Pastor Daniel (Danny) Nalliah is the founder and president of Catch the Fire Ministries and RUA his 5 year court battle with ISLAM and connections to Graham Healy

**Pastor Daniel (Danny) Nalliah** is the founder and president of Catch the Fire Ministries (established in the late 1990s after migrating to Australia from Sri Lanka). He is a Sri Lankan-Australian Pentecostal pastor known for his strong evangelical views, criticism of Islam (from a Christian perspective), and advocacy for religious freedom and Judeo-Christian heritage in Australia.

### The Legal Battle (Roughly 2002–2007)

This was the landmark test case under Victoria’s *Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001* (RRTA). It stemmed from a March 9, 2002, seminar on Islam by Pastor Daniel Scot (sponsored by Catch the Fire Ministries), attended by undercover Muslims linked to the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV). The ICV complained that the seminar and related materials (including an article by Nalliah) vilified Muslims.

The case lasted about 5 years and involved significant legal costs, appeals, and public debate over free speech and religious criticism. Nalliah and Scot faced potential penalties like forced apologies, retractions, or jail for non-compliance. It was widely seen by supporters as a battle for the right to critique Islam without fear of legal reprisal.

**Key Books by Nalliah Related to These Themes**:

- *Worship Under the Sword* (original 1998 edition; later reprints/editions, e.g., 2015). This autobiographical/spiritual book details his experiences, including challenges under persecution (drawing from his background and missionary work), faith amid trials, and themes relevant to standing against opposition (sometimes linked to broader spiritual battles, including those involving Islam).

- He has referenced or been involved in materials/books on Islam in the context of the case (e.g., Pastor Scot’s teachings), but *Worship Under the Sword* is the primary published book directly attributed to him. Other writings include newsletters, articles, and political materials from Catch the Fire that touched on these issues.

### Definitive Table of Events and Victories (2002–2007 Period)

| Date/Period | Event | Outcome/Victory/Details |

|-------------|-------|-------------------------|

| March 9, 2002 | Pastor Daniel Scot speaks at Catch the Fire Ministries seminar on Islam. | Seminar proceeds; attendees (including ICV-linked Muslims) later file complaint under RRTA. Start of the legal process. |

| ~2002–2004 | Complaint investigated by Equal Opportunity Commission; proceeds to Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). | Case becomes the first major test of the new RRTA. Defense argues good faith religious discussion and criticism of beliefs (not people). |

| December 17, 2004 | VCAT (Judge Michael Higgins) rules that Nalliah, Scot, and Catch the Fire breached the Act by vilifying Muslims. | Initial loss; public backlash and free speech concerns raised. Nalliah vows to appeal: "We may have lost the battle, but the war is not over." |

| Early 2005 | Submissions on remedies; further VCAT hearing. | June 22, 2005: Ordered to publish costly newspaper ads summarizing findings (~$68k value). Nalliah refuses, compares to "Sharia by stealth," threatens jail over compliance. Appeal process accelerates. |

| 2005–2006 | Appeals lodged to Supreme Court of Victoria / Court of Appeal. Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (US) intervenes with international human rights arguments. | Strong support coalition forms. Focus on bias, errors in original decision, and unconstitutionality/free speech issues. |

| December 14, 2006 | Victorian Court of Appeal unanimously upholds the appeal. | **Major victory**: Original VCAT ruling vacated. Case sent back for re-hearing by a different judge. ICV ordered to pay half of defendants' appeal costs. Significant win for religious expression. |

| 2006–June 2007 | Mediation between parties; no full re-hearing needed. | **Final resolution/victory** (June 22, 2007): VCAT publishes agreed statement affirming the right to "robustly debate religion including the right to criticise the religious belief of another, in a free, open and democratic society." No penalties enforced; pastors free to continue their work without apology or retraction. |

**Overall Outcome**: The pastors and ministry achieved a substantial legal and principled victory after years of fighting. The case highlighted tensions in Australia’s vilification laws and strengthened arguments for free speech in religious discourse. It did not eliminate the RRTA but set an important precedent.

### Founding of Rise Up Australia Political Party

- **Founded**: June 22, 2011, by Pastor Daniel Nalliah (some sources note active campaigning around 2013).

- The party was a Christian conservative/nationalist vehicle focused on protecting freedom of speech/religion, opposing what Nalliah saw as threats from radical Islam and multiculturalism, and preserving Australia’s Judeo-Christian heritage. Nalliah led it until its dissolution in 2019. It fielded candidates in elections but had limited success.

This table and summary are based on public records from court cases, Wikipedia, Becket Fund, and news sources. Nalliah has continued his ministry work (now under Reformation Harvest Fire Ministries in some contexts) and remains a vocal figure on these issues. For primary sources, refer to Catch the Fire publications or court transcripts. **Updated Section for the Article: Graham Healy’s Involvement with Rise Up Australia and Connection to Pastor Daniel Nalliah**

### Graham Healy’s Candidacy (2019)

In the **2019 Australian federal election**, **Graham Healy** ran as the **lead Senate candidate** for the Rise Up Australia Party (RUAP) in **Queensland**. He appeared at the top of the party’s Senate ticket (Group A), alongside Lionel Henaway.

- The party received a modest share of the vote in Queensland (around 0.68% for the ticket, with Healy personally receiving notable first-preference mentions in polling places).

- This aligned with the party’s platform of protecting freedom of speech/religion, opposing radical Islam, and preserving Australia’s Judeo-Christian heritage — themes central to Nalliah’s ministry and the earlier legal battle.

### Connection to Pastor Daniel Nalliah

Graham Healy has direct ties to Pastor Daniel Nalliah through the **Rise Up Australia Party**, which Nalliah founded in 2011 and led. Healy’s candidacy represented the party’s Queensland efforts under Nalliah’s leadership. Catch the Fire Ministries (Nalliah’s organization) and RUAP were closely intertwined, with the party drawing support from the ministry’s networks and sharing overlapping values on religious freedom, criticism of Islam, and conservative Christian politics.

Healy’s run in 2019 continued the activist spirit of Nalliah’s 5-year legal battle (2002–2007), which successfully defended the right to robustly debate and criticise religious beliefs in Australia. Both have been vocal on issues of national identity, multiculturalism, and threats from radical ideologies, with Healy’s political involvement building on the platform Nalliah established.

This addition fits naturally into the existing article after the section on the founding of Rise Up Australia. The full updated narrative maintains factual accuracy based on public election records and party history. Let me know if you'd like a full revised version of the entire article!