Friday, November 11, 2005

Mother, May I Police Procedures

Police in Australia are being advised to treat Muslim domestic violence cases differently out of respect for Islamic traditions and habits.

The instructions come in a religious diversity handbook.It also recommends special treatment for suspects of Aboriginal, Baha'i, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds.

Here are some examples of the dos and don'ts in this drivel.

In incidents such as domestic violence, you need to understand traditions, ways of life and habits of Muslims. Work with Muslim leaders who will try to keep the family from fragmenting.

Do not hold interviews with Aboriginal suspects or set court hearings during Aboriginal ceremonies involving "initiation, birth, death, burials, mourning periods, women's meetings and cultural ceremonies in general".

Interview Baha'i suspects only after sunset in the fasting month.

Do not disturb a Sikh when he is reading the Sikh Holy Script, a process that normally takes 50 hours

Take your shoes off before entering Buddhist and Hindu houses and remove your hat before entering or searching churches.

Taking photos or samples from Aboriginal suspects could raise fears they could be used for sorcery and spiritual mischief.

Police Multicultural Advisory Bureau head Gerard Daniells, who created the handbook, said common sense would prevail over the guide in an emergency.

Really, Gerard? If there were any common sense we wouldn't be saddling our law enforcement with politically correct crap such as this.In fact,we wouldn't have an Advisory Bureau with such a pretentious sounding name and you would have to do real police work or find another job.

If you'd like to understand common sense here's an example:

Islamic Women's Welfare Council head Joumanah El Matrah called the guidelines appalling and dangerous. "The implication is one needs to be more tolerant of violence against Muslim women but they should be entitled to the same protection," Ms El Matrah said. "Police should not be advising other officers to follow those sorts of protocols. "It can only lead to harm."
More at the Herald Sun

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