Saudi Arabia to Give Australian 500 Lashes, Jail for Blasphemy

[AnCap Dave]

Source

Insulting the friends of the founder of Islam earned an Australian national 500 lashes and a year in jail in Saudi Arabia last month.

Mansor Almaribe, a resident of southern Victoria state, was arrested by religious police on November 14 in Medina while participating in the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca known as the hajj. His eldest son Jamal told The Melbourne Age newspaper that Almaribe was reading and praying in a group at the time.

Family members told Australian media that Saudi officials accused the 45-year-old of insulting companions of Islam's Prophet Muhammed; blasphemy is considered a serious offense in Saudi Arabia, which is governed under Shari'a (Islamic) law.

No information is available about exactly how or when he insulted them, or even which companions of Muhammed he allegedly had insulted.

He was convicted Tuesday and sentenced to two years in prison and 500 lashes. The court later reduced the sentence to "only" one year in jail, in the presence of an Australian consular official who attended the proceedings.

The maximum number of lashes ever allowed to be used as a sentence under Jewish law during the time of the Holy Temples was 39, and that was to be delivered under the supervision of a medical doctor, in sets of three, so as to ensure the convicted person did not die as a result.

A sentence of 500 lashes is considered equivalent to a death sentence.

Another son of Almaribe, Mohammed -- named for the very prophet on whose behalf he is set to be tortured -- has expressed fears for his father's safety. "Five hundred lashes on his back, and he has back problems," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "I wouldn't think he'd survive 50." Almaribe, a father of five, suffers from diabetes and heart disease.

Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Neil Hawkins has appealed to Riyadh for leniency, according to Canberra's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "The Australian government is universally opposed to corporal punishment," the department in a statement.

Approximately 300,000 Muslims now live in Australia, and there are over 100 mosques, according to an Australian government website.  The Arab community in Australia, numbering more than 210,000, is "diverse and includes many high-profile and successful members," the site notes.

The sad part is this story isn't particularly unique. This kind of thing happens all the time in those countries. The kicker though is this country considers Saudi Arabia an ally and yet insists we have to take out "radical fundamentalist extremists." Hypocrisy at its most blatant.

[Ibrahim90]

yeah, that's the sick part of the whole thing, and why I despair of America's politics: we support monsters on one hand, yet claim we are against such people. It's just like Rwanda; if it doesn't serve the interests of some prick in the white house, it isn't worth it to them.

and on a more cynical note about SA: I'm very much interested to know what verse in the Qur'an says: "thou shallt give 500 lashes to the dude who talks smack about dead people"...for some mysterious reason, I can't find it in the Qur'an (in Arabic anyways); and I have three of those. and in case anyone asks, no, it's not in the Hadith either.

it's moments like these that just make me wanna deconvert...not wanting to be associated with these jag-offs in Riyadh (or jag-off with any religious belief)

[VectorM]

What prevents you from doing it right now?

[Ibrahim90]

What prevents you from doing it right now?

you know, you've actually got me thinking on it, and for that I thank you.

the fact of the matter is, come to think of it, I never really put much effort or thought into why I believe what I do-my main concern over my entire adult life has been (still is) taking the course towards becoming a scientist, and participating in politics.

Though I can tell you this: I barely even practice anymore. I've already stopped attending weekly prayers, and increasingly care little about the ideals many of my peers in the Arab world have with regards to religion. In short, while I'm not yet an Atheist, I'm pretty much almost there. I'm already pretty skeptical of every religious belief I hold, as well as those of others-now that I reflect on some recent conversations I've had.

In time, I may in fact fully renounce all ties to my old beliefs, and never look back. but whatever road I take, I will take it on my own.

[VectorM]

Then I think you already are an atheist, you just need to accept it now. Was the same thing with me. After a wile it simply turns in to a burden, something unpleasant that you hold inside. And continuing to believe is no longer genuine, you just feel like you live in denial.

I just said to myself "Fuck it, it's not how I feel anymore, all of the evidence suggest, that the atheist position is the correct one, so I might as well just be an atheist and screw the past."

I really wish the same thing could happen with the other stuff happening to me right now, but hey, I had to watch a tone of TJ's videos to get to that point back then 

[Ibrahim90]

that may be the case, though really, I'm not quite sure of it.

I sometimes find myself hard to understand on some days