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Thousands of demonstrators have come out in American cities over the recent acquittal of George Zimmerman charged with the murder of the black teenager Trayvon Martin. The verdict clearing Zimmerman used Florida’s laws of ` stand your ground’ which allows a person to use lethal force for protection if they feel their life is in danger. In the aftermath people shouted slogans of `no justice no peace,` and `the system is not right’ with President Obama himself coming out earlier in the week to identify himself with the dead teenager. One tragic event and the verdict have escalated issues around racism and the criminal justice system in a country which I think paradoxically has some of the worst but also some of the best attitudes to race.
The issue may be about race, overreaction or misjudgement but in one of the interviews Trayvon’s father said `we did not think the verdict was fair.’ This is echoed in the expectation of the protestors who claim that Zimmerman should have been found guilty of at least some form of unlawful killing. For them, the sense of being treated unfairly is palpable, that if there is no legal crime here, a moral crime has still been committed. But George Zimmerman has been found not guilty in a court of law and legal frameworks are about procedures and coming to a decision based on known and available facts not about public expectation or sentiment however strong they might be. Law and morality may not always overlap but the fundamental aim of any legal system should be the pursuit of justice which remains one of the highest virtues of a civilized society. The Qur’an itself repeats frequently ` be just not just towards those you encounter but being just is closest to God consciousness.’ Its because being just towards others not only in our courtrooms but in our daily relationships is ultimately one of the hardest things we do. Justice requires measure, perspective, care and being willing to curb our own passions...