Friday, February 23, 2007

Injustice, Injustice, Injustice!

He [Paul Cortez], James Barker and Steven Green had their eye on a farmhouse near their checkpoint in Mahmudiya, near Baghdad. They visited it before the attack and behaved so lasciviously around Abeer Qasim al-Janabi that she was sent to sleep at a neighbour's house. They made their move in broad daylight, when Abeer's parents and five-year-old sister were also home. Cortez told the court that Green took the three into a bedroom while Cortez and Barker took turns raping Abeer in the living room.

"She kept trying to keep her legs closed and saying stuff in Arabic," Cortez said. "During the time me and Barker were raping Abeer, I heard gunshots that came from the bedroom. After Barker was done, Green came out and said that he had killed them all... Green then placed himself between Abeer's legs to rape her."

Green shot the girl dead too, at which point the soldiers set her on fire.
[From the Independent]

Sgt. Paul Cortez, one of the five men, being court-martialled for raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and killing her family in March 2006 received what would be an unjust outrageously light sentence, by any standard of fairness. While the papers and news tickers are screaming "Soldier sentenced to 100 years in prison", the truth in fact is that Cortez could be free on parole in only 10 years!

Consider for a minute the circumstances of this brutal rape and murder. And then tell me, doesn't this deserve human outrage? Not just Muslims, but especially Muslims. How can it be that a rape of a 12-year old Japanese girl justified what was called a 'light' sentence of 7 years in Japanese prisons, while the gang-rape, murder of this 14-year old Iraqi girl and the murder of her father, her mother, and her 5-year old sister wasn't enough to justify a life-sentence at the least, let alone the death penalty? How will America justify this light treatment of the heinous crime to the rest of the world, especially to the Iraqis? What a farce! What Injustice!
Inna lillahi wa innah alehi raajioon.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wallahi, they are nothing but evil sick dogs. I hope they get what they deserve in the next life.

Anonymous said...

Asalaamu alaikum. Brother, I hope you don't take this as disrespectful, but I've seen your daughter post on your blog and I hope she won't read this. It's a little too graphic - I don't have the stomach for it myself. Jazak Allah khair.

AnonyMouse said...

La'natAllah 'alaihum. May the Curse of Allah be upon them.
That's really all I can say.

Yankee Doodle said...

Yes, it is infuriating. Very infuriating!

This is evil, and these people deserve the death sentence.

It looks like the way Sgt. Cortez avoided the death sentence was by pleading guilty. Here's a link (more are easy to find):

By pleading guilty Cortez, who was also given a dishonourable discharge, avoided the death penalty and will be eligible to seek parole in 10 years.

In November another soldier who pleaded guilty for the same crime was sentenced to 90 years in a military prison. Two other soldiers and a former soldier are awaiting trial for their role in the murders.


So many of us in America complain about problems with our judicial system.

For whatever it's worth, though, these people will not be getting out in 10 years. The crime is incredibly heinous; these are federal convictions based on a guilty plea; the criminals will be serving their time in a federal military prison. They will not be getting out in 10 years, or even in 30 or 40 or 50.

If these were state convictions and a state prison, they probably would be back out on the streets in ten years.

Amad said...

Thanks Yankee for the comment... So, are you saying that this guy may not be getting it in 10 years, even with good behavior (behavior that would generally get you parole)? Pls explain further if you have more information.

I would like to add something of importance, not out of political correctness, but out of sincerity: that these soldiers do not represent the vast majority of soldiers, who perform their duties without committing these social crimes (even if we disagree vehemently with what they have been officially ordered to do). If we generalize these sick actions to the entire military, then we are committing the same wrong that we are victims of, in the media's and many in the West's stereotyping of all the Muslims based on the few bad apples in our ranks. So, let's not go down the same road.

Anonymous said...

What about the injustice of radical Muslims blowing themselves up taking innocent people along with them, Muslims scream bloody murder when they think they are being done wrong but are silent when Muslims are killing innocent people Muslims included, Thats being hypocrites.

GypsyNinja said...

Are you kidding me? I'd like to know where you developed the nerve to not only label them as "hypocrites" but to do so after reading this post. After reading the newspapers. After seeing this story covered in the news. After KNOWING what happened to this innocent family, you have the audacity to post such asinine drivel? Muslim suicide bombers have absolutely nothing to do with this. The fact that you bring it up, in my eyes, makes you as guilty as the savage beasts who comitted this crime. Kindly, take your midget-minded thinking somewhere else.