Posted on 07/13/2002 4:50:53 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
The head of the Islamic community has been visiting the mothers and fathers of the young men convicted of a series of gang sexual assaults to convince them their sons are rapists.
Sheikh Tajeddine Hamed el Hilaly, the Mufti or spiritual leader of Australia's Muslims, has spoken to parents who cannot believe their sons were involved in the attacks on at least six teenage girls in Sydney's south-west two years ago.
A spokesman for the Lebanese Muslim Association, Keysar Trad, said the traditional Muslim families have said their sons were "invited" to have sex with the girls.
The parents were not accepting the fact their sons, aged 16 to 20, had gang-raped the girls, Mr Trad said.
"The parents are under the impression the men did not rape the girls and had sex with them on a one-to-one basis, not in a group of men. They've been told the girls invited their sons to have sex.
"But the Mufti has taken it upon himself to visit the homes of the parents of the criminals to get them to come to terms with the crimes their sons have committed."
Mr Trad said the rapists had been asked by their religious advisers to consider making a public apology to the victims.
The attacks included the rape of a young woman by 14 men over a period of six hours at three separate locations on August 30, 2000.
In a separate incident, two girls were forced to perform oral sex on eight males in a Greenacre park.
Police alleged the girls were lured from train stations and shopping centres to isolated locations before the rapists contacted more males on mobile phones to join in the assaults.
The Mufti's visits come as a debate rages over whether the identity of the rapists should be made public.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday released the names and photographs of two men found guilty of being involved in pack rape and sexual assault.
Premier Bob Carr defended a law that allows judges and magistrates the discretion to name juveniles only after they have been convicted of serious crimes and if they deem it to be in the community interest.
The law applies to children charged with murder, malicious wounding with intent, armed robbery with wounding and a range of sexual assaults.
Juveniles convicted of minor crimes cannot be publicly named.
The so-called "name and shame" legislation was drawn up in 1999 by then Attorney-General Jeff Shaw, when crime figures showed 27 children had appeared in NSW courts in 1998, charged with homicide or manslaughter and driving a motor vehicle causing death - almost double the number of the previous year.
Supporters of the law said it prevented young criminals remaining anonymous and not suffering the consequences of the public knowing of their actions.
A spokeswoman for Mr Carr said the Premier believed the rapists' identities should not be protected because they had committed awful adult crimes.
Mr Trad said the identity of the rapists should remain secret because their names made it obvious they were Muslims and the whole Islamic community was being blackened because of their actions.
He said the Muslim community was not defending the criminals.
"We acknowledge they took away the rights of the victims with their vile crimes, but they are being properly punished for their crimes," he said.
"The names of the men shows they are people with a particular religious background and their behaviour has tarnished the good name of the whole community.
"The whole 300,000-strong Muslim community in Australia should not have to suffer as well.
"Because of the vile, heinous crimes they have committed, these men have disowned their religion and their race," Mr Trad said.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties said it feared the release of the rapists' identities would encourage others to take revenge or exact punishment on the criminals.
Council president Cameron Murphy said naming the rapists could also lead to the victims' names becoming known.
Mr Murphy pointed to recent incidents in the United Kingdom where innocent people were bashed or hounded out of their homes when the names of convicted pedophiles were made public.
"The court is in the best position to administer punishment, not members of the public who may want to take revenge or punish the offenders," he said.
but they are being properly punished for their crimes. Really? What does Sharia require? What would their punishment be in Saudi Arabia?
The girls would be be-headed for adultry.
"The parents are under the impression the men did not rape the girls and had sex with them on a one-to-one basis, not in a group of men. They've been told the girls invited their sons to have sex."
And the wife of the Egyptian shooter at LAX says he could not possibly have committed such a crime. Likewise, the father of Mohammed Atta (his son was kidnapped and some Israeli impersonated him).
Denial, a river that seems to run deep through Arab culture.
The whole thing should be built up from other evidence.
the identity of the rapists should remain secret because their names made it obvious they were Muslims and the whole Islamic community was being blackened because of their actionsIt's always a shame when 99% ruin it for the whole group. When will the non-muslim world wake up??? These gang rapes are happening wherever muslims encounter "the infidels".
Coverup
Yes but, unfortunately, they were also the perps.
There is no such thing as taking responsibility for one's actions in that culture.
Give that girl a cigar!
Exactly.
The Arab mindset is (somewhat) analogous to the Asian mindset of "losing face"...but it is different as well.
When I was learning to fly in Arizona, we had several Arab students in the class. Now, the instructor pilots' word was law. You flew with the instructors nearly everyday, and they could make you or break you. During post-flight debriefings, you took criticism if it was warrented. Everyone went through this.
To the Arab students (some of whom were "Princes"); this was intolerable. They could not take criticism, but moreover, they could not believe someone would "humiliate" them by explaining that they did so and so wrong.
In one case, a guy wigged out. Two people held him down, and they sent him away. More "humiliation." His friends could not believe it.
The concept of a humble heart must be a Christian / Western virtue....cause it was totally lost on these guys.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.