MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

Drinking alcohol (which actually has some health benefits in small quantities) resulted in this convert to Islam receiving a painful lashing from his ‘spiritual adviser.’ But he would have been praised for drinking camel urine …

AAP – “A Muslim man who was whipped 40 times for drinking alcohol was told to remember the pain next time he thought of picking up a drink, a Sydney magistrate has been told.

Zakaryah Raad, 21, Tolga Cifci, 21, Wassim Fayad, 44, and Cengiz Coskun, 22, faced Burwood Local Court today charged with lashing Christian Martinez, 31, with an electric cable as punishment under sharia for drinking alcohol.

The four men have pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and stealing CCTV footage from Mr Martinez’s apartment in Silverwater, in Sydney’s west, in the early hours of July 17 last year.

The court heard Fayad, also known as Fadi Alemaddin, carried out the alleged whipping while the three other men held Mr Martinez down on his bed.

Fayad had become Mr Martinez’s ‘spiritual leader’ after he converted to Islam before the alleged incident, prosecutor Sevinch Morkaya said.

Mr Martinez called Fayad on the evening of the alleged event, saying he needed help after he had drunk alcohol, the court was told.

‘It means I’m going to tie you up, brother,’ Fayad allegedly replied.

The court heard the four men then went to Mr Martinez’s apartment and carried out the whipping, pausing twice to allow Mr Martinez to vomit.

After the 40 lashes were administered, Fayad told Mr Martinez: ‘I did it because I love you. Next time you think of picking up a drink, you will remember this pain’, Ms Morkaya said.

Ms Morkaya said the court hearing was not about the Islamic faith.

Instead, it was about the ‘imposing of their view of sharia law’, she said.

The hearing continues before Magistrate Brian Maloney.” Source – The Sydney Morning Herald.