A Christian judge in Lebanon sentenced three young Muslim men who were saying offensive things about Christianity to memorizing verses from a part of Quran which glorifies the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, according to the Independent.
The teenagers must now learn the texts from the Al-Omran surah in order to be released, Judge Joceline Matta ruled.
In Lebanon, insulting someone's religion can be punishable by up to three years in prison. But Matta explained her unusual sentence by saying that the law is "not just a prison" but "a school," adding that the boys must learn more about their own religion.
Islam views Jesus as a major prophet of Allah, and the Quran has a whole chapter about Virgin Mary, which is named after her.
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The unusual sentence prompted positive reactions across the country, as it served to promote religious tolerance as well as peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri was among those Hijab Brawl Sparks in Lebanon: 'You Can't Hear Me Because of That Scarf'who praised the sentence, saying religious tolerance can be achieved via the "teaching of common ideas."
Lebanon had been mired in a religious conflict between various Muslim, Christian and Druze groups in the 1975-1990 civil war, which claimed the lives of about 120,000 people. The issue of religion remains sensitive.
