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Updates on the separate cases of six men and one woman detained for activities that could "shake the faith of Muslims." As one of the defendants asked: "How can six people shake the faith of 40 million unless the court is convinced that the faith of the 40 million is not based on strong foundations?"
"Algeria - Prosecutor demands 2-year sentence for converts," from Compass Direct News, May 28:
ISTANBUL, May 28 (Compass Direct News) – A state prosecutor in western Algeria demanded two-year jail sentences and large fines for six Muslim converts to Christianity yesterday in one of two trials against Christians that have caught the north African nation’s attention in the past week.
The same court in Tiaret city yesterday delayed the verdict of a Christian woman facing three years in prison for “practicing non-Muslim religious rites without a license.”
Under intense scrutiny from Algerian and international observers, the Tiaret judge delayed Habiba Kouider’s ruling to ask for further investigation. The case gained notoriety last week when Algerian newspapers reported that court officials in the agricultural town mocked the Christian for her conversion and pressured her to return to Islam.
France’s State Secretary for human rights, Rama Yade, spoke out in support of Kouider on Sunday (May 25), calling the charges against her “sad and shocking,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Speaking to Algerian daily El Watan following yesterday’s hearing, Kouider’s defense lawyer said that international attention had caused the verdict to be delayed.
“The court wants to buy time and remove the pressure exerted on it,” said Khelloudja Khalfoun.
Plucking her off an inter-city bus outside of her home town of Tiaret on March 29, police found several Bibles and books on Christianity in Kouider’s hand bag that she said were for her personal use. Officials held the Christian woman for 24 hours and then brought her before a state prosecutor, who offered to drop charges if she reconverted to Islam. She refused.
At last week’s hearing, the state prosecutor claimed that Kouider had been carrying a dozen copies of the same Christian book, proof that she had been planning to distribute them.
Under Ordinance 06-03 passed in February 2006, distributing, printing or even storing materials with the purpose of “shaking the faith” of a Muslim is punishable with up to five years in prison.
But Khalfoun, Kouider’s defense lawyer, argued that accusations of proselytism had nothing to do with the initial charge of “practicing non-Muslim religious rites without a license,” a charge that she claimed had no legal base.
Speaking to El Watan, Boudjemaa Ghechir of the Arab League of Human Rights agreed with the defense lawyer’s assessment and called for Kouider’s case to be dropped.
“There is absolutely no legal text which requires such an authorization [to practice religion],” Ghechir said in the May 25 article.
A New Charge
Khalfoun, a Tizi Ouzou-based human rights lawyer, is also representing six Muslim converts to Christianity on trial in Tiaret for proselytism and holding an illegal religious gathering.
A large contingent of journalists, as well as Islamists, attended their initial court hearing yesterday, one eyewitness told Compass.
Detained on May 9 while leaving a prayer meeting at the home of one of the men in Tiaret, the six converts were held for 24 hours and initially charged with “distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims.” At yesterday’s hearing, the state prosecutor raised a second charge of illegally practicing non-Muslim worship and demanded two-year jail sentences and 500,000 dinar (US$8,145) fines for each suspect.
Ordinance 06-03 requires that religious services be held in specific locations intended exclusively for worship.
“How can six people shake the faith of 40 million unless the court is convinced that the faith of the 40 million is not based on strong foundations?” said Djillali Saibi, one of the Christians on trial, referring to Algeria’s majority-Muslim population. Christians, mostly converts, make up less than 1 percent of the country’s people.
Testifying before the Tiaret court yesterday, all six men denied that they had been distributing any religious materials.
“I had nothing on me except a CD of [U.S. cartoon] Tom and Jerry that I had bought for my daughter and a book on faith, a personal book,” one of the men told the court according to El Watan today. “If one accuses us of distributing documents they must have proof.” ...
Posted by Marisol at May 30, 2008 12:01 AM
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WOW.. their so-called "faith" is apparently easily shaken by a "gang of six" who change their personal views and faith.
That's how WEAK islam truly is.
Posted by: Ummah Gummah![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 30, 2008 3:23 AM
"How can six people shake the faith of 40 million unless the court is convinced that the faith of the 40 million is not based on strong foundations?"
Exactomundo!
The faith of the 40 million is NOT "based on strong foundation".
Posted by: Crusader at May 30, 2008 5:20 AM
"Ordinance 06-03 requires that religious services be held in specific locations intended exclusively for worship."
That makes it easier to find and burn such places to the ground.
at May 30, 2008 6:00 AM
woman apostate's verdict delayed by international attention
Success, Robert, success.
Posted by: FreeSpeech at May 30, 2008 6:11 AM
If Islam is so afraid of competition that it has to rig the market, and create an artificial monopoly by excluding all competition and killing customers who show an interest in anything else, all one can say is that it must have a pretty lousy product.
Posted by: dumbledoresarmy at May 30, 2008 7:13 AM
France’s State Secretary for human rights, Rama Yade, spoke out in support...calling the charges ... “sad and shocking...”
SAD, but certainly not SHOCKING. What planet does the French secretary of state for human rights labor on?
at May 30, 2008 7:24 AM
We should then ask the same fare from all muslims who practice Islam in our countries? That would be fine.
Posted by: Kybeline at May 30, 2008 8:18 AM
This is a matter of mosque and state. The state punishment will be two years in prison, and a fine of $8145. In contrast, the mosque punishment will be inflicted separately by fatwa.
In this case the fatwa will probably provide for death and cross amputation for creating mischief in the land. Moreover, the fatwa is likely to provide that the beheading is sequential to the cross amputation. In islam, if a person is to be both killed and cross amputated, the religious authorities universally agree that the cross amputation is done first as otherwise one cannot fulfill allah's instruction to both kill and cross amputate the apostate who commits mischief in the land.
Infidels may see this sequence as unmerciful and uncompassionate. However, any responsible islamic religious authority would agree with my fatwa as described because if you behead the person first you cannot fulfill allah's command to cross amputate the person in any meaningful way as the person is already dead.
at May 30, 2008 9:11 AM
Plagiarists hate when you catch them at their game and decide to return to the original texts.
They sometimes get violent.
Like Mohammad the warlord.
Posted by: profitsbeard at May 30, 2008 11:02 AM
I'd love to know how one would obtain a licence to practice another religion in that country. I'd love to hear their explanation on how to do so.
Posted by: j_not_a at May 30, 2008 11:12 AM
"The same court in Tiaret city yesterday delayed the verdict of a Christian woman facing three years in prison for “practicing non-Muslim religious rites without a license.”"
Yeah, but where does one go to get the license, dammit?
"The court wants to buy time and remove the pressure exerted on it,” said Khelloudja Khalfoun."
So, that's the strategy... let's keep up the pressure, folks.
Posted by: Abscedere at May 30, 2008 12:11 PM
At least in the Netherlands the books are getting equal play...
http://www.expatica.com/nl/articles/news/Free-Bibles-for-Amsterdam-police.html
at May 30, 2008 2:12 PM
Good point, Pulsar.
Posted by: lafn at May 31, 2008 1:56 AM
"Officials held the Christian woman for 24 hours and then brought her before a state prosecutor, who offered to drop charges if she reconverted to Islam. She refused."
Mmmh , I beginning to think this "No compulsion in religion" is simply being ignored.
Posted by: David Xavier at June 1, 2008 11:48 PM
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