Singapore – Muslim Sentenced to Jail for Hitting Jewish Man

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    Singapore – A Muslim who punched a Jew at the National Library in an unprovoked attack was jailed today.
    This is the first case of its kind involving a religiously aggravated assault.

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    Azmi Osman, 35, unemployed, who had the words ‘Anti Jews” on his right cheek, admitted to punching the right arm of Mr Eliyahu Benhiyoun, 21, and knowingly promoting feelings of ill-will between different religious groups with the tattoo on his face.

    The incident occurred at the National Library at Victoria Street on Feb 25.

    Apart from the two offences, he also pleaded guilty to armed robbery and causing hurt to an NTUC FairPrice worker with a knife at Bedok North Street 1 in April.

    He was sentenced to a total of three years and 12 strokes of the cane.

    A Community Court heard that Mr Eliyahu was engrossed in texting his friend at the lobby of the library that day when he heard someone shout at him and felt a punch on his upper right arm.

    The Jewish Welfare Board religious staff, who was wearing a yarmulke, saw Azmi staring at him nearby. He took offence of the assault and deemed the tattoo worn by Azmi provocative and anti-Jewish.

    Azmi claimed that the words ‘Anti Jews” meant ‘Anti Jagged”, ‘Endeavour”, ‘Worship” and ‘Satanic”, which symbolised underground music.

    Pressing for a deterrent sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Kok Weng said the offences were racially or religiously aggravated, and threatened the long-term stability and social cohesion of Singapore.

    ‘Such xenophobic acts cannot be condoned in a multi-religious and multi-racial society such as Singapore,” he said.

    If hate acts based on race or religion were allowed to persist, the fault lines between the races and/or religious groups would deepen, said the DPP. This would in turn create opportunities for religious extremist groups to exploit.

    Community Court Judge Ng Peng Hong agreed with the prosecution that the stiff sentence was warranted, and the judge said Azmi would be counselled to remove the tattoo, which can still be seen after he had tattooed a picture of a Merlion over it.


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    7 Comments
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    Wishfull Thinking
    Wishfull Thinking
    14 years ago

    How nice if some more antisemites arround the world, to visit Singapore!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    His explanation of his tattoo reminds me of a Simpsons episoe where Sideshow Bob who constantly plotted to kill Bart Simpson had the words “Die Bart Die” tattooed across his knuckles. In court he was asked about it and explained it was German for “The Bart The” to which someone in the crowd said “Well anyone who speaks German can’t be all that bad. Nobody can be that sheltered to not know what that acronym spells and ultimately is portrayed as meaning.

    Loshon Hora
    Loshon Hora
    14 years ago

    Only 12 strokes of the cane?
    It should be at least 100 the first day of jail & more every day the entire 3 years, at the end he should be billed for the hard work.

    Obamanation
    Obamanation
    14 years ago

    if they have some thing even far from this kind of justic in this country, harlem and other places might have bin a pleasure to live in.

    boruch hoffinger
    boruch hoffinger
    14 years ago

    BS”D
    A lawyer once said to me: “Most Americans think flogging (Caning) is ‘cruel and unusual punishment.”
    I responded: “Locking someone up, taking away their lives, hurting their families and friends, then forgetting about them, isn’t ‘cruel and unusual? What, the public are such angels?” (Violent criminals are, of course, a different story.)
    Here, had the perpetrator received a few more strong lashes in public, which causes much pain and embarrassment, he could return to his work and family. Why cut off any income he/she has? Why hurt others?
    There’s no ‘sechel’ in the American way. Goyim tend to be cruel. They have not developed enough to meet the 20th Century.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Is that Meir Chai Benhiyoun’s son?