Symptomatic of a larger problem, namely, the frequent lack of respect for secular law among Muslims living in the West. “Judge slams car-racket mum who blames Islam,” by Kate Jones for the Herald Sun (thanks to Supercargo):
A young mother has argued her Muslim beliefs forced her into a life of crime.
Shahida Karim-Hawchar, 24, sold stolen cars to unsuspecting buyers because it was her cultural duty to obey her father and her husband, a court heard.
Her lawyer, Tom Danos, said her father, Omar Zayden, and husband Imad pressured her to join their car rebirthing racket.
“This was a religious Muslim family, where the hierarchy was the father, the husband, and then the wife,” Mr Danos told the County Court. “It’s an additional pressure on her to be involved.”
But Judge Felicity Hampel, suspending a 2 1/2-year jail term because the young mum has three sons aged under five, said that argument was an abuse of religion.
“It’s a very sad and debasing thing to hear it suggested that adherence to a religious tenet can justify criminal behaviour,” Judge Hampel said.
“I don’t accept that Islam requires a daughter to obey a directive of the husband or the father, where the directive involves the commission of a criminal offence.”
However, Judge Hampel accepted the obedience argument last year when she allowed Karim-Hawchar to change her plea to the charges.
In August 2006, the Karim-Hawchars both asked to change pleas of guilty to not guilty.
Imad was refused, and was later jailed.
But Shahida was successful: Judge Hampel accepted she’d only admitted guilt because Imad had told her to.
The judge was told Shahida was also only obeying Imad in changing her plea.
But Judge Hampel was satisfied Shahida’s original plea had not been made freely or with an understanding of what it would mean, but in accordance with her religious or cultural duty.
Last month, Shahida appeared before Judge Hampel yet again — this time to change her plea a second time, back to guilty.
Welcome to Western Civilization: You are responsible for your own behavior.