PrintJune 7, 2012
9/11 Defendants' Lawfare Mocks the American Justice System
Can an attorney demand that every woman in the courtroom dress in an "appropriate" way? What if "appropriate" means adhering to a conservative version of sharia, or Islamic law? At the May 5 arraignment of the alleged 9/11 masterminds, defense counsel asked for just that.
Cheryl Borman, representing defendant Walid bin Attash, asked the court to order the women in the courtroom to dress "appropriately" as a show of "respect" for her client's religious beliefs. That is, Borman insinuated, women in an American courtroom should dress according to sharia law because the defendant is a Muslim. Defense counsel stated that simply looking at the prosecution team's female members could cause him to "sin" and lose his "focus" on the trial.
In a show of passive-aggressiveness and dramatic flair, Borman accused "someone" in the courtroom of dressing improperly. While she didn't define what attire would indeed be "appropriate," Borman herself wore a black hijab and...(Read Full Article)
