Man slits son's throat to make good luck charm

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | August 27, 2003

[dead]

A Malian man, who had his five-year-old son's throat slit to conjure up some good luck, has been sentenced to death.

Fousseyni Thera, 27, from the West African nation, decided to sacrifice his son, Daniel, after meeting an elderly witchdoctor and asking him to create a good luck charm, court documents said.

The witchdoctor demanded human blood to make the charm.

The men brought the boy to a tree-filled ravine in the capital, Bamako, in January this year. His father held him down while the witchdoctor cut his throat, gathering the blood in a bowl into which he dipped the good luck charm.

Ritual practices and the use of witchdoctors are still popular in Mali, like many other West African nations, but this case appalled Malians.

Thera was arrested after he went back to the ravine at nightfall to bury the boy's body.

He was sentenced to death in a criminal court in Bamako yesterday.

In Mali, the death sentence technically still exists but nobody has been executed for decades. Instead, criminals spend years in prison.

Reuters

[4mycountry]

Just when you think people can't get any lower...

[Happy2BMe]

The devil is hard at work.

Babies, children, and the unborn are his favorite targets.

This was gruesome - but how less gruesome is it for a nation to slaughter MILLIONS OF UNBORN (viable human beings) each and every year, year in and year out.

No, America (smug and self-righteous as it is) is no more righteious and no less wicked than the people of Malia.

America practices it's own witchcraft - ABORTION!

[freedomson]

And then the charm apparently didn't work.

[dead]

No refunds or exchanges.

[boris]

"Oooo eeee wooo ha ha ting tang walla-walla bing bang.."

[RonF]

I believe that's "Ooo Eee Oooh Ah Ah ...". Better watch out. I've seen enough horror stories to know what happens if you screw up a magic spell.

[Damocles]

And people are offended by the ten commandments...

[Cobra64]

Makes Jessie and Al proud of their heritage, eh?

[pabianice]

Valuing the Difference of the Multicultural Diversity Alert! Who are we to judge someone else's culture? Shame on you all...

[pabianice]

Another post-colonial African success story.

[putupon]

five-year-old son's throat slit to conjure up some good luck, has been sentenced to death.

I don't guess it worked too well.

[Chewbacca]

Why didn't the father just use some of his own blood?

Idiot.

[mtbrandon49]

"In Mali, the death sentence technically still exists but nobody has been executed for decades. Instead, criminals spend years in prison."

Just like the USA (except Texas).

[Michael_S]

Wouldn't they have arrested, and hopefully executed, the witch doctor as well?