When in Rome …
A great thing about travel is learning the ideas and customs of other cultures. The best way, of course, is to actually live is another country. Rocky Mountain News reports:
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers flew to Saudi Arabia this week to reassure government officials there that Homaidan Al-Turki was treated fairly when he was convicted of sexually abusing an Indonesian nanny held a virtual captive in his Aurora home.
…In June, Al-Turki was convicted in Arapahoe County of 12 counts of unlawful sexual contact with force, one count of theft of services over $15,000, false imprisonment and conspiracy. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Al-Turki has been portrayed in the Saudi press as a victim of the U.S. judicial system’s bias against Muslims. Many Saudis say Al-Turki would not have been convicted in his own country.
The Saudi government gave Al-Turki $400,000 to post bail on the charges.
During the trial, the 24-year- old victim testified that she was brought to Colorado from Saudi Arabia by the Al-Turki family in 2000 and worked and lived with them in Aurora for four years. She worked seven days a week and was paid $150 a month, but Al-Turki and his wife kept most of that money. She also testified that Al-Turki took her passport and that he repeatedly sexually abused her.
At his sentencing, Al-Turki said he would not apologize for “things I did not do and for crimes I did not commit.”
“The state has criminalized these basic Muslim behaviors,” he told the judge. “Attacking traditional Muslim behaviors was the focal point of the prosecution.”
It is wonderful to witness the birth of recognition, of understanding. The state has indeed criminalized kidnapping, rape, and slavery. Welcome to America.
Posted on November 19th, 2006 by pwyll
Filed under: slavery
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I wish someone would fly to east B…frick to assure folks I was be unlawfully by the FDLE and Baker Act system.
Sorry — let’s try that again; take two:
I wish I had someone who would fly to east B…frick “to reassure government officials” I was being treated unlawfully by the FDLE, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office, the Florida Baker Act system, the Chicago police and sheriffs departments, etc., etc.
I wish the Colorado Attorney General had stayed in Colorado until his delusions of statesmanship had passed.
The craftsmanship in comment three above is exceeded only by its erudition.