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âIslamic upbringing no excuse for rapeâ
 SYDNEY: An Australian court dismissed appeals on Friday from three Pakistani brothers convicted of gang rape, with a judge describing a defence claim that their Muslim background contributed to the crime as insulting.
| "But, yer honor! We used to do it all the time back home in Quetta!" |
New South Wales state appeal court judge Michael Grove refused to reduce the sentences of the three brothers over the July 2002 rapes of two teenage girls at the family home in Sydneyâs suburbs. Appeal lawyers for 27-year-old MSK, one of the brothers, argued that their clientâs strict Muslim upbringing in Pakistan meant he had traditional views about women that made him a âcultural time bombâ in Australia and contributed to the rapes.
| Then why the hell was he in Australia? Did he expect them to change things just for him? |
The judge said it was an inappropriate argument. âIt was intended to suggest that differences might be observed in behaviour in the respective cultures of Pakistan and Australia. There was and is not the slightest basis for concluding other than that in both places, all women are entitled to respect and safety from sexual assault,â he told the court.
| "They have laws against that sort of thing back in Pakland, too! The only difference is that here we enforce them!" |
âThe expression âcultural time bombâ was to say the least inappropriate and inapt - it would understandably be regarded as offensive by those who fell within the scope of its insult.â MAK (25) is serving 16 years for the rapes, while his siblings MMK (19) and MSK were both jailed for 22 years after being convicted last year.
Posted by: Fred 2005-11-07 |
