It’s good that they were acquitted, but not so good that no one had the guts or the vision to stand up in the middle of the trial and say, “Wait a minute: we’re trying two Christians for offending Islam because they ate lunch during Ramadan? This whole proceeding is absurd.”
Note also here, yet again, that Islamic law is applied to non-Muslims even though we’re assured again and again that this never happens. It may be, however, that these two are simply being harassed for converting to Christianity.
Islamic Supremacism Alert: “2 Christians acquitted in Algeria Ramadan case,” from AP, October 5:
ALGIERS, Algeria — Judicial officials say an Algerian court has acquitted two recent converts to Christianity on trial for offending Islam by eating lunch during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The officials said the court in Ain El Hammam in the eastern Kabylie region on Tuesday threw out the case against Hocine and Salem Fallek. A state prosecutor had sought a three-year prison sentence.
Police caught the couple — both construction workers — off-guard and arrested them while they were having lunch on Aug. 12.
During Ramadan, devout Muslims abstain from food and drink between dawn and sunset, and Algerian law considers it an “offense to the principles of Islam” to eat during the day.
Two similar court cases are pending.