Hanna

Hanna v. Gonzales

Good Law
154 F. App'x 600
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitNovember 15, 2005No. 04-75457California323 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Bernard Jorji Hanna, a native and citizen of Syria, petitions for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirming in part an immigration judge’s order denying his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . Reviewing the BIA’s decision for substantial evidence, Shah v. INS, 220 F.3d 1062, 1067 (9th Cir.2000), we deny the petition for review.

Hanna, who is Christian, asserts that members of the Islamic Brotherhood threatened and shot at him because he impregnated a Muslim woman. However, Hanna did not report the incidents to the police and there is no evidence in the record to show that the Syrian government was aware of the incidents. Although Hanna contends that it would be futile to seek help from the government, as the BIA noted, the record shows that the Syrian government does not systematically discriminate on the basis of religion. Moreover, the record shows that, while “honor crimes” stemming from sexual misconduct are tolerated to some degree, the victims of such crimes are women. Under these circumstances, the record…

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