Sharia Witch Hunt: Saudi Court Sentences Lebanese Television Presenter to Death for Witchcraft

Ali Sibat is a Lebanese citizen who counsels couples and viewers on television, making predictions about their future. Saudi police arrested Sibat when he was visiting Medina last year and accused him of being a sorcerer. He was convicted without a lawyer and sentenced to death.

He was condemned to death on November 9th by a Sharia court.

The Saudis have been on a literal witch hunt for years, here. This month, the Saudi religious police arrested another man for bringing into the Kingdom a “book of witch craft.” What the religious police (Mutaween ) considers to be a book of witch craft is quite broad. In 2006, a Jeddah court convicted an Eritrean national Muhammad Burhan for “charlatanry” because he was found with a phone book that contained writings in the Tigrinya alphabet. They declared the book to be a “talisman” and the court accepted that as evidence, sentencing him to 20 months in prison and 300 lashes.

For a prior such case, click here.

It would appear that Larry King (who likes to have fortune tellers and personalities communicating with the dead on his program) may want to stay out of Saudi Arabia.

For the full story, click here.

19 thoughts on “Sharia Witch Hunt: Saudi Court Sentences Lebanese Television Presenter to Death for Witchcraft”

  1. Byron,

    That was funny!

    A.Y.,

    Glad to see you and your avatar are back together 🙂

  2. Byron,

    I have had a stripper or two. Nasty, custody battles. Especially when the crack is bad.

    In reality, I have represented a few strippers/pole dancers in divorces/drunk driving etc and usually most were addicted to crack.

    BTW,

    I am back as AY I did not realize that I could use the gravatar with this screenname. Just did not want to get in a compromise position that put FFLEO and I at odds, again. You will see the elf and AY. Then you will know it is I.

  3. AY/Head:

    “I have always been a part of the Pole Management Team.”

    WTF? Whose poles do you manage? So you represent porn stars?

  4. FFLEO,
    One of the other things I’ve been mulling over about both Iraq and Afghanistan is that with unemployement at record highs, to bring all of our troops home, many to leave the service, we would have a whole lot more unemployed people in the country with significant combat skills. I’m thinking this is another reason we are dragging our feet getting them out of harms way. The truth is we need many programs to create jobs and rebuild our industrial base. Perhaps tax credits and loans for innovative small business startups. We also need to offer something like the post WWII GI Bills to show our gratitude to those who served and to give them the tools for a successful life.

    Hope you and yours have a joyous Thanksgiving.

    Mike

  5. Elaine M. 1, November 26, 2009 at 12:05 am

    AY aka headelfmaster–

    How’s the toymaking coming? And, by the way, when did Santa put you in charge of the “little folk?” So you’re part of the North Pole management team now? Are you being kind to the worker elves? BTW, will I be seeing you in the Macy’s Parade tomorrow? Oh, so many questions…so little time.
    **********************

    Thanks. The toymaking is difficult. The next quarter everyone gets off and we go to the South Pole for warmth and a much needed vacation with a stop in Antigua.

    I was first put in charge when I was first able to handle the tasks. It is not as bad as herding cats but it reminds you of that on some days and many nights. The elves have a mind of their own. geeze, I am tired just thinking of the work created. The Pixys have been separated for safety reasons as you know elves have a mind of their own. Have you ever seen the Pixys that used to work at JCPenny? That is why.

    I have always been a part of the Pole Management Team. I was just out on a sabatatical. I am over all aspects of the operations. Is there a special request that you wish for?

    I am very kind to all especially the elves. The last strike that they had almost cost us dearly. I have to keep reminding them Things are to be used people are to be loved. Never confuse the two. Hey now, you think that is an easy task?

    Of course I will be attending the Parade. I usually am at 42nd and 7th. Just look for me. Ask any question day of night.

    .

  6. AY aka headelfmaster–

    How’s the toymaking coming? And, by the way, when did Santa put you in charge of the “little folk?” So you’re part of the North Pole management team now? Are you being kind to the worker elves? BTW, will I be seeing you in the Macy’s Parade tomorrow? Oh, so many questions…so little time.

  7. A night cap now that the pre-cook prep is done. Speaking of caps, that’s a natty avatar you got there, AY. I had no idea that you were both a union man and that short.

  8. I must confess this story got me a little excited. I haven’t seen Mustache Rivera lately and I thought his new gig might be Lebanese TV.

  9. Former Federal LEO “I agree with both of you; however, why is it so hard for the Obama Administration and Congress to agree and understand? ”

    —-

    War is a great tool to control the citizenry and stifle domestic change. It eats up all the money that could be used for other things and institutionalized official misconduct and the loss of citizens rights under the banner of national security. George Bush walked into the White House wanting a war with Iraq and I’m sure it had to do more with his and the neo-con domestic policy plan than any BS about his father. That warnings about terrorist activity being ignored and the Saudis (who have decades-old ties to the Bush family) supplying the 9-11 hijacker’s was all coincidence though, f’sure.

    Circular logic works if your an existentilalist.

  10. I agree with both of you; however, why is it so hard for the Obama Administration and Congress to agree and understand?

    Ouch! smacks head!

    “Oh I get it! Oil. Never mind.”

    and Halliburton, and Blackwater, and other war profiteers, and….

  11. @ Mike Spindell:

    Forget the Taliban. The Karzai regime in Kabul is officially called “The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” (here’s the link to the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan:http://www.president.gov.af/)…
    Plus, remember the “rape law” passed prior to the presidential election in Afghanistan to buy out the votes of the Shiah minority?…
    The U.S. is already propping up a corrupt theocracy, that’s just a hard fact!

  12. This is madness. Pure, unadulterated madness! And to think that these morons own one of the richest states in the Middle-East is beyond me! Sharia, my ass!

  13. Let me wrap my mind around this. One of the reasons we are in Afghanistan is to prevent the dread Taliban from taking over again and imposing a choking theocracy on their country. I would love an explanation of how the Saudi government treats its’ citizens any better than the Taliban government did. While someone is giving that explanation could they also explain that if Afghanistan was attacked because the perpetrators of 9/11 supposedly were trained there, why did we not attack Saudi Arabia, where 19 of the 9/11 attackers came from and where a money trail financing the 9/11 attacks can be found?

    Oh I get it! Oil. Never mind.

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