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Liberal Saudi Web Forum Founder Sentenced To 600 Lashes and 7 Years In Prison
cold fjord writes "Some reformers travel a harder road than others. The Seattle Times reports, 'The founder of a liberal-minded website in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes after angering Islamic authorities in the ultraconservative kingdom. ... Raif Badawi, through his website known as Free Saudi Liberals, had urged Saudis to share opinions about the role of religion in the country, which follows a strict form of Islam that includes harsh punishments for challenging customs. A judge in the Red Sea port of Jiddah imposed the sentences but dropped charges of apostasy, which could have brought a death sentence, the Al-Watan newspaper reported. Badawi has been held since June 2012.' More at details are available at the BBC, which informs us that 'The judge ordered that the 600 lashes be administered 150 at a time.' 'The lashes could be spread out but in Sharia this is a sign that the judge wants to insult him,' Badawi's lawyer said."
As much as I love bitching about the issues that we have here in America, seeing what happens in shitholes like Saudi Arabia makes me feel really lucky to have been born here.
... Our government ruin millions of people's lives over possession of a plant - one conviction and you not only lose your freedom for several years, you lose all opportunity for college scholarships and grants, and have to spend the rest of your life in poverty, working shit, low-wage jobs thanks to a felony conviction. For having a fucking plant on you.
But yea, no physical punishment; at least, not legally sanctioned (although I think Brad Manning might have a thing or two to say about that), and you can say whatever stupid shit you want, so long as it doesn't affect the status quo. How much better, more noble our oppressors are than theirs...
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
By the time this thread gets up to 200 comments, there will probably be several people saying "but Christianity/Judaism did X for thousands of years too!" to try to downplay the fact that Islamic societies are really not that much different in many ways from where they started. Go back 2,000 years and you'll find that the level of behavior we all find barbaric (crucifiction, torture, rape-as-war-tactic and many others) were very common all across the world. What you'll find, though, is that the societies that systematically started moving away from them the hardest are the ones that embraced monotheism of the Judao-Christian line.
The problem isn't the Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, etc. The communities that embrace the other Abrahamic religions in those countries are peaceful. A Christian Arab is no more likely to violently attack The Other on the street than a typical mainline American Christian. Similarly, white American converts to Islam are often as violent and extreme as conservative Arab and Persian Muslims.
If Saudi Arabia were overwhelmingly Coptic, not Islamic, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
This story gives massive erections to huge political(ahem, religious) powers within the US.
I think you are confusing a political system with a religion.
I think the concept of theocracy has escaped you somehow.
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
Remember this ... when you decide that Islam is a peaceful religion
And ironically, Catholicism and Christianity are a WHOLE lot worse!
I am happy to inform you that your entire post is based on rubbish.
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much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell