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U.S. Courts Delay Trials of Muslims Fearing Biased Jurors
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Judges in the U.S. have postponed several trials of Muslim and Arab Americans amid fears that they are unlikely to receive a fair hearing in a climate of rising racial tension, news agencies reported.
Judges are concerned that jurors at trials of Muslims and/or Arabs may hold views concerning the defendants strongly influenced by recent events, reported BBC's online news service.
In California, the case against of an Egyptian immigrant, John Ghobrial, accused of killing a child has been put on hold.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Weatherspoon delayed the trial until September 28th to allow time for emotions to cool down as he issued his ruling Monday, the
Orange County Register said.
The judge said he was dismissing 163 prospective jurors because it appeared Ghobrial would not get a fair hearing.
Weatherspoon had asked 89 members of the jury pool to raise their hands in voir dire if they believed that last Tuesday's deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon had created "any prejudicial feelings toward the defendant". Eighteen jurors raised their hands.
"The attacks on Tuesday really stirred up my emotions and some deep-seated feelings," juror Roger Blum told the
Register. "In fairness to the defense, I did not want to see my emotions and feelings over the attacks become a part of the trial."
The newspaper said the prosecutor in the case went along with the defense's motion to delay the trial, telling Weatherspoon he did not want Ghobrial to be able to use the jury's current alleged attitude toward Middle Easterners as grounds for an appeal if he were to be convicted.
Ghobrial, 50, an Egyptian Coptic Christian, is charged with the 1998 sexual molestation and dismemberment slaying of a 12-year-old neighborhood boy.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Georgia, a judge cited the same reasons for delaying the controversial murder trial of a Muslim scholar.
Jamil Abdullah al-Amin is accused of killing a police officer and could get the death penalty if found guilty.
Al-Amin's (formerly H. Rap Brown) case has garnered national attention due to allegations and witnesses claiming al-Amin is innocent. The judge postponed the trial until January.
Earlier last week, U.S. President George W Bush called for an end to racist violence following last week's terror attacks in the U.S., in which the prime suspect was identified as Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden.
Speaking at Washington's Islamic Center, Bush condemned what have been described as revenge attacks on Muslims and other members of ethnic minorities.
Bush, in defending American Muslims and Islam, went on to say acts against the innocent violated Islamic teachings, adding that American Muslims should be treated with respect and tolerance.
"Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior," he said.
Muslims and Arabs, however, were not the only victims of a backlash. Anyone who looks even remotely Middle Eastern has been suffering.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee appealed to Bush to protect Indian citizens living in the U.S.
This came after an Indian Sikh, Balbir Singh Sodhi, was killed last Saturday when a gunman drove into the Arizona service station which he ran and fired three shots into the business.
Sodhi, originally from Punjab, had lived in the U.S. for about 10 years, and his family said he had been planning to return to India to be with his wife and son.
"We don't deserve this kind of treatment," said Sodhi's younger brother, Latwinder Singh Sodhi.
"Since we wear turban and beard, 99% of Americans think we belong to bin Laden. They come to our store, tell us we are terrorists and ask us to go back to our country."
There have been several incidents throughout the U.S. of shots fired at mosques and Muslim-owned shops, and Muslim associations across the country have received threatening phone calls.
More than 1,000 Americans of Arab, African and Pakistani origin marched through New York Sunday to show support for the U.S. and their rejection of terrorism.
About 40 hate crimes are being investigated by the FBI, with director Robert Mueller warning that vigilante attacks, as he called them, would not be tolerated.
But official statements from the White House are also exacerbating attacks against Muslims, while at the same time offending them, through the use of incendiary language not directly targeting whomever may be responsible for last Tuesday's attacks, but the larger Muslim population as a whole.
As British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, reportedly referring to the need to prevent a war between religions or civilizations, the BBC commented that it was surprising that Bush described "the war on terrorism" as "a crusade".
"Crusade," a word full of historical resonance in Europe and the Middle East, calls to mind the medieval crusades against Muslim guardians of Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which resulted in the seizure of the sites by European soldiers, at the expense and destruction of Muslim residents and holy sites in the city.
The BBC reported that one diplomat in London commented that Bush needed a crash course in European history.
The word "crusade" is often used loosely in the West; another official said he was sure there was no intention to offend or implicate Muslims.
The British government is anxious to get the message across that those responsible for the New York and Washington attacks are not seen as representing Islam.
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