Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Halifax Islamic centre offers to forgive man accused of smashing windows |
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| jannah |
| 09/25/01 at 00:29:03 |
| Halifax Islamic centre offers to forgive man accused of smashing windows By MICHAEL TUTTON http://ca.news.yahoo.com/010924/6/ax7t.html see also: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inin/message/2740 HALIFAX (CP) - Members of the Halifax Islamic Centre will forgive a man accused of smashing the building's windows, providing he hears from local Muslims how badly he frightened them. Taleb Abidali, president of the centre, said Monday that his centre's members wants to meet with the 28-year-old man. But he said the centre isn't planning to make a complaint against him under Canada's hate laws. "We want to just show him what the Islamic way is," said Abidali. "We want to tell him that we feel sorry about what you did. That's the main issue. He did something wrong." The centre's windows were broken with a large piece of lumber early Saturday morning. Police said a man arrived near the centre in a taxi and got in a dispute with the driver over the fare. The man allegedly shouted ethnic and religious insults and slurs before beginning to break the windows. The centre decided not to lay hate charges after meeting with police on Saturday, prefering the court diversion process. The process, run by provincial parole officers, would require the offender to meet with his victims, apologize and possibly help repair any damage caused. In this case, the man would not end up with a criminal record, despite being charged under mischief provisions of the Criminal Code. Police must recommend the process to the Crown prosecutors, who give final approval. Sgt. Brenda Zima, a spokeswoman for the Halifax police, said the case met requirements for the diversion process and was the route preferred by the Islamic Centre. Chris Hanson, a spokeswoman for the public prosecution service, said it would be unusual for prosecutors to reject the request from police. "By the time it comes to us it would have gone through all the other hoops," she said. Abidali said the centre hopes to meet with the man as soon as possible. "We want to invite him to come and see that Islam rejects all terrorism." Halifax police said they haven't received any other complaints of harassment or physical attacks on Muslims, or people of Middle Eastern descent, since the terrorist events in the United States on Sept. 11. Police have declined to release the man's name. |
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