Posted on 03/22/2007 12:57:05 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Jurors to be screened for anti-Muslim bias
BY EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
Potential jurors in the upcoming trial of a Boca Raton doctor and three other men accused of conspiring to help terrorists will be screened for anti-Muslim biases.
A federal judge in New York ruled Tuesday that attorneys for Dr. Rafiq A. Sabir, Tarik Shah, Abdulrahman Farhane and Mahmud Faruq Brent can ask possible jurors to fill out questionnaires before jury selection begins.
The questions cannot ask potential jurors about their religious beliefs, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska said.
The men, all U.S. citizens who are Muslim, are scheduled to stand trial April 24. They have pleaded not guilty.
Sabir, 52, was arrested at his Palm Beach County home in May 2005, days after investigators claim he recited an oath of loyalty to al Qaeda in front of an undercover FBI agent.
Prosecutors say Sabir agreed to use his medical training to treat injured terrorists in Saudi Arabia. But his attorney, Ed Wilford, has said Sabir never stated or implied a desire to harm Americans.
Shah, a New York musician and martial arts expert, is accused of taking the same oath as Sabir and agreeing to train terrorists in hand-to-hand combat.
Farhane, a Brooklyn bookstore owner, allegedly discussed a plan with Shah in December 2001 to send money to terrorist fighters in Afghanistan so they could hurt U.S. troops.
Brent, a Washington, D.C., cab driver, is accused of conspiring to support Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based terror group.
They are being held without bail in federal custody and face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
(Excerpt) Read more at bradenton.com ...
That's why all twelve jurors should be FReepers!
BTW...do Islamic countries screen their jurors for anti-Christian or anti-Western biases when westerners are put on trial in places like Saudi Arabia, Libya or Iran?
Yeah...right.
Islam...the religion of peace, my arse!
Wonder if the lawyers are screened for anti-American bias?
Maybe the potential jurors can practice the Muslim time-honored technique of al Taqiyya.
Taqiyya is religious deception. Dissimulation for the sake of Islam is sanctioned by the Koran.
According to Mr. Walid Shoebat, the teachings of the Islamic religion state that it is acceptable to lie if you are lying to a non-believer. Lying is also acceptable to gain an advantage for the Islamic Religion, to get concessions and allow Islamic terrorists to rebuild their strength.
Fair is fair.
That sounds a lot like democrats.
What kind of questions could they ask that would determine if you were anti-Muslim? Can they ask if you believe that Islam is a religion of peace?
They should be tried for Treason, not conspiracy. Hang 'em.
Referring to them a rugriders would possibly be considered as biased. Admitting that you wouldn't trust them further than you can spit into the wind would possibly be considered as biased. And the list goes on ....
I want them to have no grounds to appeal, so I approve of this mess.
Allow me to rephrase this: Jurors being screened for a lack of common sense and to ensure their IQ is in the mid two-figure range.
Sure would be nice to see a blank copy of this "questionaire."
I suppose "throat-cutting camel-jockeys" is the wrong answer?
Maybe the IQ could be as high as room temperature?
I can tell a guilty muslim, just by looking at them. :)
Will they also screen jurors for PRO-Muslim bias? I doubt it. Obviously the jury should be objective and impartial. That doesn't mean they have to be Muslim lovers, I trust. It should be enough if they indicate that they would acquit if there is reasonable doubt, and base their decision on the evidence.
"Prosecutors say Sabir agreed to use his medical training to treat injured terrorists in Saudi Arabia. But his attorney, Ed Wilford, has said Sabir never stated or implied a desire to harm Americans."
Section 3 of the United States Constitution says:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the
same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
Sounds like treason to me.
Yep, they are the ones breathing.
Strike! Too high!
Perhaps only Satan himself should be allowed on a jury.
Agreed. The trial must be above reproach, so any conviction stands.
They would ask
Are you now, or have you ever been, a Freeper?
Have you ever bought or read any of the following books?
[Long list follows, including the Quran, the reading of which would tend to make the average jury member less well disposed,
and including any history of the middle east or of islam.]
How many who you knew died on 911?
Do you believe that the 911 attacks were carried out by Al Qaeda?
By the time the questions are done, only a tiny fraction of the jury pool remains.
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