Illustration by Matthew Green
One has to wonder why religion attracts so many pedophiles. I suppose it’s a great place to hide one’s sexually deviant proclivities since being in a position of authority, especially a religious one, they have far more of a hold on a child then say an accountant. Children are less likely to question a priest or other religious figure. Of course, although the priesthood in the Catholic Church, bar none, has attracted the most pedophiles, other religions have their own perverts, including Judaism, Islam and every other religion that exists.
The problem with the abuse of underage Muslim children (at least the girls), though, is that in some countries sexuality in young girls is fostered through child marriage. It is thought in countries like Yemen that if it was okay for Muhammad to wed a child, it should be okay in this day and age, and that it is actually un-Islamic to ban child marriage. There are clerics who actually stated that. Of course, this is only promoted by hardline,extremist Muslims, but there must be some sense of confusion in others.
But in western countries, underage marriage is illegal and pedophilia is a crime, and so an imam (48) in Sweden has been charged with sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl. He apparently tutors children on the Quran and was teaching both the young girl and her older 14-year-old brother in the apartment of the victim’s family.
According to the charge sheet the incidents are alleged to have occurred in August and September 2009 in the girl’s family home south of Stockholm. The 48-year-old was a regular visitor to the apartment and taught the girl and her 14-year-old elder brother about the Koran and the Arabic language.
When the girl finally revealed what she had been subjected to her parents immediately called the police.
“The mother was scared that more children could be exposed,” district prosecutor Eva Kokkonen told news agency TT.
The sexual molestation involved the man groping the girl, including her breasts.
“It is always serious when a child is exposed to sexual acts. Especially when it takes place in her home and with a person she should be able to have confidence in. I consider that the man abused his authority and the punishment should be prison,” Kokkonen said.
The prosecutor argues that the evidence against the imam is strong.
“The girl’s story is reliable and her reaction when she told her parents is typical of abused children. She was very sad and so ashamed that she could barely talk about what had happened. Her big brother who arrived at the lesson later supported her story by testifying to the man’s exaggerated indiscretion towards the girl,” Kokkonen said.
“He presented himself to me as an imam, I think that makes the crime worse. I am shocked over what he has done,” the girl’s mother told news agency TT.
The trial will be held in Södertörn district court before the summer. The man denies all charges.
Of course, what better job to have for a pedophile than a teacher or a priest. All that choice. And that’s why you will find so many sexual predators who live near schools and parks, where they have easy access to children. It’s a terrible sickness and you would think that someone in a religious position would know better. Who knows how they can live with themselves.
