a swift move they smashed the glass of our car, pulled my brother out and hacked him. They also attacked me and our aged mother who was also in the car,” said a horrified Mary Stella, Joseph’s sister. Meanwhile, Indian Muslim leaders have condemn the attack on Kerala academician “We strongly condemn yesterday’s violent attack and chopping off of the hand of Mr T. J. Joseph, a lecturer in Ernakulam District of Kerala by some miscreants on the pretext of taking revenge for Joseph’s act of blasphemy. We feel that law was taking its due course against the said lecturer for his misdeed and he was already suspended from his college for a year due to his insult to the Prophet of Islam by replacing the word “madman” in a quote with that of “Muhammad” while preparing an exam paper for the students of his college” Muslim leaders said “Those who attacked Joseph forgot that the Prophet of Islam, upon whom be peace, in his own life had pardoned a Jewess who used to throw garbage on him and when she did not do so one day, the Prophet enquired about her and upon being told that she is ill, went to wish her early recovery and good health. The Prophet forgave the people of Mecca after its conquest although they had pained him, expelled him from his hometown and had waged war against him for years. We find that the attack on the Kerala lecturer is against the basic tenets of Islam and the Sunnah of the Prophet which emphasis on forgiveness. Islam explicitly forbids taking law and order into one’s hands in the presence of competent authorities to deal with an issue. “We hope that law will take its due course to punish the criminals who attacked the professor. They have clearly sinned and defamed Islam by committing this crime which we condemn without reservations. We also appreciates the youth wing of Jamat e Islami Hind and workers of Solidarity for donating blood for Mr. Jospeh in the hospital” said Dr. Manzoor Alam, Secretary General, All India Milli Council, Mohammad Jafar, Naib Ameer, Jamaat e Islami Hind & Acting President, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, Ex-President, All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat & Editor, The Milli Gazette Niaz Farouqui, Secretary, Jamiat Ulama e Hind and Navaid Hamid, General Secretary, Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians (MOEMIN) & Member, National Integration Council.