Friday, August 29, 2008

UK: Shia man forces boys to flagellate themselves

And prosecution insists that his actions had nothing to do with Shia rituals or practices (at least they did arrest him, always a good sign for otherwise dhimmified regions). "Shia Muslim convicted of child cruelty after forcing two boys to flog themselves," by Riazat Butt for the Guardian, August 28: A Shia Muslim was convicted of child cruelty yesterday after he forced two boys to flog themselves during a religious ritual.

Syed Mustafa Zaidi, a warehouse supervisor, told the boys, aged 13 and 15, to beat themselves with a zanjeer zani, a wooden-handled implement containing five curved blades used when commemorating the death of Hussain, grandson of Muhammad and one of the most important figures in Shia Islam. Zaidi is due to be sentenced on September 24.

Manchester crown court heard how Zaidi, 44, flagellated himself at an event held in January in Manchester until his back was bloody and cut. Others at the event also flogged themselves. Some of those present, fearing Zaidi would seriously harm himself, asked him to calm down. Zaidi agreed, only to turn his attention to the two boys.

The 14-year-old, who was 13 at the time, told the jury that neither he nor the other boy wanted to injure themselves. He said Zaidi was insistent with the older boy, "pulling him and pushing him, 'keep doing it', telling people 'this is a sad moment and look, he's not doing it'.

"He goes, 'I don't want to do it, I don't want to do it'. He kept pressuring him, make him do the knife thing, pulling him, trying to get his T-shirt off, pulling and pushing him. He was saying, 'just do it, just do it'." He said the 15-year-old "swung it once or twice and said 'I don't want to do it any more'." The older boy was then pulled away by another man.

See, that's exactly the sort of "westernization" Muslim youth may undergo after their parents migrate to the West -- whining and complaining because they have to whip themselves with some sort of medieval torture device till their back is a bloody pulp.

After the ceremony, the boys went home to their mother, who noticed several deep wounds on their backs and multiple slash wounds. She took them to Manchester Royal infirmary and the matter was reported to the police.

The boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted they wanted to beat themselves, but not under duress and not using Zaidi's zanjeer zani. They also said they had flogged themselves with a smaller zanjeer zani from the age of six in Pakistan.

Carol Jackson, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the prosecution was not an attack upon the practices or ceremonies of Shia Muslims, adding that the prosecution relied partly on evidence given by the president of the local Shia community centre. It was the first case of its kind to be prosecuted by the CPS.

Gooood dhimmi, Carol. Make sure no one thinks that self flagellation has anything to do with Shia ceremonies or practices, when in fact it has everything to do with Shia ceremonies and practices.

For Shia Muslims the death of Hussain is a period of intense mourning, leading some to beat and whip themselves. The practice is not compulsory and some Shia authorities prohibit it, while others say it should be done only if certain conditions are met.

Safdar Zia, general secretary of the Jaffria Islamic Centre, said Shia Muslims in Manchester would now try to work with the police and the CPS towards a code of practice: "We are not above the law."

Ahhhh, what "law" is that, Safdar -- Allah's or man's?
Thanks Jihad Watch

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