At a time when via news and social media accusations fly regularly throughout our day we need to stop and look for guidance. The law of Old Testament introduced to Moses by God with the Romans following went often for single person in authority judgement paving the way to the Coliseum and lunch for the lions.
The Lafif in Maliki jurisprudence developed in the period 8th to 11th Century stipulated that 12 persons meet and agree to tell the truth and reach a verdict. It was not until the 12th Century that Henry the Second of England similarly introduced a 12 free person Jury system to reach verdicts. It was no doubt due to the influence of his Exchequer Thomas Brown ( no relation to George Brown or Thomas Cromwell) who had previously found under the Diwan of the King of Sicily which had conquered the Emirate of Sicily and incorporated Islamic Government and legal protocol into procedures.
Then with the Star Chamber in Britain of the late 15th Century till mid 17th Century the accused stood without a defender or Jury. This method we still see today in many ways where in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell she is locked away until she is able to defend herself or be tried by Jury. In Christ College Oxford we see their Dean Martyn Percy stand accused by his fellow clergymen and there are many other cases in the Church. The procedures even laid down for Justice in the Gospel of Matthew are often abandoned and even Jesus gets forgotten as the leaders fail to practice what they preach.
In the case of Maxwell her Judge of equal Jewish faith is relentless against her even with the prospect of vast bail should she run away. That fine Jewish King, Solomon could teach them all a thing or two when we see his great wisdom when Judging who the true mother of a baby might be as two women disputed. His suggestion to cut the baby in two with his sword soon found the true mother as she begged him not to do just that.
Meantime we can and should thank the Muslims for giving us the Jury system and we need to remind our own leaders not to leave the Jury out. Boris Johnson stands accused of misdemeanour over leaks and decor but until he gets the chance to explain we must refrain from the public pillory or despatch to Australia on a prison ship. Of course there have been trials where the Jury has got it wrong and great errors have been found. However it remains the fairest and most humane way to reach verdict and steer well away from the Lynch mobs that linger on the internet and our Political and Ecclesiastical Institutions .
The Jury is out , but we need to make sure that we don’t leave them out and ensure that Justice stays in our Societies, for otherwise great wrong will be done and we will disintegrate, degenerate and destroy mankind.
qbitblogger 