Nun/Sister of Professor who had Hand Chopped off by Militant Muslims Calls for forgiveness

Sister Marie Stella, 59, talked about her brother's attack, the difficulties Kerala's Christian minority faces, dialogue with Muslims and the value of forgiveness, which alone can "alleviate suffering" and "bear fruit". Her 81-year-old mother and sisters have joined the victim in forgiving. "We forgive everyone," she said. "We bear no grudge or resentment. All we want is for our brother's suffering to bear fruit, and open channels of dialogue between Christianity and Islam."

ERNAKULAM, India (AsiaNews) - Prof TJ Joseph is "a martyr for Islamic-Christian dialogue, in Kerala and around the world," said Sister Marie Stella Thenganakunnel. The nun, who is also the elder sister of the Catholic college lecturer, spoke to AsiaNews about the attack in which her brother had his right hand, and part of the right arm, chopped off. On behalf of her brother, sisters and 81-year-old mother, she said, "We forgive everyone". She said she hoped that last Sunday's attack might "bear fruit and open channels of communication between Christianity and Islam". For this reason, she "was grateful to our beloved Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church" for "a series of initiatives designed to increase understanding and dialogue with our Muslim brothers and sisters." In an interview with AsiaNews, Sister Marie Stella, 59, talked about her brother's attack, the difficulties Kerala's Christian minority faces, dialogue with Muslims and the value of forgiveness, which alone can "alleviate suffering" and "bear fruit". Prof TJ Joseph (pictured, a 'Wanted' poster calling for his capture) has been a college lecturer since 1985. For the last six years he has worked in Idukki District-for the past two, he has been the head of the Malayalam (language) Department at the Newman College in Thodupuzha, in charge of Value Education, organizing retreats, seminars and other holistic education programmes. After Mass last Sunday, he was attacked in Muvattupuzha, in Kerala's Ernakulam District, by a group of unknown assailants who chopped off his right hand and part of the arm. He had been accused of defaming the Prophet Muhammad a few months earlier in an exam question. As Sister Marie Stella can attest, he loved his work very much. "For his class lessons, he would prepare a series of arguments because he could not use textbooks," she said. He tried to teach his students humanist values, encouraging rational thinking, objective assessment and modernity in them. "His writings on Ahimsa, non violence, are not only recognised for their literary excellence but also for their value-based principles," she said. After coming back from the Cook Islands, in New Zealand, the nun plans to stay in India even after her brother heals. A member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny, she stressed that right after the attack many Muslims expressed their solidarity towards her brother. "We live in a Muslim environment," she explained. "Muslims are good people. Many have donated blood for him. Unfortunately, a small fringe carried out this attack. My brother however has only talked about forgiveness, forgiveness and forgiveness." Her 81-year-old mother and sisters have joined him in forgiving. "We forgive everyone," she said. "We bear no grudge or resentment. All we want is for our brother's suffering to bear fruit, and open channels of dialogue between Christianity and Islam." At a personal level, she wants "to tell Muslims and the whole world that we are all brothers and sisters. [. . .] We all come from the one God and to Him we shall return. We are pilgrims on this earth. Let us live in peace, love, harmony, friendship and brotherhood." Sister Marie Stella's final thoughts and those of her family go to "our beloved Holy Father, Benedict XVI, and to the Catholic Church for their initiatives towards the Muslim world, initiatives geared towards a serious dialogue and mutual understanding with our Muslim brothers and sisters."

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