Religious Extremism in Kenya as couple jailed for having sex in mosque
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
other press 
Wednesday October 11, 2006 17:37
by Atheist
Couple are given custodial sentence for "abominable crime.'
Religious extremism has reared its ugly head in Kenya as a drunk couple having sex in a mosque are sentenced to jail for having sex in mosque. Their actions were an "affront to religion."
A couple caught having sex in a Kenyan mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have been sentenced to 18 months jail for what the judge called an "abominable" affront to religion.
Peter Kimani and Jennifer Wairimu pleaded guilty to the charge of having sex in a place of worship after being caught on October 3 at the Abubakar mosque in Gilgil, about 60 miles north of Nairobi. Neither is a Muslim.
A worshipper heading for evening prayers found the couple having sex after investigating what the prosecution described as strange noises emanating from a dark corner of the mosque.
Kimani and Wairimu both pleaded for clemency at Monday's hearing, saying they were too drunk to know where they were. Kimani told the court he thought he was in a lodging house.
John King'ori, senior magistrate in nearby Naivasha, dismissed their plea.
"Having sex in a mosque is a most abominable thing to religion and only a custodial sentence can add justice to this," he said.
Comments (1 of 1)
Jump To Comment: 1It seems Atheist is a bit overly willing to cry foul on this.
Would it be secular extremism, if a drunken couple were charged with having sex in a library?
There are laws in lots of countries, be they mostly islamic, catholic, protestant or secular about getting naked in public places.
It's not religious extremism. A couple ended up in court in Ireland for having sex in a sporting ground.
18 months is overly harsh. The couple were obviously stupid, and irresponsible. Being drunk in the middle of the day, and going into a mosque, shows a lack of respect for themselves and others. A night in seperate cells, and a fine would have been a better result, but , like any country the courts generally take into account local sensitivities. Religious extremisim, it aint' though.
Is this a case of Muslim bashing by anonymous 'Atheist'?
Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.