Oz man jailed for dishing out 40 lashes on Muslim convert for drinking

A man in Australia has been jailed for at least 16 months for whipping a Muslim convert 40 times as punishment for drinking alcohol and taking drugs because of a contorted belief in sharia.

While delivering the verdict, the magistrate said that the man had brought much shame upon the Islamic faith.

According to the Age, Wassim Fayad, 45, was one of four men sentenced for their assault on Cristian Martinez in July, 2011.

He was whipped 40 times with an electric cord in his home, while three other men held him down on his bed.

Previously, the court has heard Fayad and three other men, Zakaryah Raad, Tolga Cifci and Cengiz Coskun, believed they were following sharia when they held Martinez down and whipped him on the back in the middle of the night, the report said.

The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia relating to such punishment being given out under the pretext of sharia, or Islamic law, the report added.