A Philadelphia mosque leader has been accused of trying to cut off the hand of a suspected thief.
It is the first known application of strict Sharia law occurring in the U.S. The law states: “As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime.”
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Merv Mitchell, also known as Mabul Shoatz, was arrested by Police and charged with trying to cut the victim’s hand off with a machete.
The unidentified 35-year-old male victim has not yet surfaced, but reports say his wrist was sliced so deeply it required hospital treatment, police said on Friday.
The 46-year-old victim said two officials in the mosque accused him of stealing jars of money from the house of worship after morning prayers on Monday. The officials, described in police reports as the mosque’s imam and amir, dragged the victim to the rear of the mosque, and attempted to chop off his hand with a machete, according to a police statement. He sustained a severe laceration to his right wrist, and was transported to a nearby hospital by medics. source
Mitchell was charged with aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and related offenses.
