In a trial that has sparked outrage, an Islamic teacher who repeatedly molested a terrified girl of 11 as he taught her the Koran has escaped jail sentence because according to his defence, his family of six were so dependent on him, his wife’s English is so bad and he is ill with kidney problems.
Suleman Maknojioa, 40, was supposed to be giving the little girl and her two brothers private tuition. He was engaged by the children’s parents in 2012 to teach them about the Islamic faith. But instead of teaching the kids, Maknojioa picked interest in the little girl and repeatedly, began touching the girl’s arms and head, then moved to her legs, feet and chest and her thigh.
Maknojioa, a respected hafiz – a scholar of the Koran, claimed the touching was done to reassure the little girl but his confused victim became terrified whenever lessons were due. He was finally reported to police after the children’s mother overheard her two sons, aged 13 and seven, talking about the incidents.
Recounting her ordeal in court, the little girl said the touching typically occurred as she prayed or read from the Koran while kneeling or sitting cross-legged.
She told the jury:
‘I was too afraid to say something. He would put his hand under my headscarf on my chest and he would squeeze. He would only use the one hand. The other hand would be writing something or he would be pointing to my brothers and telling them to pray harder. No matter how hard my brothers tried to pray it wasn’t good enough. He would always say I was better, even if I wasn’t.
‘My brothers asked me what he had been doing and I didn’t know how to describe it. I told them he had touched me up. They told me to tell Mum and Dad – but I just didn’t want to tell anyone. It went on for ages, his hand going up and down. I was afraid of what my teacher would do.’
Her older brother said:
‘I knew what was happening for about a month before my parents. My sister would get very upset at the idea of anyone knowing. It was difficult for me to know what to do. He favoured her. He would give her ten pages to learn and we would only get three. That way he spent most of the lesson with her. He did it slyly. When it happened, she was trying to pray. I have seen him touching her thigh in a stroking motion. It was inappropriate.’
This went on from September 2012 to June 2013 until the course of lessons ended. The girl’s father later confronted Maknojioa at his home but he denied all the charges.
On the day he was arrested, Maknojioa was due to teach 30 children at a mosque near his home in Blackburn. He was later convicted of five counts of sexual activity but on Monday he escaped with a 40-week prison sentence suspended for two years.
Maknojioa's defence lawyer, Frida Hussain, said:
‘Maknojioa is married with six children. His wife doesn’t work and speaks very little English, they are dependent on him to lead their lives and with the running of the household. One of the children has learning difficulties. Because he doesn’t teach now he is reliant on benefits.’
However, his light punishment has sparked an outrage on the internet. A family friend, who asked not to be named, condemned the sentence. He said:
‘This is a total disgrace. What type of message does this send out to paedophiles? He should be behind bars for this type of abuse. We are all horrified.’
Maknojioa will be under supervision for two years and made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for ten years.
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