The Saudi Sharia system has again made headlines with its perverse view of justice. The latest victim is a businesswoman who will receive 50 lashes for merely insulting the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, or the Saudi morality police. Of course, the Saudi morality police is widely ridiculed and denounced as a group of religious fanatics upholding a medieval system of religious law.
You will recall that this is the same organization of lunatics who blocked girls from escaping a fire in Mecca because they were not appropriately covered according to Islamic standards. Fifteen would die in the interests of Islamic modesty at the hands of the morality police. Better to be burned alive than expose their hair in public.
This is also the same group that has been killing people in car chases and harassing families recently in malls. In other words, if there is any group of individuals more worthy contempt than the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The victim in the latest atrocity insulted members of the morality squad when they entered a cafe looking for immoral acts like women sitting with unrelated men. Some of the woman’s employees had to run in fear of being arrested on immigration issues. The victim was then arrested for “cursing the morality police” and calling them “liars.”
A Saudi judge applied Sharia law and sentenced the woman to be flogged.
The fact that this is a woman cannot be easily dismissed given the work of these religious fanatics in arresting women for not dressing modestly or appearing in public with men who are not related to them. To have a woman confront these morality thugs takes an enormous amount of courage and likely magnified the anger for the religious police. Of course, she could hardly make a fast getaway: women are still not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.
Source: Yahoo
“Squeeky, “morality” doesn’t frighten me at all. What does frighten and concern me are people who feel they can impose their PERSONAL morality code on others.”
Seriously? You just said that.
Can you say affirmative action, quotas, welfare, food stamps, control of business, obamacare, public school/college, illegal immigration, oh Lord, where does it stop. It is all based on doctrine, dogma, personal morality code.
This is unbelievable.
Can you say irrational, incoherent hypocrisy?
Squeeky, “morality” doesn’t frighten me at all. What does frighten and concern me are people who feel they can impose their PERSONAL morality code on others. We have laws against crimes already on the books. Why inject religious laws into the mix? Every world religion has a set of commandments, which one should be given precedent? Secular law would not step on anyone’s toes, would prevent a state religion, hence the separation of church and state.
That sounds good Annie, but I guess JohnO was trying to find the actual “root” of where our concept of morality and conduct comes from. That’s where it gets sticky.
@annie
You said, “It all boils down to having a conscience, whether it’s based on Biblical law or human decency, doesn’t matter, as long as we don’t force our own personal code on each other.”
Not true. That is why you have the 10 Commandments. Life was hard out in the desert 3500 years ago, or so. Do you think they make up these rules just to screw with people??? They made the laws because they had to.
What John and Mary do in their bedroom, doesn’t always stay in their bedroom. Lots of times the offspring come into existence, and John is not around, Mary is broke, and the rest of us have to pick up the pieces. Not to mention the juvenile delinquency.
People indiscriminately screwing around spreads diseases. Always has, and probably always will, unless science can save us.
The looters in Ferguson have their own idea that they are entitled to a new pair of tennies because the Gentle Giant got gunned down. Sorry, but I want to force a code on those people.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
JohnO. As I’ve told you before, the Consitution, Amendments and Declaration are sufficient. I don’t see the need to inject religon into it, no need for any “gospel”. As for morality, do we as human beings not have it within us to know right from wrong? Should we not teach our children how to behave? The notion of “anything goes” does not ‘go’ in my family. I know atheists who are wonderful upstanding people and I know some who are not. Same thing goes for Christians, Muslims, Jews and generally secular people. It all boils down to having a conscience, whether it’s based on Biblical law or human decency, doesn’t matter, as long as we don’t force our own personal code on each other.
@annie
I got enough sense to stay away from places that frown on me drinking alcohol. What particular aspect of “morality” frightens you sooo much. Is the “don’t steal” part??? Is it the “take a day off” commandment? Or is it the “adultery prohibition.”???
Personally, I am not too fond of the “no graven images” prohibition, because one day I might want to try my hand at sculpture. But the rest are really pretty easy to to stay in compliance with.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Annie,
Have some courage and describe what YOU would propose society use as a measure of behavior. At this point, your attitude is “Anything Goes” since the only stance you’ve taken is the opposite of whatever Squeeky has had the courage to suggest. You oppose for instance the 10 Commandments as a religious artifact so would that put you on record as being against their principle purpose? I doubt it but we’ll see where you stand.
I happen to believe in the constitution and the Declaration as our secular law and gospel to provide for political governance.
I happen to believe in the Biblical Old and New Testament for a religious law and gospel for social governance.
And I believe we can accomplish the former without the latter; but it would mean we would need far fewer people “historically uninstructed” (George Will).
Gosh that got me so riled up, my fingers got away from me, sorry for the spelling errors Squeeky, don’t lash me.
Annie – I was thinking that Miller-Young and her feminist students from UCSB should make the trip instead of Squeeky. They would be perfect.
I predict that Squuekers meets some tall dark handsome sheik and marries him and turns him and his family into Baptists, lol. Or, more realistically he beats the beJesus and American out of her and she turns Muslim and becomes the first female Morality Policelady in Sauidi Arabia!
PLLLEEEEAAAASE take a videographer with you. And don’t wear a burka, K? Maybe you could burn a bra, rant about a driver’s license or demand the vote. I’m gonna get some popcorn. Oooooooooo! I can’t wait.
Squeeky, perhaps you could visit Saudi Arabia to get a real up close and personal idea of what the morality police do. Since you advocate morality police, what would be some more violations of a morality law? I’m curious what you would have a ‘Morality Agency’ oversee. Squeeky you’re a regular Carrie Nation.
It would be a brave new world.
@annie
Why make it a theocracy??? You could have a morality police without religious overtones. Most of the stuff that is a violation of the Decalogue, is also violative of other laws. For example, stealing.
Here, in the good old USA, we have our forms of morality police. If a guy fathers a child with some chick he met a bar, he can wind up paying laying in expenses, and then child support for 18-21 years. We track his earnings, and will jail him if he gets behind. No matter what it does to his life, or his family. And, little Johnny or Suzie, the illegitimate kid grows up with a series of “uncles” or “mommy’s special friend”. Not to mention the welfare cost.
The Saudis just try to nip this crap it in the bud. If they bust up the bar/cafe before the two get together, then less chance of all the subsequent societal disruption.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
So morality police is a good thing? Preview of Squeeky’s ideal theocratic society. Heads up folks, at least she’s honest enough to tell y’all what’s in in store for you if she had her way.
I don’t think the idea of a “morality police” is necessarily all that bad. Of course, like any bureaucracy, you get get totally stupid behavior like the girls burning alive.
As far as people not liking them, well what do you expect? The people who have to fear them most are those who are doing all the really cool stuff like drinking, smoking pot, and screwing around. Then here come the killjoys to throw a bucket of cold water on them.
But the idea that vices, and lack of virtues, are dangerous to a society, who can disagree with that? Fifty lashes seems excessive, but maybe there is more to it than meets the eye. For example, she was hiring illegal labor, so I wonder what else she was to???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
John Oliver, I agree completely. Yet, these institutions offer the hope of humanity to be better. Without getting into the full Hegel problem, I think we should put attention on “bad people.” An axe can be a very useful; a very helpful item. A bad person can use it to commit evil (note, I avoided using “gun” here to keep the topic more specific.) Religion and government can offer good things to all, but they also have the innate ability to be the tools of evil and self-serving. The teachings of Islam were considered wildly liberal at the time when it was common practice for Bedouins to bury their unwanted female babies alive. Mohammed was deeply concerned for widows and orphans. It’s a big world with a lot of different beliefs, and I think it would serve the planet better if people were personally pointed out for evil and hypocrisy.
“”smipypr told they should, 1. Convert to Islam, because they are apostate(s), and, 2. Marry Islamic men. Or, be murdered. It’s 2014. They should let go of that shit.””
By the time you gain control of the entire world, eliminate people’s freedom and impose your collectivist ideas, an asteroid will impact the earth and cause yet another mass extinction. Why not just let people be free.
Oops! Where have we heard that before.
Could it have been those pesky Americans; the Founders who, above all else, secured “the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”
Instead we got wars for Israel, welfare, food stamps, affirmative action, rent control, forced busing, public school/college, medicare, obamacare, quotas, social services, WIC, complete control of all industries, Labor, Education, HHS, HUD, IRS, floated currency, etc., etc.
Geez. I don’t think the Founders had any of that, did they. They were pretty much, really, actually free to live their lives and they did, huh? The record will show. They lived lives free of governmental interference.
Freedom and self-reliance.
What a concept.
In a completely unrelated story; many of those in the Thailand tsunami “were found not to be in as much potential trouble as first expected”. Many of them could swim to safety but then others, well not so much…
Yep. It’s the same old story. The Yazidis, corralled in a mountain in Iraq, were found not to be in as much potential trouble as first expected. Many of them got away. However, the remaining Yazidis, mostly women, were told they should, 1. Convert to Islam, because they are apostate(s), and, 2. Marry Islamic men. Or, be murdered. It’s 2014. They should let go of that shit.
You are free to have an opinion as long as it is mine. Nothing irrational there.
“Stop giving these filthy rich, despicable, misogynistic, homophobic countries money.”
Say that in Mecca.
Hear me ROAR! I DEMAND my fair share of affirmative action on a playing field that is tilted in my favor.
Merit??? We don’t need no stinking merit.
Don’t they have affirmative action in Saudi Arabia?
Or the Rule of Thumb?
Isn’t Chapter 19 of Sharia Law, women’s suffrage?
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And yet, flogging is the decision…God works in mysterious ways.
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Society is funny that way.
In America you can kill your fetus but not spank your child.
The inmates have taken over the asylum.