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Man charged over 'Sharia lashing'

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Man lashed 40 times during home attack

Two men have been charged over an alleged 'Sharia law' lashing.

One man has been released on bail despite prosecutors arguing he has no regard for the Australian legal system.

Last night a 20-year-old man was arrested in his Auburn home over the incident, he appeared in Burwood local court today.

He is accused of restraining and whipping an Islamic convert with an electrical cord because he drank alcohol.

7News understands that he was born in Australia and adheres to an extreme version of Islam.

Today he was granted bail and ordered to not contact the victim.

A second man was charged over the whipping today. According to 7News the 43-year-old allegedly held the whip and lashed the victim 40 times over a half an hour period.

He reportedly handed himself in to police and is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Members of the Australian Islamic community have widely condemned the attack.

Around 1am on Sunday morning a Sydney man, who converted to Islam recently, was allegedly whipped up to 40 times for going out for alcoholic drinks with friends.

Reports say the man awoke in the middle of the night to find that four bearded men had broken into his bedroom at Melton St North in Silverwater.

As three men held the 31-year-old electrician down on the bed, the fourth man is alleged to have administered 30 minutes worth of lashing with a cable.

The victim told 7News that the attack was fundamental Wahhabist punishment for drinking alcohol, and that the welts he sustained were severe.

According to the report, the man made a complaint to Burwood police after the attack on Sunday but is now afraid and has since become hesitant to cooperate with authorities.

He told 7News that he believed Islam is a beautiful religion and he hoped what happened did not distort people's view of the religion.