Posted on 03/03/2008 3:03:34 AM PST by kingattax
Early morning shoppers at a supermarket in Jeddah were left reeling yesterday, with some falling unconscious, after a well-built Syrian man clinched a knife and decapitated his 15-month-old nephew in front of his mother in the store’s fruit and vegetable section.
In a brutal murder that has shocked the city, the 25-year-old man beheaded the boy, who was out shopping with his mother — in full glare of shoppers and staff at Al-Marhaba supermarket on Sari Street around 9.30 a.m. The man, who is the boy’s maternal uncle, apparently killed the boy following a dispute with his sister and brother-in-law.
Eyewitnesses said that the man picked up a knife from inside the store and severed the boy’s head. The mother and a shopper standing close by fainted, while several other stood in shock and disbelief over what had happened.
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Arab News, “The murderer was in a dispute with the boy’s mother and her husband. He chopped off the boy’s head in front of the mother to get back at her.” He added that the mother has been left traumatized and is in hospital. The boy’s father was at work at the time of the incident.
Following the murder, police sealed off the supermarket while forensic experts gathered evidence. Ambulances were also called to the scene. The supermarket reopened for business at around 1.15 p.m. “It happened so quickly. Before people could intervene, the man had cut more than half way through the child’s neck,” said Abu Muhammad, a grandfather in his mid-60s.
A Saudi till attendant at a nearby cafe said, “One of my colleagues went to see what was going on and returned shivering. He saw the kid’s body and so we gave him the day off. He was in a bad state.”
An eyewitness, who lives in the neighborhood, said that the victim’s family lived close by and frequented the supermarket. “I’ve seen the murderer carrying the same child and playing with him on a number of occasions,” he added.
“No one could bear the gruesome sight of the boy’s decapitated body lying on the floor,” said Muneer, a Turkish car mechanic, who works at a garage close by. “How could someone do such a thing? I just can’t understand it... I still can’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head.
When the store reopened, employees were still in a state of shock. A guard, standing at the entrance, stood frozen and oblivious to the rush of shoppers. Pain and anguish were writ large on his face.
The head chopping part may be an inspiration of the culture. Other than that, I agree with you.
And it’s sort of refreshing to see people out and out calling the guy a murderer. I’ll bet he doesn’t spend 15 years on death row with tons of expensive appeals, either.
Although if it had been his daughter, and he did it because she had been talking to a boy...
There doesn't appear to be any mass movement to do away with this barbaric custom, so why all the swooning in the supermarket? Goats and chickens are routinely beheaded in their households' back yards, so what's new when it's a mere human.
I'm speaking metaphorically, of course, but then again........
Leni
Islam is a mental illness.
Islam does play a part in this horrific incident. The extent to which Islam, via the quran, condones and even encourages violence, and the indoctrination process that each child undergoes as part of the schooling, rationalize this type of behavior. And, the high level of violence in the ME, over the past 30-40 years has desensitized the populace.
The fact that this nutcase acted out in this manner may be an aberration to some. But, to many of us, it’s an expected ramification of the society, on the main.
Islam is a cancer on humanity.
Amish maybe?
LLS
Are you saying that the Methodist church is anti-Semetic? If so, that's a new one on me!
Good Grief!
That is unbelievable.
In this case I sure as hell hope Sharia law is enforced. I believe it calls for the murderer to be beheaded.
Only because it was a male child. Had it been a female, he’d have paid a blood price, and no legal consequenses....
A child lost his life. And you think it is some kind of freaking joke. You should be ashamed of yourself. I can not even imagine the mother’s anguish. You are beyond the pale.
Yeah...I agree.
OJ?
Oh, give me a break. This is FR, not the Funeral Home.
If I got my knickers is a twist about every beheading in Saudi Arabia, I would be upset a good deal of the time.
This beheading, as tragic as it is, is part and parcel of the society that surrounds it. Seizing your nephew as a hostage to settle a business dispute is an acceptable practice over there. The religious authorities would have no problem with such conduct. Given that hostage taking is acceptable, it is hard to understand how they get upset when a hostage is harmed.
If you think I'm that bad, press the [ABUSE] button and have my post pulled. I'd do it myself, but the nuns warned be about self-abuse.
...Followers of the religion of peace. The animals who worship Islam need a serious wake up call...
Christians who call Islam a “religion of peace” need an even bigger wake up call.
If the victim had been a female, an infidel, or a dog, everyone would have stepped over the corpse without a thought.
Prayers for the little boy.
Prayers for the souls of those who were traumatised by their own religion.
May the good Lord use the opportunity to lift the veil of confusion and save some souls.
If it is such a acceptable thing for a man to butcher his 15 month old nephew. Why the hell did it even make the news. I am by no mean pro Muslim. But this was simply a crime by a psychotic butcher who knew the most horrible thing he could do to get back at this mom was to kill her child. Such crimes happen here as well. True beheading is not the usual method. But stabbing, shooting, massive internal injuries from trauma, and other not real pretty means are.
And please cite the code in Saudi Arabian law which gives a pass for this crime. Being that it is an acceptable practice and all. Those spectators who were overcome by this event must not get out too much. Saudi Arabia is not going to be quite as dismissive as you are and this criminal will be executed. Hardly seems fair since beheadings are so customary.
I never said I thought you had abused FR policy. That is not my call. I said that to make a joke about the loss of a child’s life went beyond the pale. I would say the same thing if this happened in Buttcrack, Florida
Traumatized? I would be certifiable.
I seem to have left my copy of Saudi Arabian Legal Codes and Standards (Annotated) in my other pants...
But seizing hostages to settle business disputes is a standard practice over there, and has been for thousands of years. Generally speaking, the hostages are treated humanely and returned unharmed. In fact, it is considered a crime against Islam to mistreat a hostage uneccesarily.
But, inevitably, sometimes the situation breaks down and hostages get killed. This sounds like one of those cases.
Who knows? Perhaps this case, as horrific as it is, will serve as a wake-up call and the Saudis will step out of the 7th Century and start to demand that human life and freedom must be respected. Maybe this disgraceful result will get them to reconsider the practice of hostage-taking, and cause them to realize that every life has value.
But, you know what? I am not going to hold my breath waiting for that.
I don’t see anything about an arrest here.
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