Sex Slave of an Arab in Denver

Ok, here is a case of a Saudi guy and his wife who have been caught. The family had kept a housemaid – an Indonesian lady – without pay and intimidated her by raping her and other means!! So basically she was a sex slave for this Ali Al Turki guy! This is the report from Khaleej Times.

It presumably has become a big case within Denver’s Arab community which is backing up the family.. and the judge has raised a familiar accusation against several Arabs – that he maybe linked to a Terrorist network. Meanwhile here is the online guestbook (probably started by his daughter) for the release of her parents.

The trial has started of a Saudi Arabian man accused of keeping a young housemaid as a ‘slave’, whom he subdued using rape and other forms of intimidation.

Homaidan Ali Al Turki, 37, is a university educated linguist who arrived in the US in 2000 along with his wife, Sarah Khonaizan, and their four children. But, according to an FBI criminal complaint, the couple kept their Indonesian housemaid, now in her 20s, enslaved by creating ‘a climate of fear and intimidation through rape and other means.’

The housemaid slept on a mattress on the floor of the basement in the couple’s home in an upscale suburb of Denver, Colorado and, prosecutors allege, over the four years of her captivity was repeatedly raped by Al Turki. The woman was paid just $2 a day for the housework and child care she performed and according to the FBI document, feared that if she did not obey the Al-Turkis she would ‘suffer serious harm’.

The alleged abuse came to light after the maid was arrested along with the Al Turkis in November 2004 due to an expired visa. After her arrest, the maid told investigators of her plight. Al Turki, who by then was running an Arabic language publishing business called Al Basheer Publications and Translations, was arrested by federal agents and charged with forced labour, domestic servitude and harbouring an illegal immigrant.

The state of Colorado separately charged him with two counts of kidnapping, 12 counts of sexual assault, extortion, theft and false imprisonment. He faces life in prison if convicted. Al Turki denies the charges.

Sarah Khonaizan pled guilty in May to one charge of theft relating to the non-payment of the housemaid’s wages. In return for her guilty plea, which carries up to one year in jail and a $20,000 fine, prosecutors agreed to drop other charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment and extortion.

A month earlier in April 2006 the couple also settled a civil suit brought against them by the U.S. Department of Labor by agreeing to repay the housemaid $64,000 for her four years of service.

The case has sparked fierce debate in the U.S. with many Arab and Muslim groups branding the case a witchhunt based on a misunderstanding of Arab custom and culture and, prejudice following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those feeling intensified when it was revealed Denver’s Joint Terrorism Task Force had Al-Turki under investigation, suspecting he was “closely aligned to terrorists and may be providing material support to terrorism”.

In an interview with a Denver television station, Al Turki said there was ‘no doubt’ he was innocent. His lawyers have filed documents in his defence stating “there are Saudi Arabian customs regarding a host family’s retention of funds for their domestic servant until she leaves their service.” This, they say, explains why the housemaid was apparently paid so little.

“This is very sad, but we Muslims basically after 9/11, have been profiled,” Al Turki told Denver’s CBS4 station. “And everything that is happening to us or every single Muslim in the community basically because we are guilty, no matter what.”

Supporters have created several websites in support of Al Turki, who is a prominent member of Colorado’s Saudi community, and ensure that the court is packed with supporters for every hearing.

The housemaid, who has now married and lives in her own apartment, wept during an earlier hearing as she described her love for Al Turki’s wife and the children.

“I have been working for my boss, Mr Al Turki, for a long time, and I love their kids and I love Mama Sarah,” she said through an interpretor. She insisted she had told the truth to investigators. “I am Muslim, so I don’t want to change my story. That isn’t going to work, so I want to tell the truth … I want to help my boss because of my God and I am a Muslim believer, and I will tell whatever happened to me and I would not change the story,” the Rocky Mountain News newspaper reported her as saying.

Here are some of the remarks in the guestbook and you will see how the conversation in the Muslim/Arab world quickly moves to Racial Profiling without any regard to the wrong-doing of the sex-slave keeper:

Message from his daughter:

i am the daughter of homaidan al-turki and i make dua for the best dada in the world.
her is what i realy feel about this;
my life with out a dad……
i feel bad whaen my dad is not around. i miss him so much.WHY just tell me WHY are they blaming my dad.
it is realy bad with out a dad. my life is bad first they took my dad then freed him the n took my mom and my dad then freed my mom on tuesday. theres nothing fun with out parents they took my familys passports they took evrey thing that we had and left us some money,food,and drinks thats allwhat rood people are they very meanmy life is round by them. i hate them. WHY my familyjust tell me WHY. who ever wants to come her dont they will do the same to your family and make up some problems about your family. WHY WHY WHY WHY MY FAMILY…….
BY;NORAH AL-TURKI

Message from probably an Arab Denver guy:

May Allah, the all mighty, release Al-Turki from the prison and return him and his family back to Saudi Arabia. It is really tough situation for him, his wife, and his kids. We need all to make sincere DWAA for them. My advice, to all brothers in USA, is to leave this country and seek education in Saudi Arabia. If necessary, students may go to UK or any other country for graduate degrees. I am not sure why people like to stay in USA for education or business especially this time.
May Allah help Abu Turki and his family Ameen.

And by the way, if you were wondering what the Quran says about the Slave girls? Here is what it says [Quran, An-Nisa 24, sura 4:24 and 4:25]:

24. Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those (captives and slaves) whom your right hands possess. Thus has Allâh ordained for you. All others are lawful, provided you seek (them in marriage) with Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) from your property, desiring chastity, not committing illegal sexual intercourse, so with those of whom you have enjoyed sexual relations, give them their Mahr as prescribed; but if after a Mahr is prescribed, you agree mutually (to give more), there is no sin on you. Surely, Allâh is Ever All­Knowing, All­Wise.

25. And whoever of you have not the means wherewith to wed free, believing women, they may wed believing girls from among those (captives and slaves) whom your right hands possess, and Allâh has full knowledge about your Faith, you are one from another. Wed them with the permission of their own folk (guardians, Auliyâ’ or masters) and give them their Mahr according to what is reasonable; they (the above said captive and slave-girls) should be chaste, not adulterous, nor taking boy-friends. And after they have been taken in wedlock, if they commit illegal sexual intercourse, their punishment is half that for free (unmarried) women. This is for him among you who is afraid of being harmed in his religion or in his body; but it is better for you that you practise self­restraint, and Allâh is Oft­Forgiving, Most Merciful.

So, basically, if you can pay for them its ok to keep the slave girls!

Tags: islam