That’s a rather severe penalty for woo


Ali Hussain Sibat seems to be a bit of a kook. He was on a silly television show in the Middle East in which he’d make paranormal predictions, and he also was making a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The latter was considered just fine; the former has got him in big trouble. The Saudi government convicted him of sorcery and is planning to decapitate him.

Now that is barbarism. Here in America we let fortune-telling frauds get rich, instead.

Comments

  1. Haley says

    The “traditional” religions take magic and sorcery so seriously. Do they actually believe it exists?

    I mean come on, if witches and warlocks are real, why don’t they save themselves with magic? It’s one thing to treat magic like a nonsense fake religion but another thing altogether to act like it’s a real threat.

  2. Lotharloo says

    Of course they believe in bullshit.
    Here’s Mohammad wrestling and defeating a Jinn, but letting him go “out of kindness”:

    Abu Huraira reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saying: A highly wicked one amongst the Jinn escaped yesternight to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me power over him, so I seized him and intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque in order that you, all together or all, might look at him, but I remembered the supplication of my brother Sulaiman:” My Lord, forgive me, give me such a kingdom as will not be possible for anyone after me”

    And here is protection against magic spell:
    Allah’s Apostle said, “He who eats seven ‘Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.”

    Apparently, the prophet himself was not a fan of dates:

    A man called Labid bin al-A’sam from the tribe of Bani Zaraiq worked magic on Allah’s Apostle till Allah’s Apostle started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done….

    And the list can go on forever.
    Source: the search engine for Hadith, http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/search.html

  3. llewelly says

    What’s the big deal? He wasn’t using his head any way …

    Ok, I take that back. He shouldn’t be murdered – he should be fined to repay the victims as much as possible, and imprisoned.

  4. Kel, OM says

    You can’t say that PZ, you’re going to shatter those who think you want to decapitate all theists for being believers…

    Oh who am I kidding, even if you were kissing their asses they would still think that.

  5. S says

    To #3:
    I don’t think he should be imprisoned – everyone has a right to their own superstitions (David Cross). Yes, he was probably profiting by fooling people with false claims, but that’s what all main religions do, so…

  6. Rorschach says

    A TV host with 5 kids.They’re going to cut his head off for John Edwards style stuff.

    Not that it needed any proof that the Saudi establishment and “legal system” is a farce that only serves a few rich bigoted hetero guys to suppress a whole society.

    Don’t expect any help from the Saudi’s best mates the USA, Ali.

  7. Sigmund says

    I bet he didn’t see that coming.
    Which, as well as being an old (and somewhat tasteless in the circumstances) joke, is also a possible legal defense in this case – he couldn’t have been really practicing sorcery since if he was he would have forseen his arrest and avoided Saudi.

  8. Ray Moscow says

    1. When Woos Collide

    2. Did anyone say, “A religion of pieces” yet?

    3. I am constantly amazed that Saudi is “our ally” when they are one of the worst offenders against human rights in the world. Then I remember how much oil they allegedly have.

  9. Shplane says

    Ugh.

    As disgusting as his woo-ery is… Fucking seriously? BEHEADING?

    But I guess that’s just what religion does. I know I’ll certainly never be going to Saudi Arabia.

  10. georgetaub says

    I mean come on, if witches and warlocks are real, why don’t they save themselves with magic?

    The beautiful thing about living in your own little world is being able to write off any inconvenience with your own made up crap. Off the top of my head I’d counter that with: god trumps the devil’s magic with His magic once they catch the warlock! Boom! Prove that wrong! :O

  11. Caine, Fleur du mal says

    Holy shit, that’s harsh, to say the very least. And here we have Quackass continually trolling the The Thread claiming to be persecuted.

  12. The Tim Channel says

    From the country that brought us Osama Bin Laden? Don’t anybody act shocked.

    Enjoy.

  13. scooterKPFT says

    We should chip in and buy Glenn Beck a ticket to Saudi Arabia. We’ll tell him Saudi Arabia is in England and they love him there.

  14. Colin says

    Honestly curious : How can the Saudis execute him for something he did in Lebanon?

  15. Ick of the East says

    Before you all get too smug, innocent people are still executed in the United States.
    It may not be as dramatic, but the end result is the same.

    OK, at least the condemned gets to leave Texas…

  16. llewelly says

    S | April 1, 2010 4:54 AM:

    Yes, he was probably profiting by fooling people with false claims, but that’s what all main religions do, so…

    So they too should be imprisoned. Your point?

  17. Al B. Quirky says

    The Saudi government plan to lop this guy’s head, and your Liberal POTUSA Obama prostrates himself before the KSA’s Abdullah:

  18. Colin says

    I guess Sir Ian McKellan now has two very good reasons to avoid Saudi Arabia.

    Have these people started smoking their crude oil? I can’t explain it any other way.

  19. Rorschach says

    Before you all get too smug, innocent people are still executed in the United States.

    Was listening to a report on the radio the other day listing the countries with the most executions, look at the top 5 : China, Iran, Saudi-Arabia, Pakistan, USA.

    Source

    Axis of evil, alright.

  20. Sili says

    PZ, PZ, PZ … ::shakes head::

    Please pay attention: You’re not supposed to say bad things about Islam; it upsets the fundies.

  21. Snoof says

    Was listening to a report on the radio the other day listing the countries with the most executions, look at the top 5 : China, Iran, Saudi-Arabia, Pakistan, USA.

    Source

    Axis of evil, alright.

    What? That’s ridiculous. Don’t be absurd.

    An axis has _three_ countries.

  22. Summer Seale says

    Honestly curious : How can the Saudis execute him for something he did in Lebanon?

    Because Islamists don’t see a international boundaries as valid. That’s something that everyone here should have learned in 1989 with the Rushdie case.

    It’s something that, unfortunately, mostly right-wing people tend to enjoy pointing out. It is actually a global war because they see it as global and don’t adhere to the niceties of diplomacy.

    I mean, neither do we in certain cases, of course. But when we go after people abroad, it tends to be because they have attacked us already or are planning to attack us.

    In this case, you have somebody who didn’t attack anyone, is merely guilty of idiocy or, at worst, being a panderer to idiocy, and is going to be executed for this regardless of what international borders expressly allow or disallow. He hasn’t actually killed anyone (that we know of), and…let’s face it…he isn’t exactly a clear and present danger to any particular country or government.

    His only crime is that he doesn’t follow religious law which, to Muslim extremists (and, let’s be clear, Christian extremists as well – Hutaree, anyone?), is worthy of decapitation.

    I’d like to re-iterate that as much as I agree with the “new atheist movement”, I also think they tend to stick a bit too much to the politically correct side and are quicker to point out the failings of Christianity (that’s fine – I do all the time as well) than the failings of Islam. I know where that particular sentiment comes from, and I do understand it. I just happen to think that it’s very wrong to fall victim to it at the moment.

    That isn’t to say that atheists don’t criticize Islam in general. Obviously, we’ve all seen people do it. I just feel that it tends to automatically get a “…but…” appendage almost every time it does. As in: “That’s really bloody horrible and I absolutely find that revolting. But you,know, our Christian extremists are…” – which I think we all agree with in principle. But I don’t see the same said when criticisms of Christianity come out. I’ve never seen a: “Well, those Hutaree assholes are really bad and deserve to be locked up for life, but you can also look at the Islamists…” – also something I absolutely agree with, but you won’t find that addendum anywhere in Atheist forums.

    That does bother me a little bit. It’s not that I don’t want to hear all the critics talking about how Christianity can also harbor legions of extremist cults (Phelps, et al…), I just don’t want it appended each time to critical remarks about Islam as well.

    Case and point: people pointing out execution rates in the USA vs. Saudi Arabia in this thread. Very valid points and I think we all agree that this is an outrage in of itself. But the two things don’t have much to do with one another and appear quite easily to serve more as an indictment of US policy rather than the topic at hand: the critical indictment of Saudi policies.

    Again: I completely agree that executions in the US are a travesty and like most liberals, I am completely against them in general principle (although I will give a pass for mass murderers in many cases, and genocidal maniacs, but that is an entirely different discussion in my mind). And I honestly wish our country would stop doing this sort of horrible thing.

    But pointing it out does give credence to the right-wing talking point that “liberals really just hate America” sort of stupidity that they always try to point out. I’d rather stop giving them the ammo. Let’s criticize all the stupidity, by all means. But let’s stay on the topics at hand. If we constantly pull in Christian extremists and US policy to balance out the loathing and disgust at other religions and policies of different countries, we really do risk having that “just hates Christianity and America” finger pointed at us over and over again.

    It’s not worth it.

    BTW, sorry for the long and hyper-critical post. I know it isn’t on topic but I felt it had to come out somehow. And I’ve been on this purge for a while on this particular topic. =)

    I just hope I didn’t piss off too many people. And again, I agree with all of your points, I just think they ought to be made more carefully at times. =)

    (And if anyone thinks that I don’t, you can read my twitter feed /summerseale, to see that I absolutely do agree with “The New Atheists”) =)

  23. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    The Saudi government plan to lop this guy’s head, and your Liberal POTUSA Obama prostrates himself before the KSA’s Abdullah:

    your non sequitur fu is strong

  24. Summer Seale says

    @Rev. BigDumbChimp

    See, that’s what I’m talking about. That sorta bullshit is everywhere and it means the right-wing morons are the ones listened to about Islam instead of the rational Atheist movement. =(

  25. Timothy says

    If only we could get rid of the absurd religions in our own country we might eventually get around to doing something about lunatics like this. Until then it’s a little hard to get worked up about this sort of kook-on-kook violence. But maybe I’m just the bad guy.

  26. Nerd of Redhead, OM says

    Quirky showed himself to be a fuckwit idjit prior to showing himself to be a bigot. His credibility is in the negative numbers with his loser after loser posts. Only a totally delusional fool would bother at this point.

  27. BigMKnows says

    El Khansa told CNN her client was arrested by Saudi Arabia’s religious police (known as the Mutawa’een) and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008.

    And that’s the problem right there.

  28. Hank Fox says

    I wonder if they use a guy with a sword to do the head-removal, or some sort of machine — like the Thundering Might of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him) Lop-Master 5000 or something like that.

    ………………………..

    Summer Seale: “I’d like to re-iterate that as much as I agree with the “new atheist movement”, I also think they tend to stick a bit too much to the politically correct side and are quicker to point out the failings of Christianity […] than the failings of Islam.”

    Well, in a not-very-poetic moment, I did once say “Islam sucks donkey butt.” So you have to give some of us atheists credit for trying.

    But – going with the head-removal metaphor – the truth is that Islam is a zombie off in the distance. Christianity is the zombie shambling around at our own front door.

  29. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    But – going with the head-removal metaphor – the truth is that Islam is a zombie off in the distance. Christianity is the zombie shambling around at our own front door.

    Exactly.

    “braaaaaaaaaaains”

  30. Hank Fox says

    Jeez. I just Googled the phrase “Islam sucks donkey butt” and there was ONE hit. I may have originated the phrase.

    At least now I know what to put on my tombstone.

  31. Moveable Type says

    How do the Saudis get away with trying a man for a ‘non-offence’ that occurred in Lebanon?

    Seemples! Political boundaries are man made and therefore subservient to Islam which was inspired by Allah, creator of the multi-verse which he made for the benefit of Muslims. And, because Islam is not just a religion but a politico-cultural ideology it applies all across Allah’s domain.

    Hank Fox:

    They either behead the culprit using a knife that make a bowie knife look like a vegetable peeler (They stand behind and cut the head off which is quite slow), or they make him kneel and lean forward with his hands tied behind his back, and when ready the executioner will jab him at the base of his spine so that he arches his upper body backwards and then delivers the fatal swing!!

    It is a great dishonour for the executioner to fail to behead the victim the first time, because as you all know Islam is the Religion of Peace and Allah is a merciful God and does not wish people to suffer unnecessarily.

    If you wish to learn more of The Religion of Peace including the above story they have a gander at:

    http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks

  32. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    One wonders why if this guy is a sorcerer, he can’t just poof the sword into a giant feather, or carrot or, turtle or dildo just before the fatal strike.

    How will Islam deal with that possibility?

    I mean they are claiming he has magical powers.

  33. Hurin says

    That isn’t to say that atheists don’t criticize Islam in general. Obviously, we’ve all seen people do it. I just feel that it tends to automatically get a “…but…” appendage almost every time it does. As in: “That’s really bloody horrible and I absolutely find that revolting. But you,know, our Christian extremists are…” – which I think we all agree with in principle.

    I don’t see it. I’ve been following the atheist community for some time and I see plenty of people willing to criticize islam without bringing christianity into the equation.

    If you don’t believe me, do a you tube search for Pat Condell, or look through the archives of Pharyngula. You’ll find plenty of energy dedicated to islam in both places.

    Having said that, a good reason for the …but addendum when discussing islam, is that the christians are always trying to dismiss thier own problems by observing how jawdroppingly stupid and brutal the drama of islam is.

  34. Ol'Greg says

    I mean they are claiming he has magical powers.

    I am absolutely convinced that in these cases they do not really believe he is a sorcerer, but rather are using him as a symbol of their tyrannical power.

    They will brutally murder a person in public to make sure people toe the line.

  35. TWood says

    They will brutally murder a person in public to make sure people toe the line.

    Control with fear, that’s all it is. They murder ‘apostates’ for the same reason.

  36. aratina cage says

    These kind of sick life-or-death games that theocracies play are exactly the kind of things that Christopher Hitchens uses to illustrate the wickedness of religion in his wager with believers, and this one in particular only strengthens Sam Harris’s argument (from TED talks) that we should end cultural relativism once and for all. This conviction and action against Sibat by the Saudi state is a moral evil and so is the dogma that allowed it to be considered just.

  37. pnrjulius says

    I think we should bring back tarring and feathering.

    Tell people it’s a “homeopathic remedy” or something.

  38. raven says

    What a perfectly horrible example of pointless murder and savagery by a religion.

    Hmmm. Explain to me again why Yahweh, the xian god put much of the world’s oil in a flat sandy dry area owned by the followers of Allah?

    The bible god always seem spectacularly clumsy and inept.

    FWIW, xianity used to do the same thing based on the bible commandments about witches and sorcerors. The mean old secular authorities took away their ropes, stacks of firewood, and torches. They are still ticked about it.

    The fundie xian Dominionists want to turn the US into a xian Saudi Arabia or Iran again. I’ll pass.

  39. https://me.yahoo.com/a/1rq1WoYr1MctLtWHU3bDfh8zT8ilpA--#21a24 says

    1. I see nothing inherently wrong with criminalizing or otherwise discouraging woo. The problem is the interaction with free speech; I’m not sure one can have both criminalized woo and free speech – and free speech is far too valuable to give up.
    2. Of course Saudi Arabia and it’s religious woo-police are going to react against rival woo. Every religion makes rival religions and beliefs heretical. Why is anyone acting like this is surprising?

    Thanks,
    Mack

  40. Paul Burnett says

    Colin (#17) asked: “Honestly curious : How can the Saudis execute him for something he did in Lebanon?”

    Because Saudi Arabia has more oil than Lebanon?

    Because possession is nine-tenths of the law, and the dummy went to Saudi Arabia?

    Does everybody know how many Roman Catholic churches there are in Saudi Arabia? Or Methodist churches? Or synagogues? NONE – not one.

    In 2008 the Saudis sponsored a discussion at the United Nations on religious tolerance.

  41. mothwentbad says

    David Mitchell has the right idea on how to handle this sort of thing. I wish they’d follow his civilized example:

  42. llewelly says

    https://me.yahoo.com/a/1rq1WoYr1MctLtWHU3bDfh8zT8ilpA–#21a24 | April 1, 2010 11:46 AM:

    I’m not sure one can have both criminalized woo and free speech – and free speech is far too valuable to give up.

    Woo should be criminalized wherever it causes people to be injured, to loose money, to not get needed medical treatment, and so forth – material harms. As long as it is criminalized on that basis, conflicts with free speech do not occur. In fact, many of the needed laws are already in place, but poorly enforced, or the penalties are not strong enough – see for example the seemingly endless series of frauds Kevin Trudeau has committed.

    There are also other things which must be done, in addition to laws criminalizing woo; laws making something a punishable crime are never sufficient in and of themselves. For example, skeptical thinking must become widely taught, at the youngest possible age. That alone would greatly reduce the severity of the problems caused by woo which can’t be criminalized due to conflicts with free speech.

  43. Hurin says

    @Rev. BigDumbChimp

    One wonders why if this guy is a sorcerer, he can’t just poof the sword into a giant feather, or carrot or, turtle or dildo just before the fatal strike.

    …Or he could hold up a copy of the koran and spontaneously change it into a copy of Satanic Verses with a little doodle of muhammad on the cover. He could make a daring escape, as the arteries and heads of the of saudi arabian thought police began exploding from the sheer force of their impotent rage…

  44. KCM7 says

    It will stay like this until Islam has its own enlightenment. When the persecuted sheeple rise up and reject the woo murderers.
    America and Xianity had their own woo murderers in Salem.
    Hopefully when Islam matures the barbarism will cease. Unfortunately I don’t believe we will see this in our lifetime.

  45. Glen Davidson says

    It’s always better to worship a meteorite (or tektite).

    Honestly, is there anything more stupid than their reverance for that rock in Mecca?

    And I doubt that Muhammed or God is going to say “April Fools, we got you idiots good.” But if there were a god, that’s what would happen.

    Glen D
    http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p

  46. aratina cage says

    Honestly, is there anything more stupid than their reverance for that rock in Mecca?

    IMO, believing that a cracker is the flesh of your god is a tad bit stupider.

  47. Die Anyway says

    Beheaded for a crappy TV show. Is anybody thinking Jerry Springer or Larry King? Sometimes a good idea is a good idea even if you don’t agree with the source.

  48. https://me.yahoo.com/a/1rq1WoYr1MctLtWHU3bDfh8zT8ilpA--#21a24 says

    llewelly  | April 1, 2010 12:43 PM

    Woo should be criminalized wherever it causes people to be injured, to loose money, to not get needed medical treatment, and so forth – material harms. As long as it is criminalized on that basis, conflicts with free speech do not occur. In fact, many of the needed laws are already in place, but poorly enforced, or the penalties are not strong enough – see for example the seemingly endless series of frauds Kevin Trudeau has committed.

    Any institutionalized form of truth-finding / woo removal is subject to corruption by the forces of ignorance, stupidity, cupidity, and avari ce. And it will be corrupted. And then woo will reign supreme.

    What do you think this idiocy in Saudi Arabia is, if not corrupted truth-finding? Persons do need to be held accountable for what they say in the sense of non-deniability, but … legal sanction, however good the original intentions, has historically been a path to disaster. I see no reason why it would not lead to similar disasters in the future.

    Thanks,
    Mack

  49. jcmartz.myopenid.com says

    I suppose Sylvia Browne won’t be visiting Saudi Arabia anytime soon!

  50. lenoxuss says

    The Abrahamists-vs-wizards puzzle is well-phrased by Paisley Tinkle in the second panel of this Wigu cartoon.

    “They believe wizards are… Satanic? That wizards have Satanic powers? Even though there’s no such thing as wizards? … It makes even less sense when you try to explain it.”

    It seems peculiar in the highest hardcore religionists don’t just laugh off the psychics, magicians, and Wiccans as merely flaunting false beliefs… until you consider that, by definition, theists do believe in magic. Not just miracle-magic from the good guys, either. Consider the following passage from the Book of Exodus:

    So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as Jehovah commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

    Whenever I start to think atheists may be going to far in calling the Bible a collection of “fairy tales”, I only have to open my copy, and I’ll find a wonderful gem like that one.

  51. GravityIsJustATheory says

    Hmmm. Explain to me again why Yahweh, the xian god put much of the world’s oil in a flat sandy dry area owned by the followers of Allah?

    The bible god always seem spectacularly clumsy and inept.

    Technically they’re the same god (the God of Abraham).

    “Allah” is just the Arabic word for (captial-G) God, and is used by Arabic Christians as well as Muslims. (Just as “Yahweh” was the Jewish name for God, while Christians have traditionally called him “Jehova” due to a mistranslation, or just “God” or “LORD”, etc).

    According to Islam, Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus* etc were all good Muslims and prophets, but Christians and Jews distorted their teachings, so Muhammed was sent to restate the true teachings (i.e. yet another claim of “We’re the only True Religion).

    * Who was (according Islam) the product of a virgin birth, but he wasn’t the son of God. He wasn’t crucified either (he was due to be, but God beamed him up to heaven just in time, and someone else got crucified instead in the confusion).

  52. broboxley OT says

    @snoof #24 an axis is an intersection of two lines so more than 3 countries can be involved

  53. Alex P. says

    I fully intend to defend this individual in any way I can. We’re making jokes, but this is a matter of basic human rights. My heart does go out to him and his family. Fuck. The guy’s got kids, too, and he’s going to be executed because of the stupidity of a religious government. Of course, no world government will issue a fucking ultimatum to Saudi Arabia. Of course.

  54. Kirk says

    First off I want to go on record for being against beheading people for their thoughts, or speaking about their thoughts, or being charlatans, but …

    If he does get beheaded, since he could predict the future, he knew that by predicting the future he would cause his own beheading. He saw it in his mind’s eye in advance, and did it anyway.

    Kind of like Jesus, in a way.

  55. Jason Failes says

    I love free society, where we are free to practice and make mad cash off every kind of woo, but also free to question, critique, and mock every shade in the woo-spectrum.

  56. https://me.yahoo.com/a/K2PNji0at.txAjzTShOlxwLuFcVVFwbnng--#bd813 says

    No 1 ‘why don’t they save themselves with magic?’ the real ones do. Just the fakes and falsely accused get busted.

    gaypaganunitarianagnostic

  57. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    I love free society, where we are free to practice and make mad cash off every kind of woo,

    And defraud people and possibly harm or kill them with said woo.

    Yeah, escaping regulation of dangerous things sold as medicine. That’s just peachy.

    Yay free woo!

  58. Hurin says

    @49

    Woo should be criminalized wherever it causes people to be injured, to loose money, to not get needed medical treatment, and so forth – material harms. As long as it is criminalized on that basis, conflicts with free speech do not occur. In fact, many of the needed laws are already in place, but poorly enforced, or the penalties are not strong enough – see for example the seemingly endless series of frauds Kevin Trudeau has committed.

    Fraud is already criminal, and so is negligence, and so is reckless endangerment. I’m not an expert on the law by any means, but it seems to me that (as you noted) most or all of the ill effects of woo that tangibly hurt people are already criminal acts. I think the real problem is that a lot of fraud isn’t recognized as such and taken seriously by law enforcement.

    I don’t think you can or should criminalize woo in and of itself. We are in serious trouble when the government feels compelled to tell people what they are or aren’t allowed to believe.

  59. Al B. Quirky says

    @#26
    Yeah, there’s another left-leaning, jihad-enabling, sharia-compliant Muslim-hugger. If W had half a ball at all, he would have invaded KSA, in the process procuring a reliable source of oil until we develop equivalent alternatives.

  60. Ing says

    * Who was (according Islam) the product of a virgin birth, but he wasn’t the son of God. He wasn’t crucified either (he was due to be, but God beamed him up to heaven just in time, and someone else got crucified instead in the confusion).”

    His name was Brian and he wasn’t the messiah he was just a very naughty boy.

    Also, Jesus fuck, God is a dick in Islam. I love how they intentionally changed it to make god callous and guilty of manslaughter.

  61. Circe of the Godless says

    Before you have too much sympathy, his brother was interviewed by reporters and said “he’s a good man, he doesn’t deserve execution. He’s not an infidel, if he was then he should be executed, but he’s not”.
    Islam. Religion of peace and love.

  62. timpanogos says

    I read the CNN story — it looks for all the world to me as if the trial court has confirmed that he is, in fact, a sorcerer.

    That’s a hell of an admission for an Islamic court to make, don’t you think? They’re saying this guy is more powerful than local imams?

    And the court isn’t itself on trial for blasphemy against Islam?

    The Saudi government should intervene on the side of reason. But absent that, we should all make it clear that the execution of this guy is an admission that followers of Islam have weak supernatural connections, if any at all.

    The more they execute, the stronger the Force of Reason grows. Hydra-like. (Maybe there was a purpose to that Hydra fable after all . . .)

    Ed Darrell

  63. blf says

    I assume everyone is aware the gentleman was not murdered. Lebanese not to be beheaded Friday for witchcraft:

    A Lebanese man condemned to death for witchcraft by a Saudi court will not be beheaded Friday as had been expected, his lawyer said.

    Attorney May al-Khansa said Lebanon’s justice minister told her that her client, Ali Sibat, will not be executed in Saudi Arabia on Friday — the day executions are typically carried out in the kingdom after noon prayers.

    She said it is still unclear whether the beheading had been waived or only postponed.

    “Ali Sibat will stay alive this Friday but we don’t know what is going to happen the next day, Saturday, Monday, any other day,” al-Khansa told The Associated Press. …

    The Saudi justice system, which is based on Islamic law, does not clearly define the charge of witchcraft.

    Sibat is one of scores of people reported arrested every year in the kingdom for practicing sorcery, witchcraft, black magic and fortunetelling. The deeply religious authorities in Saudi consider these practices polytheism.

    New York-based Human Rights Watch said last year Sibat’s death sentence should be overturned and called on the Saudi government to halt its “increasing use of charges of ‘witchcraft,’ crimes that are vaguely defined and arbitrarily used.”