Saudi Slave Owner in the Slammer

Remember the Saudi slave owner in Colorado?

The mills of God grind slowly, but grind away they do: Homaidan al-Turki was convicted last week —

• Twelve felony counts of unlawful sexual contact with use of force
  
• One felony count of criminal extortion
  
• One felony count of theft (this is probably the $64,000 in back wages he owed his “maid”)

In addition, there were two misdemeanor convictions, both related to “false imprisonment”.

After the jury statement was read there was great drama in the courtroom supplied by the family and members of the Colorado Muslim Council. One man was ejected from the courtroom, and one of al-Turki’s daughters was carried out, crying, “What did he do?” It is hard to comprehend that she doesn’t know what Dad did to their slave who lived in the basement for four years, at least in this country.

Al-Turki, a Saudi citizen, owns a Colorado bookstore whose website still appears to be up and running. If you want to order an Islamic diatribe, here’s the email address: info@al-basheer.com. The snail-mail address is:

      Al-Basheer Publications & Translations
      3700 Havana Street, Unit # 102
      Denver, CO 80239
      U.S.A.

Let’s not forget that this man didn’t break any Shari’ah law. Rape of your Muslim slave is permissible under Islam. The young Indonesian woman, a seventeen year old virgin before al-Turki got hold of her, could be raped and enslaved with impunity. Now, rape of an infidel woman is another matter, so it’s probably no coincidence that the family’s choice of slave was a follower of the Prophet. I wonder if she was permitted a Koran in her basement hole? After all, her owner had a bookstore which sold them by the bushel. Maybe he gave her a slave an employee discount…?

Fortunately for this woman, Shari’ah law has no jurisdiction in Arapahoe County, and the fiqh does not apply in Colorado. Thus the Labor Department, in its lawsuit against al-Turki, requires him to pay $64,000 in back wages. Perhaps there will, in addition, be a civil suit for damages and deprivation of her civil liberties. Calling the ACLU, calling the ACLU: a tailor-made case here, just waiting for you. Much more apropos than eradicating little tiny crosses from municipal seals, wouldn’t you say? Unfortunately, the American Civil Liberties Union seems to have become habituated to easy pickings; they know small city governments will cave rather than bankrupt their taxpayers in a legal battle.

Al-Turki, on the other hand, has the full financial backing of the Saudi government. They went his bail, to the tune of $400,000, and the lesser bail for his wife, Sarah Khonaizan, who plea-bargained for a lesser fate. She’ll be sentenced in July, and has agreed to return to Saudi Arabia after her sentence has been served next year.

Al-Turki is not free on bond anymore. Having been convicted, his sentencing will take place in August. His defense argued that he should be allowed out on bond until then. The prosecutors asked that he be remanded without bond. He is not a citizen, and has immigration issues.

[Judge] Hannen ruled that since Al-Turki was convicted of counts that had aggravating factors that would put them into the category of violent crimes, the statutes did not allow him to continue bond, and Al-Turki was to be kept in custody until his sentencing Aug. 31.

So far, the convictions are locally based. In October al-Turki faces yet another trial — this one in federal court — on charges of forced labor, document servitude (he kept her passport from her, and it eventually expired), and harboring an illegal immigrant. The last charge is especially ironic, since it was al-Turki himself who created her status as an illegal alien by not permitting her to renew her visa.

This man is one of those infamous Saudi “students”, a 36 year old student studying linguistics in Colorado. He is also a member in good standing of the Colorado Muslim Council, where he spoke while out on bond awaiting trial. The Council may have links to the Islamic Assembly of North America (IANA).

Here’s some background — a bit dated, but then Jihad is eternal, isn’t it? — on their mission as described by Idaho prosecutors investigating fraudulent charities:

According to court papers filed by Idaho prosecutors, the IANA’s mission included the “dissemination of radical Islamic ideology, the purpose of which was indoctrination, recruitment of members, and the instigation of acts of violence and terrorism.”

In 2003, the National Review concluded

that elements within the Saudi government knowingly support IANA as a jihadist recruitment center — but the recruitment is clandestine to most Americans, including law enforcement. For the most part, IANA has attempted to mask its vitriolic propaganda, publishing its most radical content solely in Arabic. IANA’s English products and publications are conspicuously absent of the harshest al Qaeda and terrorist propaganda. Only in Arabic, on IANA’s several websites, can an individual read about the glory of suicide missions or navigate to audio clips religiously justifying terrorist attacks and calling for jihad.

One fatwa in particular appears to have given the justification to the hijackers to carry out the September 11 attacks. A government translation of a fatwa by a “radical Saudi sheikh” ominously published on one of IANA’s websites, Alasr.ws, in May 2001, stated, “[T]he mujahid must kill himself if he knows that this will lead to killing a great number of enemies…this can be accomplished with the modern means of bombing or bringing down an airplane on an important location that will cause the enemy great losses.”

My guess? Al-Turki has a long time to ponder his fate. Just for this first trial, he faces sentences that range from ninety-six years to twelve consecutive life terms. Those are golden bargaining chips for federal prosecutors looking for terrorist links.

It’s a long, long time from July to November
And jail gets old if you can’t remember…
But the walls disappear and you suddenly grow wings
When you somehow recall those Jihad rings.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
Who are you willing to name, Homaidany, just to get free?


Hat tip: Combs Spouts Off