Justice Saudi Style; It Could Happen Here
November 14, 2008 by Big Fella · 3 Comments
Every time I read one of these stories, about the application of Islamic justice, it disturbs me. The latest, but by no means most horrific recent story is about an Egyptian doctor who was recently found guilty of malpractice by a Saudi court.
As reported by the Boston Herald:
Raouf Amin el-Arabi, a doctor who has been serving the Saudi royal family for about 20 years, was convicted last year of giving a patient the wrong medication. Egyptian newspapers reported that he was accused of driving a Saudi princess “to addiction.”
He initially was sentenced to seven years in prison and 700 lashes, but when he appealed two months ago, the judge not only upheld the conviction, but more than doubled the penalty to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes…
The Saudi government has refrained from comment but Egyptian newspapers report that el-Arabi was treating a female member of the royal family when he was accused of “driving a patient to addiction.” The newspapers identified the princess as one of the wives of Abdullah’s nephews.
We will probably never know the real story behind this case, because the Saudi authorities will keep a lid on the truth, and it is likely the doctor will not survive the lashings that are apparently being meted out 70 at a time, once a week while he is imprisoned. What ever the transgression was that doctor Arabi is being punished for, the punishment is archaic and barbarous. But it is the law in Saudi Arabia, where the country’s constitution is the Qur’an. Under Islamic law in Saudi Arabia legal penalties are meted out as capital punishment or corporal punishment, including amputations of hands and feet for certain crimes such as murder, robbery, rape, drug smuggling, homosexual activity, and adultery. The courts may impose less severe punishments, such as floggings, for less serious crimes against public morality such as drunkenness. Murder, accidental death and bodily harm are open to punishment from the victim’s family. Retribution may be sought in kind or through blood money. The blood money payable for a woman’s accidental death is half as much as that for a man.
Islamic justice like that which we see in Saudi Arabia is also applied in other nations that have embraced fundamentalist Islamic beliefs, not just in a spiritual or religious sense, but as the foundation of their social and governmental organization. But not to single out believers in Islam, the same could be said of other national groups that believe their entire life is dictated by religious doctrine, including Christian fundamentalists in this country.
My issue, however, is not with religious believers, I have a live and let live attitude about people with other beliefs. Do no harm to another living being, do not impinge on the rights of another human being, and believe what ever you want, just don’t expect me to accept your beliefs. The problem though, is when poor or uneducated or naive people are manipulated by religious or governmental leaders in to becoming fanatics. Fanatics that have no tolerance for any human being that does not conform to their narrow beliefs, fanatics that believe that non-believers do not deserve to exist.
So this is what really scares me, the thought that a group of religious fanatics, for example say Christian Conservatives, infiltrated a political party here in the United States, and through the elective process attained positions of responsibility in our national government, how much damage could they do to our way of life, would I even coninue to exist under such a regime? It seemed, for a while there, we were coming awfully close to losing our liberty, what with the loss of constitutional protections delivered to us by the Bush administration, and the enthusiastic embrace by the conservative base of the fear mongering presidential ticket that was tainted by a religious fanatic.
We seem to have dodged a bullet in this election, but folks, the fanatics have not disappeared, they are just regrouping. We have to be ever vigilant, we should never take the freedom and human rights that we have attained for granted, we fought for them and we will always have to fight for them. We must never abandon the basic tenant of clear separation of church and state.
Sphere: Related ContentThe Veil of Islam: Saudis Take A Step Backwards
June 30, 2008 by Big Fella · 4 Comments
(From the archives of BFD Blog!)
The following item appeared in the Los Angeles Times today:
Authorities have ordered banks to separate female and male workers at their headquarters, a new setback for women’s rights in the kingdom.
Banks are one of the main employers of women in Saudi Arabia. Although women are separated from men in branches, they have worked together in bank headquarters.
Saudi Arabia’s strict law and customs prohibit unrelated men and women from mixing, and women from driving cars and voting in municipal elections.
What are the men who run this country afraid of? The wrath of their God, or maybe just a loss of their virtual manhood. What they need to be concerned about is the loss of their humanhood. Through their subjugation of women they only retard the intellectual, economic and human development of their own people.
Maybe the Saudis ought to Google some of the following women who have contributed to society in the United States, and just maybe they will figure out that they are “missing the boat” in terms of the contributions that women in their society could potentially make:
For biographies of the women listed above, go to this page at the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Interested in reading more about the subjugation of women in Islamic dominated governments, please see this previous posting, and SAND GETS IN MY EYES blog.
One Saudi Blogger Saved; Now One Is Lost
May 20, 2008 by Big Fella · Leave a Comment
Hadeel Alhodaif, author of literary pieces, courageous female Saudi blogger and champion of Fouad Al-Farhan (the Saudi blogger jailed last year for the act of blogging) died at age 25.
Michael Theodoulou, writing for The Times of London relates the spirit of Ms. Alhodaif:
“I would like to educate Saudi women about the importance of blogging as an efficient medium that can greatly influence public opinion,” she told a female audience at the Riyadh Literary Club last year.Ms Alhodaif’s wry sense of humour was to the fore last year when the Kingdom’s strict policy on segregating the sexes meant that her play, “Who Fears the Doors”, premiered before a male-only audience at King Saud University.
“I guess I have to beg the male audience to inform me how my play was produced,” she wrote.
“I hope that a day comes when I can attend a cultural function where the presence of women does not cause anyone an allergic reaction.”
Hadeel Alhodaif never got to experience the audience’s reaction to her play while walking this Earth, let us hope things are different from her perspective now.
Digging Your Own Grave
January 14, 2008 by Jolly Roger · 2 Comments
And now, it’s time for a Jolly Roger history class. Wingtard Chimpletons are excused from this class, as it contains no Sean Hannity talking points and consists of entirely factual assertions.
(1.) What is the national origin of a majority of al Qaeda members?
(2.) What is it the moronic monkey is screeching about, as regards Iran?
(3.) The Iranians have started __ wars in the Middle East. Iranians have been responsible for __ terror attacks on Westerners.
(4.) Now Chimpletons, this is the “money shot” question. Given the history of hostility and terrorism in the Middle East, WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO USE NUCLEAR MATERIALS ON THE WEST, be the material in the form of a bomb or in the form of poisonous radiation?
(5.) This is a rhetorical question, for which no answer is expected.
Why isn’t the moronic monkey flinging his poo over this?
Sphere: Related ContentFrance’s president offered Saudi Arabia help in exploring a possible civilian nuclear energy program as the French leader began a visit to the oil-rich kingdom on Sunday.President Nicolas Sarkozy and King Abdullah also signed agreements on oil and gas and political cooperation at the start of the visit. Sarkozy also intended to press the leader of the world’s top oil producer for lower prices of crude, which reached a record high of $100 a barrel this month, according to a French diplomat.
BushCo to announce $20B in arms sales to Saudi Arabia
January 13, 2008 by Dusty · Leave a Comment
Tomorrow, according to AP, Bush will announce a huge arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
You remember that country right? It’s where most of the terrorists that flew the planes into the twin towers hailed from.
Bush wanted the announcement to coincide with his visit to Riyadh tomorrow. How nice..from the AP writeup:
The Bush administration will notify Congress on Monday of its intent to sell $20 billion in weapons, including precision-guided bombs, to Saudi Arabia, moving up the announcement to coincide with the president’s arrival in Riyadh, The Associated Press has learned.
Despite concern about the deal from some lawmakers, the State Department, which last month said it would delay the notification until after Congress comes back into session, will announce the proposed sale on Jan. 14, a day before the House returns to work and more than a week before senators return to Washington, said a senior official.
Nothing like arming your enemies to keep the war on terrah going strong is there?
Artwork courtesy of The Worried Shrimp
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