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Islamic Fundraising For Muslim Student Defense
by Sahar Kassaimah
CALIFORNIA (IslamOnline) - The Muslim community of California organized an emergency fundraising dinner Saturday for the defense of a Pakistani student who has so far spent one year in prison.
Ahmad Chaudhry has been charged with physically attacking two of his roommates in a case in which his supporters state that Chaudhry was merely defending himself and his beliefs from the two roommates they state were the actual attackers.
"More than $17,000 were collected in the fundraising dinner, and that's almost what we need for the defense," said Irfan Parekh, in charge of Chaudhry’s fundraising, to IslamOnline.
Chaudhry was attacked last November by his two Kenyan roommates, a few weeks after his arrival to the United States to pursue his MBA.
In attempts to degrade him, the two roommates forced him to eat pork and burned a part of his face, arms and hands, on the stove. In the attack, one of the two roommates was injured while Ahmad fought back to defend himself.
"The two Kenyan attackers were angry of Muslims because of the bombing in Kenya, they called the police and claimed that Ahmad was a religious fanatic and that he's the one who attacked them first," said Parekh to IslamOnline.
The police subsequently arrested Chaudhry and asked him to call his attorney, while his two roommates were never arrested nor questioned.
Presently, Chaudhry, who suffers from permanent burns and has spent one year in jail awaiting his trial, is still waiting.
However, he is not alone, as many Muslim members of his community are supporting and defending him.
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