One of the problems with multi-culturalism is the language barrier. When an immigrant is not encouraged to learn the language of the country he is immigrating to, problems arise. Then again, sometimes it allows sex offenders to get away with crimes:
The Minnesota Supreme Court today overturned a sexual assault conviction of a Somali man, who made incriminating statements in English, but was not given his Miranda rights in his native language.
Plymouth police arrested Burhan Mohammed Farrah on Nov. 20, 2003, in the parking lot of an apartment complex. A 14-year-old developmentally disabled girl reported being attacking[sic] in the same parking lot.
An officer read Farrah his rights in English and had him sign a rights waiver written in English.
“Do you understand your rights?” the officer asked.
“Okay. Little, yeah,” Farrah replied.
Police proceeded with the interrogation in English and Farrah made incriminating statements to police in English. He was charged and convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact in Hennepin County District Court. Farrah was provided an interpreter at his trial.
He heard the rights in English, responded in English to a question in English, signed a waiver written in English and made incriminating statements in English. But that isn’t enough for the multi-culti crowd. Now police officers have to indentify the nationality of each suspect, have an interpreter on hand that speaks the native tongue of his country, and have documents written in his native tongue before they can secure a conviction.
“To protect or facilitate the exercise of constitutional rights, it is the express policy in Minnesota to provide qualified interpreters to assist persons in legal proceedings who are handicapped in communication,” writes Chief Justice Russell Anderson for the court.
Maybe it is time to name English as the national language. It would make thing a lot easier.Â
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