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August 29, 2008 8:56:37 CDT

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US Firm Calls for Islamic Law in Lawsuit

Posted Jun 19, 08 7:51 AM CDT in US,  Crime & Courts 

(Newser) – An American firm blamed for the death of three US soldiers in a plane crash has asked a federal court to apply Islamic law to a lawsuit brought by their widows, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. Presidential Airways, Blackwater's sister company, argues that since its plane crashed in Afghanistan, the case should be heard under Sharia law—which would dismiss the claims.

A lawyer for Erik Prince, owner of both companies, asked the court to consider past cases in which US courts have used foreign law to apply to overseas incidents. The National Transportation Safety Board places the blame for the crash squarely on Prince's company, accusing it of failing to ensure that its crews followed safety regulations. Islamic law does not hold companies responsible for their employees' actions.

Source News & Observer (Raleigh)

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Helicopters fly over the mountains south of Kabul in this 2004 file photo. 3 US troops and 3 crew members died in a 2004 incident when a Blackwater turboprop crashed in rugged terrain in Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, FILE)
Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince, seen here in a 2007 file photo, argues that Sharia law should apply to the firm's sister company in a case involving an Afghanistan plane crash.   (AP Photo)
The chief justice of the Afghan supreme court is seen in this 2006 file photo. Blackwater USA's founder argues that Sharia law as used in Afghanistan should be applied to a crash that happened there.   (Getty Images)
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Afghanistan  • Blackwater  • court cases  • Sharia law  • Erik Prince  • Islamic law


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