WASHINGTON/JEDDAH, 2 September 2006 — Homaidan Al-Turki, a Saudi citizen who was sentenced Thursday to 20 years-to-life in prison in a Colorado court for sexually assaulting his Indonesian housekeeper and keeping her as a virtual slave for four years, has denied wrongdoing and blamed anti-Muslim sentiment in America for his long sentence.

Meanwhile, his family and friends told Arab News yesterday that Turki is being persecuted for being a Muslim and was threatened by the FBI after being interrogated numerous times after the 9/11 attacks.

Turki was convicted on June 30 of 12 felony counts of unlawful sexual contact with use of force and two misdemeanors: false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. He was also sentenced to eight additional years for theft for keeping the $150 a month he had agreed to pay the maid over the years of her employment. The defense is appealing the verdict and Turki has changed lawyers.

“Your honor, I am not here to apologize, for I cannot apologize for things I did not do and for crimes I did not commit,” Turki told the judge in a voice choked with emotion.

“Attacking traditional Muslim behaviors was the focal point of the prosecution,” he added, without elaborating on what Muslim traditions were attacked during his prosecution.

A close friend of Turki told Arab News yesterday he was found guilty because he was an Islamic activist in the US.

“The FBI agents told him that if he didn’t pack up and leave the United States they would place him behind bars for no reason,” said Fahd Al-Nasar, Turki’s nephew, speaking on behalf of the family.

Turki had reportedly been doing Dawa, or Islamic missionary work, in American prisons.

But prosecutors adamantly denied that Turki’s ethnicity and religion were a factor in the prosecution.

Prosecutor Ann Tomsic asked District Judge Mark Hannen to treat Turki as he would an American citizen who committed similar crimes.

Turki, 37, is a linguist who brought his family to Colorado 14 years ago and was studying for a doctorate at the University of Colorado.

“The world is listening, and the court needs to make a statement that in the United States, or at least in...(Colorado), this kind of slavery will not be tolerated,” Tomsic told Hannen.

Turki said FBI agents persuaded the now 24-year-old housekeeper, who initially denied any sexual abuse, to accuse him after they failed to build a case that he was a terrorist.

Nasar told Arab News that the family believed the FBI had harassed the suspect after his initial arrest in November 2004.

Nasar said the maid had 11 times provided testimony that the family had treated her respectfully. “Only on the twelfth interview (with police) did she raise the accusations against him,” he said.

But prosecutor Natalie Decker insisted the evidence was overwhelming and none of it was fabricated. “This girl has been consistent through her statements once she came forward,” Decker said.

Despite denials by prosecutors, Turki continued to plead his innocence. “I was convicted on fear and emotion, not facts,” Turki, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit with his hands and ankles shackled, told the judge. “I want a fair trial where my religion and where I come from is not (the basis for) a conviction.”

Prosecutor Decker said the trial had nothing to do with Turki’s Muslim beliefs.

“It has to do with what he did to (his maid) for five years,” she told journalists outside the courtroom.

“This is a criminal case, we don’t know how much other factors where incorporated in the perception of him as guilty until proven innocent, or innocent until proven guilty, because of his nationality and religion,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, the Council of American Islamic Relations. “But I have not seen any reports within the US that attack his nationality or his religion.” “But I have spoken to many people from Saudi Arabia who believe he’s in jail because he’s Muslim and getting a harsh sentence because he’s Muslim,” said Awad.

Nasar claimed that Turki’s defense has learned that the maid has since become a legal US resident after marrying an Egyptian-American and that the husband allegedly tried to get his wife to rescind her false allegations. He said that the husband allegedly e-mailed Turki through his website claiming that his wife wanted to take back her charges. The prosecution allegedly threatened her with jail time for making false charges, so she stuck with her story. Nasar also said that the maid has since separated from the Egyptian-American.

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain News reported yesterday that the Saudi government gave Turki the $400,000 needed to post bail after he was arrested in Arapahoe County. The Saudi Embassy in Washington has declined to comment on the case, but Nasar said the Saudi government has been covering Turki’s legal defense expenses.

“The kind of charge and crime he’s found guilty of, coupled with the reality that he’s Muslim and Saudi in America, make it hard to make sense of whether his supporters are right or the prosecutor is right,” said CAIR’s Awad.

Prosecutors said Turki brought the victim from Saudi Arabia in 2000 to work as his family’s nanny and housekeeper in their Colorado home. Turki is married and has five children.

The victim testified in court that she worked seven days a week and was paid $150 a month, which would be a normal salary in the Kingdom but is far below the legal minimum wage for a house servant, or even what an undocumented migrant house servant would earn in the US. The maid also said that Turki and his wife kept most of that money.

“This is a clearcut example of human trafficking,” Decker said. “It’s important he is put in prison.”

Turki also allegedly took the woman’s passport and sexually abused her. She said they also made her sleep on a mattress on the basement floor.

The woman, who continues to live in Colorado, has not been identified because of the sexual abuse charge.

Turki said he has been under investigation as a suspected terrorist since 1995 but has never been charged with the crime.

“I am not a terrorist and I don’t advocate terrorism,” he said. Before announcing the sentence, Judge Hannen denied a defense motion for a new trial.

Defense attorney John Richilano, who did not return several calls by Arab News, told reporters that he intends to appeal the convictions, citing problems with jury selection and the admission of certain evidence and witness testimony.