At first glance Esseghaier seems to be an intelligent, community minded man who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of science. He has lectured at conferences, sharing and spreading his ideas to minds eager to learn from him and his extensive knowledge.
Mr. Esseghaier, was arrested on April 22 following an eight-month RCMP investigation. He was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in association with a terrorist group. He was found, with accomplices, to be plotting to derail a VIA rail passenger train. Many innocent and unknowing people lives were in his scope of horror.
According to the Toronto Sun, Esseghaier told Toronto court Wednesday morning that he "doesn't recognize the Criminal Code under which he faces five serious charges."
“Because all of those conclusions [were] taken ... based on Criminal Code and ... we know that this Criminal Code is not holy book, it’s just written by set of creations and the creations they’re not perfect because only the Creator is perfect so if we are basing our judgment ... we cannot rely on the conclusions taken out from these judgments” Esseghaier said in his first Toronto appearance.
Basically he denounced Canada's Criminal Code and wished to be governed by his holy book, the Qur’an.
“I have agreed to have a lawyer, no problem, but I wish that this lawyer will cooperate with me,” he said. “I need the holy book as a reference for my judgment I don’t want a book written by humans.”
This is directly quoted by a man who had dedicated most of his adult life to studying science discovered and written by mere humans. His refusal to representation may result in him representing himself. Even though, accused criminals can’t just opt out of the law, Esseghaier is certainly going to try.
It seems to me that his denial of Canadian Law is a direct reference to his guilt. Any innocent party would never disguise the truth so blatantly as to discount the law of the country in place of a personal holy book. However, this raises scary questions about multi-culturalism and how far is too far. Canada has relented some rules to accommodate, as best they can, special Muslim cases, while still remaining in the full scope of the law. But those exceptions were mostly regarding Muslim women's head scarves.
Richard Moon, a University of Windsor professor who studies law and freedom of religion reminds us that, "one can’t accommodate something that basically says Canadian law is ... not applicable.”
David Butt, a lawyer who represented a Muslim woman in court said, “If a judge making a law were to reach out to a particular religious document … and say: ‘I’m pronouncing this to be the governing legal principle,’ that would be perceived as a radical [change].”
Kimberley Motley, a lawyer who works primarily in Afghanistan, suggested that Esseghaier use the Qur’an along with Canada’s Criminal Code, as a supplementary document that the judge might consider.
Why should a judge even consider supplementary documents for a judgment in a court of law? This implies that our laws are incomplete, ineffective, useless.
Tahir Gora, director general of Progressive Muslims Institute Canada says, “He (places) no value (on) civil and liberal democratic rights, and (yet) he was enjoying those rights.”
This is not the first time Sharia Law was proposed in Canada when dealing with Muslim criminals. Five years ago, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced, “There will be no sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians.”
The suggested use of Sharia Law created havoc. Media reports of abuse against mainly women in other parts of the world provoked women's groups in Ontario to become outraged at the prospect of "Islamic tribunals ruling on the basis of sharia law" as it threatened women's rights to equality.
How long now before Canadian Law doesn't exist? How long now before we're all governed under Sharia Law? With more and more immigrants coming in from all corners of the globe, now is not the time to demur and hand over our rights. How long will we keep quiet while Esseghaier convinces a judge that it is his right under the Qur’an to plot the murder of hundreds of unsuspecting Canadians? He has already used our educational system, spread his ideals to young, indulgent minds, and is now balking from judgment as he claims it's not holy. How far do we bend? How much do we give? How accommodating can we be before we are unrecognizable?
Anver Emon, a University of Toronto law professor and author of the recent book on religious pluralism, said, “It may absolutely have no merits whatsoever, but I do think we as a society, however it is that you want to define the ‘we’ … we have to stand back in the multicultural setting and remember that, what we seem to take for granted, what we imagine to be self-evident, we now have to justify.”
I ask you now, must we justify justice? The laws of the country were created to keep us all safe from men like Esseghaier. We cannot afford to keep quiet while Sharia Law is being practiced here on our land. Immigrants come here to get away from persecution. We embrace others and share our cultures. We provide solace and shelter for the abused, the displaced and provide opportunity for a better life to those seeking betterment. I am proud to belong to a multi-cultural country, just not at the expense of what's right.
MSN.com News: Qur'an-based defence too challenging even for Muslim lawyers
Chiheb Esseghaier: LinkedIn
Heavy.com News: 5 Fast Facts on Chiheb Esseghaier
TheStar.com News: Law vs Religion
TheStar.com: ON rule against Sharia Law
At first glance Esseghaier seems to be an intelligent, community minded man who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of science. He has lectured at conferences, sharing and spreading his ideas to minds eager to learn from him and his extensive knowledge.
Mr. Esseghaier, was arrested on April 22 following an eight-month RCMP investigation. He was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in association with a terrorist group. He was found, with accomplices, to be plotting to derail a VIA rail passenger train. Many innocent and unknowing people lives were in his scope of horror.
According to the Toronto Sun, Esseghaier told Toronto court Wednesday morning that he "doesn't recognize the Criminal Code under which he faces five serious charges."
“Because all of those conclusions [were] taken ... based on Criminal Code and ... we know that this Criminal Code is not holy book, it’s just written by set of creations and the creations they’re not perfect because only the Creator is perfect so if we are basing our judgment ... we cannot rely on the conclusions taken out from these judgments” Esseghaier said in his first Toronto appearance.
Basically he denounced Canada's Criminal Code and wished to be governed by his holy book, the Qur’an.
“I have agreed to have a lawyer, no problem, but I wish that this lawyer will cooperate with me,” he said. “I need the holy book as a reference for my judgment I don’t want a book written by humans.”
This is directly quoted by a man who had dedicated most of his adult life to studying science discovered and written by mere humans. His refusal to representation may result in him representing himself. Even though, accused criminals can’t just opt out of the law, Esseghaier is certainly going to try.
It seems to me that his denial of Canadian Law is a direct reference to his guilt. Any innocent party would never disguise the truth so blatantly as to discount the law of the country in place of a personal holy book. However, this raises scary questions about multi-culturalism and how far is too far. Canada has relented some rules to accommodate, as best they can, special Muslim cases, while still remaining in the full scope of the law. But those exceptions were mostly regarding Muslim women's head scarves.
Richard Moon, a University of Windsor professor who studies law and freedom of religion reminds us that, "one can’t accommodate something that basically says Canadian law is ... not applicable.”
David Butt, a lawyer who represented a Muslim woman in court said, “If a judge making a law were to reach out to a particular religious document … and say: ‘I’m pronouncing this to be the governing legal principle,’ that would be perceived as a radical [change].”
Kimberley Motley, a lawyer who works primarily in Afghanistan, suggested that Esseghaier use the Qur’an along with Canada’s Criminal Code, as a supplementary document that the judge might consider.
Why should a judge even consider supplementary documents for a judgment in a court of law? This implies that our laws are incomplete, ineffective, useless.
Tahir Gora, director general of Progressive Muslims Institute Canada says, “He (places) no value (on) civil and liberal democratic rights, and (yet) he was enjoying those rights.”
This is not the first time Sharia Law was proposed in Canada when dealing with Muslim criminals. Five years ago, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced, “There will be no sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians.”
The suggested use of Sharia Law created havoc. Media reports of abuse against mainly women in other parts of the world provoked women's groups in Ontario to become outraged at the prospect of "Islamic tribunals ruling on the basis of sharia law" as it threatened women's rights to equality.
How long now before Canadian Law doesn't exist? How long now before we're all governed under Sharia Law? With more and more immigrants coming in from all corners of the globe, now is not the time to demur and hand over our rights. How long will we keep quiet while Esseghaier convinces a judge that it is his right under the Qur’an to plot the murder of hundreds of unsuspecting Canadians? He has already used our educational system, spread his ideals to young, indulgent minds, and is now balking from judgment as he claims it's not holy. How far do we bend? How much do we give? How accommodating can we be before we are unrecognizable?
Anver Emon, a University of Toronto law professor and author of the recent book on religious pluralism, said, “It may absolutely have no merits whatsoever, but I do think we as a society, however it is that you want to define the ‘we’ … we have to stand back in the multicultural setting and remember that, what we seem to take for granted, what we imagine to be self-evident, we now have to justify.”
I ask you now, must we justify justice? The laws of the country were created to keep us all safe from men like Esseghaier. We cannot afford to keep quiet while Sharia Law is being practiced here on our land. Immigrants come here to get away from persecution. We embrace others and share our cultures. We provide solace and shelter for the abused, the displaced and provide opportunity for a better life to those seeking betterment. I am proud to belong to a multi-cultural country, just not at the expense of what's right.
MSN.com News: Qur'an-based defence too challenging even for Muslim lawyers
Chiheb Esseghaier: LinkedIn
Heavy.com News: 5 Fast Facts on Chiheb Esseghaier
TheStar.com News: Law vs Religion
TheStar.com: ON rule against Sharia Law
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