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FIRST off, from Texas comes news that Koran teacher Mohammed Omar Ali, above \u2013 found guilty of sexually assaulting three of his students \u2013\u00a0 has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Ali, a 61-year-old religious leader in the close-knit Muslim Somali community, was found guilty at the end of October of aggravated sexual assaut of a child and two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.<\/p>\n At the time of his arrest in January of 2020, all three victims were children under the age of 14. Ali is a Somalian national who was living in the US illegally, said Troy Nehls, who was the sheriff of Fort Bend County at the time of Ali\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n According to Sgt. Michael Alexander of the Fort Bend County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Ali gained access to his alleged victims by gaining the trust of the victim\u2019s families, who invited him into their homes to teach the Koran to their children.<\/p>\n Shariq Abdul Ghani, Director of the Minaret Foundation and representative of the Muslim community, added that Ali was not an employee or official volunteer of any particular mosque, but he traveled to different mosques and schools in the area, establishing himself as a de facto<\/em> religious leader.<\/p>\n He has a very fluent understanding of the Koran, and he\u2019s fluent in Arabic, which makes him an ideal teacher.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n After hearing testimony from a fourth child victim, Fort Bend County Judge Tameika Carter sentenced Ali to 35 years for the offense of aggravated sexual assault and ten years for each charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The sentences will run concurrently.<\/p>\n Lead prosector Charann Thompson praised the child who came forward with the first allegations against Ali.<\/p>\n In this case, the bravery of one child coming forward had the domino effect of inspiring other children to do the same. Because of the children\u2019s bravery, Mohammed Omar Ali was brought to justice and was held accountable for his horrible behaviour.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Meanwhile, Christianity Daily<\/em><\/a> reports that Virginian megachurch pastor John Blanchard, above, was among 17 individuals who were arrested following a two-day sting operation carried out by the Chesterfield County Police Department.<\/p>\n Over the course of two days, detectives \u201cintercepted suspects who believed they were soliciting sex from minors through online and social media platforms, the Chesterfield County police department explained<\/p>\n Now, Blanchard faces charges of felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution.<\/p>\n Blanchard served as senior pastor of Rock Church International since 2013 alongside his wife, Robin. The church described Blanchard on its website as:<\/p>\n Coming from a background in atheism and a dysfunctional childhood.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Two days ago it was reported that Blanchard had resigned from the church.<\/a><\/p>\n This is not the first time this year a pastor was involved in soliciting sex from minors. In July, it was reported that Matthew Brewer<\/a>, a youth pastor and chaplain with the Tennessee National Guard, who was described as a \u201ctrusted figure\u201d by investigator Lieutenant Justin Whitwell, was arrested for solicitation of a minor.<\/p>\n Brewer was a 47-year-old minister of students and was a Fairfield Baptist Church youth pastor. He was among 17 others who were caught by Tennessee authorities intentionally seeking out sexual activity with a 16-year-old girl.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1122\/2021\/11\/rock.jpg\")
Former monk jailed for sexual abuse and child cruelty<\/h3>\n
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I\u2019d love a cup of coffee<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"