LONDON—A man has been convicted in Manchester of child cruelty for forcing two boys to flail themselves during a Muslim ceremony, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Syed Mustafa Zaidi, 44, of Eccles, had forced the boys to whip themselves with chains fitted with curved blades at the ends during an annual Shia Muslim ceremony, police said.
The boys, aged 13 and 15, were taken to hospital by their mother suffering from several deep wounds on their backs and multiple slash wounds.
Zaidi had used the Zangeer Zani flail on himself during the ceremony at a Manchester centre in January, before being stopped by other members of the Muslim community. He then forced the boys to flagellate themselves instead.
Community members stepped in again to help the youngsters.
Zaidi was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday of two counts of child cruelty.
He was the first person in England and Wales to be convicted of child cruelty during a ritual ceremony involving flagellation.
Carol Jackson, of Greater Manchester Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said in a statement after the case: "The CPS wishes to make it clear that this prosecution was not an attack upon the practices or ceremonies of Shia Muslims. Indeed, the prosecution relied as part of its evidence upon the president of the local Shia Community Centre."
Superintendent Nadeem Butt, from Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: "This man not only abused the vulnerability of these children but also went against the wishes of his own community, as well as knowingly breaking the law.
"The sensitivities this case raises—both legal and cultural—are significant. We are aware of the community's concerns about how this case could be portrayed, and have been working closely with community leaders throughout the process."
Later, the General Secretary of the Jaffria Islamic Centre said the community was unaware of the legal situation.
"This sort of practice has been going on throughout the Islamic world for centuries and although there have been cases like this in the past they haven't been brought to court," he said in a statement issued through the police.
"We cannot eliminate this practice, but we can and will work to a code of practice so that the children don't get hurt, the law isn't broken, and the people who do want to take part don't get prosecuted.
"We have to take into account people's beliefs and their rights, and we will respect them. But we are not above the law and we never will be and working with the authorities is the best chance we've got to prevent any harm being brought against any children.
"The best way of achieving our aims now is to try and understand the law better and work within the law to move forward."
Sentencing will be on September 24.
