Posted on 01/25/2005 8:05:20 PM PST by -=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-
(Washington DC- January 24, 2005) … A 12 year old boy was lashed 80 times in the street by a Saudi court hours after he was arrested at the annual Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj), Saudi newspaper Okaz. reported Monday.
The paper said the boy who is from Bangladesh was arrested in Mena, three miles outside the holy city of Makkah, where two million Muslims gathered for the annual pilgrimage after he was allegedly caught pick pocketing pilgrims.
The paper said an AdHoc court that operates during the annual pilgrimage sentenced the boy only hours after his arrest, and applied the punishment on the street outside the court. No lawyers or family members were present during the process, but the boy was later handed to his family.
The field court is headed by Shaikh Abdullah AbdulRahman Al-Othaim, Shaikh AbdulRahman Al-Hussaini, and Shaikh Hamad Abdullah Al-Khudairy, judges who usually work at Jeddah courts but moved to Mena to set up the summery court during Hajj, the paper said.
Torture by lashing is a common punishment administrated by Saudi courts which operate according to Wahhabi Muslim traditions. Lashes can reach as high as 5000 lashes in some cases.
In July a court in Najran sentenced two men to 750 lashes for writing on the internet about the government persecution of Ismaili Muslims who are a majority in Najran near the Yemeni border.
Saudi courts are limited to Wahhabi Muslim judges. Other Muslims such as non-Wahhabi Sunni and Shia Muslims barred from judgeships.
The threat of this sort of punishment would definitely keep the crime rate low.
It appears Islam doesn't frown on Saudi cops eating donuts
>The paper said the boy who is from Bangladesh was
>arrested...after he was allegedly caught pick pocketing
>pilgrims.
The little bugger is lucky that they didn't cut off his hands.
Whatever else may be wrong with Islam, the way that they handle crime isn't one of them. I guess everyone - no matter how wrong - has to get something right once in a while.
Boy, these barbarians DO live in the 600's don't they???
Prepubescent punk punished for pick pocketing pilgrims.
80 lashes to a 12 yr old for stealing..sounds harsh.
Its a good thing he didnt do something really bad, like plant a bomb and blow up some Jewish women and children.
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