A Real Modern Day Witch Hunt, Conviction and Death Sentance

[RandFan]

TV Presenter On Death Row For Witchcraft

Ali Sibat is not even a Saudi national. The Lebanese citizen was only visiting Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage when he was arrested in Medina last year.

A court in the city condemned him as a witch on November 9.
The only evidence presented in court was reportedly the claim he appeared regularly on Lebanese satellite issuing general advice on life and making predictions about the future.

The case is causing outrage among human rights campaigners but has made little news elsewhere despite the ludicrous nature of the charges and the extraordinary severity of Sibat's sentence.

"Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

I've checked my caldendar and yeah, it IS the 21st Century.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

I've checked my caldendar and yeah, it IS the 21st Century.

If it turns out that he really is a witch, won't you be embarrassed!

 

[Darat]

Dictatorships, where would we be without them... oh that's right in a much better place!

 

[Sledge]

It's Saudi Arabia. I'm honestly not surprised.

 

[RandFan]

I've checked my caldendar [SIC] and yeah, it IS the 21st Century.

Sadly I didn't check my dictionary.

 

[geni]

It's also something a problem in parts of africa:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft#Africa

 

[Darth Rotor]

Sadly I didn't check my dictionary.

Ya know, Rand, we, the whole rest of the world, still owe Arabs a huge debt for their gift of Arabic numerals, Al-Gebra, the Al-Phabet, Al-Capone, and the insertion of enlightened civilization into Europe and Eastern Africa during the Middle Ages, which they did from a motive of purest altruism.

You gonna begrudge the kingdom of the Saud led Arabs a witch hunt here and there?

Ingrate.

No wonder they hate "us." It isn't for "our" freedoms, its "our" bloody ingratitude for all they've done for "us."

Question, on a slightly more serious note: was this Lebanese gentleman aware of the risks of visiting Saudi Arabia? If he didn't already have a fatwa pronounced upon him, as Salman Rushdie had, he might not have realized the Church Police were gunning for him.

That, and given that he had "witch" tatooed on the back of his neck ...

(Obscure Python reference)

DR

 

[cwalner]

Ya know, Rand, we, the whole rest of the world, still owe Arabs a huge debt for their gift of Arabic numerals, Al-Gebra, the Al-Phabet, Al-Capone, and the insertion of enlightened civilization into Europe and Eastern Africa during the Middle Ages, which they did from a motive of purest altruism.

you forgot the Al-Gore-Rythm, which came of note recently as it was integral in creating the internet.

 

[Eyeron]

Now now. It doesn't even compare to what the Christians did in the Crusades. That was worse than what any Muslim country today has ever done. In fact, if it weren't for Christianity people would've never been burnt as a witch at all.

 

[Fnord]

And if it weren't for religion, we would never even know how evil witchcraft is in the first place!

Imagine ... all those witches competing with religious organizations for the souls and money of the gullible and ignorant rabble!

 

[geni]

Now now. It doesn't even compare to what the Christians did to the Crusades. That was worse than what any Muslim country today has ever done.

Indonesia is a muslim country.

In fact, if it weren't for Christianity people would've never been burnt as a witch at all.

Not so. Plently of cultures outside chrisitanity have the concept of magic uses and sometimes react violently to people classed as magic users. The only involvement of christianity in those areas is that it gives the west a point of reference for the situation.

 

[Darth Rotor]

you forgot the Al-Gore-Rythm, which came of note recently as it was integral in creating the internet.

Well played, sir, well played!

 

[WildCat]

I've checked my caldendar and yeah, it IS the 21st Century.

It's the year 1430 in the Islamic calendar.

 

[kuroyume0161]

It's the year 1430 in the Islamic calendar.

Touché!

Sure does feel like it.

 

[GlennB]

I've checked my caldendar and yeah, it IS the 21st Century.

Yeah. We civilised westerners would never kidnap people, bang them in jail without charge totally out of reach of legal representation or any known judicial process, and routinely torture them and stuff, would we? Not in the 21st century.

 

[Darat]

Now now. It doesn't even compare to what the Christians did in the Crusades. That was worse than what any Muslim country today has ever done. In fact, if it weren't for Christianity people would've never been burnt as a witch at all.

It certainly doesn't compare to what Christians are doing today in Nigeria, http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-8/episode-1/ .

ETA: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/articles/saving-africas-witch-children-bishop-arrested

...snip... police in south east Nigeria arrested "Bishop" Sunday Ulup-Aya - a man who told documentary film makers he had killed over 100 child "witches".....

ETA2:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/05/children-accused-of-witchcraft-tortured-killed/

...snip...

The 9-year-old boy lay on a bloodstained hospital sheet crawling with ants, staring blindly at the wall. His family pastor had accused him of being a witch, and his father then tried to force acid down his throat as an exorcism. It spilled as he struggled, burning away his face and eyes. The emaciated boy barely had strength left to whisper the name of the church that had denounced him - Mount Zion Lighthouse.

...snip...

 

[WildCat]

Yeah. We civilised westerners would never kidnap people, bang them in jail without charge totally out of reach of legal representation or any known judicial process, and routinely torture them and stuff, would we? Not in the 21st century.

You're seriously comparing captives in a war with non-combatants snatched outside of any armed conflict and charged with witchcraft?

Equivocation FAIL.

 

[cwalner]

It's the year 1430 in the Islamic calendar.

Does that mean that Jews are living in some SciFi future, with the hebrew calendar being somewhere around 5500 (sorry, I'm a bad Jew - no matzoh for me - and don't know the actual year)

 

[Darth Rotor]

It certainly doesn't compare to what Christians are doing today in Nigeria, http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-8/episode-1/ .

ETA: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/articles/saving-africas-witch-children-bishop-arrested

ETA2:

Cotton Mather would be so proud!

 

[Darat]

For those people that find the idea of persecuting people and children for being witches in this day and age "barbaric" or "medieval" can I suggest you consider making a donation to this cause: http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/howtohelp , doing so can help victims of this superstitious nonsense and help to make an actual difference. ETA: And that donation doesn't even have to be money, they have suggestions for other ways you can help them.