The Saudi Arabian courts have a new judicial atrocity this week to their credit. A Saudi court has sentenced a man to death for renouncing his Islamic faith along with other reported acts of blasphemy. The man was subject to multiple crimes even carrying death under the medieval Sharia system followed in the Kingdom. Those capital crimes included renouncing Islam, ripping up a Koran, cursing Mohammad, and hitting a koran with a shoe. One death will apparently suffice in “Chop-Chop” Square (shown above) for the man engaging in what would constitute protected speech in the United States.
His crime of apostasy is enough to warrant public beheading in Saudi Arabia, which appears intent on setting a record this year for beheadings while holding public beheadings weekly. This includes a recent execution of a woman begging for her life (warning this video is highly disturbing). The Kingdom responded to the outrage . . . by arresting the photographer. Notably, the Kingdom has denounced the savagely of beheading by ISIS, which are often also done under claims of Sharia law and Sunni values.
As of 2013, Saudi Arabia is ranked third in number of recorded executions behind Iran and Iraq.
Despite Saudi Arabia executing people for renouncing Islam and blasphemy, the United States continues to embrace it as its closest ally in the region and denounces other countries as brutal and extremist.
Almost the entire region of the ME is extremist. Egypt and Turkey used to be tourist destinations, but Egypt is completely unsafe and Turkey is spiraling back down into extremism and despotism.
Dubai used to be cosmopolitan. You can leave your suitcase in the middle of the street and come back hours later to get it because they chop off your hand for stealing. But it used to be considered a very safe tourist destination. Many aspects of Dubai appall extremists, and yet it funnels a lot of money to extremist causes. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Even some of the hedonistic wealthy Saudis, who themselves do not practice strict Islam, fund extremism out of either a religious or duty obligation. Dubai is rather like the Caymen Islands financial haven of the ME. I do not know if it is still a safe destination. I hope so.
Qatar is also getting more extremist.
It is so sad. I love the architecture, music, and art of some of the regions. Extremism just erodes the culture to dystopia.
I can say that it’s up to these countries to fight extremism, but if I had a family there, I would just want out, like many moderates who immigrate here.
In my opinion, the UAE does not fight extremism, per se, as they employ Sharia Law and prohibit women from driving, allow “women’s rooms,” etc. Even princesses get locked away. But it does fight anything it sees as a threat to their power in government. Luckily, I believe ISIS fits that bill.
Let’s not forget the plight of these 4 Saudi Princesses, locked in their home for 13 years because, allegedly, they were getting too modernized. And yet, their late father, the King, was lauded as a champion of women’s rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/23/dont-forget-the-late-saudi-kings-jailed-princesses/
I have followed the plight of women in the ME from before it was cool. And I don’t give anyone a free pass.
@Bruce
“How come Obama isn’t wearing his wedding ring or watch this month?”
Personally, I’m a whole lot less concerned about his wedding ring and watch than I am about his flag pin. Was that prominently displayed in the pictures you saw? How about his clipboard with the Kill List?
Bruce
Now you’re onto something. C’mon David, Paul, Pogo, Karen…..
How come Obama isn’t wearing his wedding ring or watch this month?
@Bruce
“Same Saudis that gave millions to the Clinton foundation?”
Yes, it’s an open secret that they swing both ways.
Same Saudis that gave millions to the Clinton foundation?
@Michael Haz
“Which Republicans sleep with Arabs, and stroke them when they come to the US, as said above. Please name them.”
Here’s a link to pictures of W. kissing and holding hands with a Saudi prince:
http://sayitaintsoalready.com/2009/04/15/george-bush-kisses-a-saudi-prince/
Does that help?
Yessiree, our 1% rulers make sure that O continues to “kiss the rings” of those paragons of virtue aka dictator-kings & princes.
@issac
“On the one hand, having your head chopped off can’t be much different than the circus of waiting for a decade or two to get electrocuted, pumped full of poison, or gassed. You know the ritual, last meal, etc.”
Speaking of the official punishments meted out by different countries, in addition to imprisoning more of its citizens per capita than any other nation, the US also has the distinction of being the only country in the world to incarcerate some of its children for life, without the possibility of parole:
“ ‘The vast majority of states have taken note of the international human rights requirements regarding life imprisonment of children without the possibility of release,’ Juan Méndez, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, said in his report, before noting that the United States is the only country to continue the practice.
“A sentence of life without parole means life and death in prison — a practice considered cruel and inhumane punishment for juveniles under both international and U.S. law. [But then torturing people is also illegal under US and international law.]
“ ‘Life sentences or sentences of an extreme length have a disproportionate impact on children and cause physical and psychological harm that amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment,” the report reads.
“Dr. Louis Kraus, the chairman of the juvenile justice reform committee at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, called the practice ‘a devastating process to even conceptualize.These kids have not developed. These are eighth-graders and, in some states, younger than that,’ he said.
“Issuing life sentences for children is banned under numerous international laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child — which the U.S. and South Sudan are the only two states to have signed but not ratified. Also, a U.N. oversight body has found that the sentence violates the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, since youths of color are more likely to receive the sentence than white offenders.”
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/28989-un-expert-slams-us-as-only-nation-to-imprison-kids-for-life-without-parole
Ken Rogers –
Two things: 1. Would you give us the SC case stating this is cruel and inhumane punishment under US law?
2. It is my understanding, but maybe you speak from personal experience, that the prisoners are adults usually about 4 years into their sentence.
@Paul C. Schulte
1. http://www2.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/Miller_v_Alabama_No_Nos_109646_109647_2012_BL_157303_US_June_25_2
“Delivering the opinion of the court, Justice Elena Kagan wrote, ‘Mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of his chronological age and its hallmark features — among them, immaturity, impetuosity and failure to appreciate risks and consequences. It prevents taking into account the family and home environment that surrounds him — and from which he cannot usually extricate himself — no matter how brutal or dysfunctional.’ ”
2. As Justice Kagan points out, the important consideration is that they are psychologically immature human beings when they commit their crimes, and in addition may very well be the products of brutal or dysfunctional environments.
For your sake, I hope you aren’t implying that sentencing a 14-year-old to life in prison is okey-dokey because he’s going to be old enough to drink near-beer in Ohio or join the army in just another four years, because that would betray an abysmal ignorance of the growth stages of human beings, not to mention being more than a little sadomasochistic.
Ken Rogers – I can say I do not agree with the SC in general. However, I will say that in the two cases that came before the court, I do agree with the Court. BTW, thanks for the cite.
@Paul C. Schulte
“Ken Rogers – I can say I do not agree with the SC in general. However, I will say that in the two cases that came before the court, I do agree with the Court. BTW, thanks for the cite.”
You’re welcome.
I like the way the Soviets used to execute killers, those that were guilty, proven beyond a level of doubt equal to that of the US. When the time came, usually when it was beyond doubt, a guard would take the killer down a hall, tell him to open the door and step inside, and when he was half way in put a bullet in the back of his head. There was no circus like here in the US. When it is time to go, go quickly and quietly. Somebody has to pull the lever, trigger, whatever. Why celebrate the event?
issac – the Chinese seem to like a filled stadium with a single bullet to the brain. There is personal responsibility for the death there, not here. Here at least two and usually three people push the button, none knowing which is the correct button that is doing the killing. Firing squads have one blank and the rifles are preloaded so you may not be the person who fired the fatal shot.
““He’s comparing the punishments, not the crimes, Michael.””
And conflation must be the purpose, else why even bring it up?
“He’s comparing the punishments, not the crimes, Michael.”
Thereby conflating the two.
@Michael Haz
” ‘On the one hand, having your head chopped off can’t be much different than the circus of waiting for a decade or two to get electrocuted, pumped full of poison, or gassed. You know the ritual, last meal, etc.’
“People expressing their freedom of religion in the United States are not executed. Nor is apostasy a crime here. Your statement makes a false comparison.”
He’s comparing the punishments, not the crimes, Michael.
Another victory for the religion of peace.
Note that this not coming from a bunch of terrorist living in a cave. This is coming from the heartland of Islam.
Islam.
Civilization
Choose one.
@JT
“Despite Saudi Arabia executing people for renouncing Islam and blasphemy, the United States continues to embrace it as its closest ally in the region and denounces other countries as brutal and extremist.”
The US government is going to embrace *any* other government that supports its imperialist agenda, aka “Full-Spectrum Dominance,” and will denounce any government perceived as standing in the way of the realization of that agenda.
Look at its embrace of the Israeli government, notwithstanding its atrocities against the people of Gaza, the largest open-air prison in the world, and its sanctions against Russia after the US government supported the neo-fascist coup overthrowing the democratically elected government of Ukraine, and after Russia annexed Crimea after its referendum overwhelmingly called for it.
Embracing its enablers and denouncing those who interfere with the execution of its agenda of planetary hegemony is just the nature of the US Beast, which isn’t going to change its stripes unless enough people in the US and the rest of the world demand that it do so.
Beldar here. I would have posited the defense of Not Guilty By Reason of Sanity.
Meanwhile in Ferguson. Well, in Federal Court in Saint Louis regarding the suits against Ferguson and the City of Jennings. The lawsuit styled Fant v. Ferguson and another against Jennings were filed a couple of weeks back. The defense filed a scathing Motion To Dismiss and Memorandum of Law in Support. I was visiting with some local lawyers who were in favor o the lawsuits for the so called debtors prisons run by those two towns but scathing of the Complaints filed by some new guys to the civil rights scene. The Complaints are long press releases and fail to allege some critical elements such as the 5th Amendment. Of course the defense was not telling them that part of their failure. This is a topic which needs airing on the turleyblog here. Succinct pleading. All law students should read these pleadings and learn what not to do and what to do. Maybe dont ask your law professor because two law professors are listed as lawyers for plaintiffs here, but go to a seminar taught by some practicing civil rights lawyers.
Those who utter blastfemmy will live in infamy. —
–FDR
Dealing with the Saudis is a lot like dealing with “Crazy Christians”. When Religion runs your government you cannot just cut them off by getting up and walking out as a sign of protest. If you walk out on the moderates in Church what’s left only gets worse. Sit there and listen till you can bring on change for the better. Really good people can prove the merits of separation of Church and State in both the Bible and our Constitution. Could that happen with the Koran?