Pleas for condemned Saudi 'witch'

[formercia]

Source: BBC



Pleas for condemned Saudi 'witch'
By Heba Saleh
BBC News


Human Rights Watch has appealed to Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of a woman convicted of witchcraft.

In a letter to King Abdullah, the rights group described the trial and conviction of Fawza Falih as a miscarriage of justice.

The illiterate woman was detained by religious police in 2005 and allegedly beaten and forced to fingerprint a confession that she could not read.

Among her accusers was a man who alleged she made him impotent.

Human Rights Watch said that Ms Falih had exhausted all her chances of appealing against her death sentence and she could only now be saved if King Abdullah intervened.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7244579.stm

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If you had any doubts about how 'backwards' Saudi Arabia is, then this should convince you.

[Steerpike]

1. She is without a doubt innocent.

And if the good king does not set aside her conviction, he is guilty of murder.

[atreides1]

2. Technically He's Not

It all depends on what Saudi law dictates, not on what we view as being wrong.

[Heywood J]

5. Since when has that ever stopped

anyone in this country before?

Honestly, that's sickening and shows just how backwards those impotent fucks are. It also makes me glad I buy gasoline from the Venezuelans instead of the Saudis.

[JerseygirlCT]

6. No, I disagree

This is one of those situations that go beyond the flimsy strictures of Saudi law. Morally, he's responsible for her death.

Just another example of the extreme hatred of women in Saudi society.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. It is semantics.

"Murder" is a legal term. If the law allows it, it isn't murder, any more than any person in this country who suffers the death penalty is considered to be murdered.

OTOH, he IS responsible for an wholly morally unjustified, albeit legal, execution. Unfortunately, in many societies there is a severe disconnect between morality and the law.

[snagglepuss]

12. What crappy reasoning is that. I suppose you defend Bush and

every other contemptible leader.

[bluestateguy]

3. "Oh, but it's their culture"

Then their culture SUCKS!

[Ian David]

4. We did do the nose. And the hat. But she's a witch! n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. EVERYBODY expects the Arabian Inquisition. -nt

[Karenina]

20. Same thing is happening in Nigeria

at the hands of "missionaryized" X-tian fundies who have learned the scam. There, the victims are children... Salem, MA anyone?
Patriarchal repression takes a big toll on women and children. Everywhere and always.

[mainegreen]

8. The only country in the middle east we should have invaded is Saudi Arabia.

Not that that wouldn't be a stupid decision as well, but it's about the only one that you could possibly pin a moral reason on.

Saudi Arabia is an evil government, and no cultural moral relativism can justify how disgusting that country is.

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Your last sentence:

"Saudi Arabia is an evil government, and no cultural moral relativism can justify how disgusting that country is."

Nails it.

[AlbertCat]

9. Thank God...

..... at least she's not an ATHEIST!

[Bill in Chicago]

10. This is just par for the course for the Saudis!

You can read more about Saudi Arabia's perverse justice system in "Part 2" here:


http://www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com

Using charges of "witchcraft," "apostasy" or "blasphemy," all of which are capital offenses under Saudi Arabia's version of Islamic law, are common tools for persecuting religious minorities in the Kingdom (especially Shia and Sufi Muslims), and for settling contract disputes with foreign workers.

The entire Saudi "justice system" is a grotesque abomination, although, unfortunately, that is the least of our problems with the Saudis.

[Brigid]

11. And the Bush regime is in bed with these people.

With "friends" like these, we need no enemies.

[Steerpike]

14. Well rest assured that you are safe.

As long as you never travel to SA you can never be found guilty of witchcraft and then have your head chopped off in public.
His Majesty better pardon her. I just hate royalty.

[donkeyotay]

15. What century is this?

When an appeal court decided she should not be executed, the law courts imposed the death sentence again, arguing that it would be in the public interest.

I'd like to see a picture of her, humanize this person about to be put to death. What an outrage. I'm sure the compassionate conservative president will speak out on this.

[BearSquirrel2]

16. She turned me into a newt ...

I would seriously expect the impotent man to exclaim "I got better".

Now you all know that if they don't burn her, they'll never know if she's actually a witch. I don't know if there are ducks in Saudi Arabia, so they probably couldn't do the mass comparison that could tell definitively.

I just love medieval logic processes.

[onager]

18. I like the Egyptian solution better...

Full disclosure: I've lived under sharia law in Egypt for nearly 3 years now. I spent 2 years living in Saudi Arabia under a much worse form of it. I am an atheist.

Now with that out of the way...

In Egypt a while back, the cops nailed a guy for selling "love charms" in a little farm village near the Nile Delta.

Well, actually, they didn't have to nail him. He went running into the arms of the cops, screaming for help.

His problem started when he took a good deal of money from 2 local farmers (fellahin, if you want to practice your Arabic).

Both men had unmarried daughters who had reached the spinsterish age of 19 or 20, and they wanted the girls married off. So they went to this mystiKal/Speeritchulist asshat for a no-fail Love Charm.

Unfortunately, no suitable suitors suited up and arrived on the doorstep. So the 2 farmers started talking to their neighbors, and found that Mr. Mystikal had been taking money from a LOT of people in the village for love charms, money charms, health charms, etc.

Like a scene out of a 1930's Universal horror movie, the villagers formed a mob and attacked Mr. Mystikal's apartment. They broke down the door, hauled him out into the street, and started beating the shit out of him.

He managed to escape and ran to the local police for help. They promptly arrested him.

I'm just wishing somebody would do the same to Sylvia Browne, John Edward, or Pat Robertson...

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

19. Our Illustrious Allies...

In another 500 years or so, they'll have progressed to the point where they're only mildly backward.

[yurbud]

21. the religious right would agree with the Saudis

[closeupready]

22. You know, if Hillary spoke out against this mistreatment of women by the Saudis, I would have new re

respect for her, but as far as I know, she has remained silent. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[gaspee]

23. Unfuckingbelievable (n/t)

[femrap]

24. I can't wait until their oil is all gone....

or better yet we have developed sustainable energy sources and don't need their oil.

But most of all, I can't wait until the women of Saudi stand up and assume their power.

[formercia]

25. If it wasn't for the oil

they would still be tending goats and robbing pilgrims.

[femrap]

27. I know the Saudis follow some

weird strain of Islam called 'Wahabi.' (I don't know how to spell it.) But I guess this particular strain came about in the 1800's. I always thought it was similar to the Mormon movement here in the U.S. Some weird guy comes along and says God spoke to him and everyone says 'yeah, let's degrade and oppress women!'

What I want to know....why do they hate women so much? Why? I worked at Bechtel (my first job out of college...years ago) and got stuck working on the Riyadh airport. I never took so many breaks or worked so little in my life. Pretty amazing that I didn't get fired, but I just couldn't work for those assholes. So I just took their money and did pretty much nothing.

I wish the women of Saudi all the power in the world...I know it is up to them to change their country. And I firmly believe they will overcome.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

28. *SNORT*

"Some weird guy comes along and says God spoke to him and everyone says 'yeah, let's degrade and oppress women!'"

You've nailed that.

[formercia]

29. And guess what? nobody noticed.

Everyone probably thought you had gone native.

[lovuian]

26. that country is in the Dark ages

This is so wrong