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September 6, 2006

UK: Muslim Boxer's "Arrogance" While Leaving Jail Is Condemned

Once upon a time "Prince" Naseem Hamed was a boxing star, a world featherweight champion, idolised by many young Muslims. At 19 he was European champion, at 21, world champion. Now 32 and rather fat in the face, he has a lucrative career in the property market, where he is said to be worth £70 million ($132 million). So in one sense, he is a poor boy made good. Last year, he turned down an offer to return to the ring to fight Amir Khan, another British Muslim boxer. Famously, Hamed said: "I might spar with him, or teach him a few tricks but - even if there was a billion dollars on the line - I would never get in the ring with another Muslim. It is against my principles."

But things took a turn for the worse last year on May 12, when he was driving at excess speed in a reckless fashion in his £320,000 ($603,221) Mercedes McLaren, showing off his car's capabilities to a friend. This carbon fibre machine bore the number plate - "NAS 1". His vehicle, travelling at more than 90 mph on the wrong side of the road, smashed into another car, a Volkswagen Golf, and severely injured its 38-year old driver, Anthony Burgin. Every major bone in Mr Burgin's body had been fractured. His wife Clare, who was in the car with him, was also seriously injured. After causing the crash, the "brave" boxer tried to flee the scene. He said that if he had stayed, an "ugly incident" might have developed, as other drivers were outraged by the accident.

It was not the first time Hamed's driving had been reckless. In 1995, he was banned from driving for three months for driving above the speed limit. He was awarded 3 penalty points in 1998, six in 1999 and three in 2004, all for driving in excess of stated speed limits.

He was sentenced this year to 15 months' imprisonment, for reckless driving. but after only spending a quarter of his sentence, Hamed was released from Moorlands Open Prison on Monday (September 4). But the manner in which he left the prison has been severely criticised in more than 100 news articles from around the globe. We quote from only a few - the Pakistan Daily Times, the Scotsman, Guardian, Sheffield Today, Yorkshire Today, Gulf Daily News, South Africa's Independent and the UK Sun, whose headline reads: "Arrogant Naseem is a swanker", a pun on the word "wanker".

Under the Home Office scheme called Home Detention Curfew (HDC), Naseem has been allowed home early, and will have an electronic tag, to ensure his whereabouts are known. According to a Prison Service spokeswoman, the scheme is successful in most cases. She states: "85 per cent of prisoners have completed their period of HDC successfully. Only four per cent have been reported as reoffending whilst on HDC."

Mr Burgin's solicitor, Jane Wright, said before Hamed's release: "Naturally my client is deeply upset and shocked that Mr Hamed has only served a fraction of his sentence. At the time of sentencing Mr Hamed was advised that he would serve a minimum of half his sentence. Mr Burgin is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he has been released a lot sooner."

Mr Burgin, a decorator, said then: "I am very upset that this has happened, I was obviously expecting Mr Hamed to serve a lot more of his sentence. What happened to my wife and I was deeply distressing and nearly destroyed our lives. I am shocked that after such a serious accident Mr Hamed has been released after less than four months."

But what truly shocked people was the arrogant manner in which Hamed left Moorlands prison. Three cars turned up to give the former boxer a choice of rides to take him back to his home at Wyvern Gardens, Dore, Sheffield. There was a BMW, and also a silver Rolls Royce Phantom, worth £280,000 ($527,781), and behind that a 32 foot long stretch limo, a Range Rover, worth more than £180,000 ($339,254).

The stretch limousine had been specially built in America, and has blacked-out windows, disco lights, a TV and DVD player, a drinks cabinet (for a devout Muslim?) and black and white leather seats. The vehicle had been hired by Hamed's brother Murad. The driver said: " Everyone is pleased to have him out. He loves his cars and his music."

Hamed spoke to the press briefly, with only token contrition. He said: "My heart goes out to Mr Burgin and his family." Then he turned to self pity, saying that he had missed the birth of his third child while he was in prison. "What can I say? It's been hard." And then he got into the silver Rolls Royce and was driven home.

Jane Wright, the lawyer for Hamed's victim, said: "I think the arrival in a stretch limo just epitomises a rather arrogant approach." She also called his attitude "crass", saying "It was very crass and he had obviously not thought through what he was saying. He left my client with catastrophic injuries and on-going major problems for the rest of his life". Anthony Burgin said the boxer's behaviour was "insensitive and disrespectful".

They were not the only ones to condemn Hamed's arrogance. The harshest words came from his former trainer, Brendan Ingle. Mr Ingle said: "He should have come out on a donkey, said sorry to everybody and eaten a bit of humble pie. He hasn't changed or learnt his lesson. Coming out like that in flash cars is like sticking up two fingers."

"I would have thought he would have learned some humility during his time inside, but coming out in such a showbiz fashion with those flash cars just left me thinking 'what are you doing?' People have been asking me whether he will have changed inside, but after seeing the pictures of him leaving prison in the cars it makes me doubt it. They say the cars were organised for him as a surprise, but I suspect everyone involved with him had their heads together and came up with this plan."

Once upon a time, "Prince" Naseem Hamed was a role model, an icon for Muslim youth. If his current behaviour and attitudes still denote a role model for Muslims, the Muslim community is in dire moral poverty.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 6, 2006 4:42 PM

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