Death sentence in Arabia for Lebanese 'sorcerer'

Death sentence in Arabia for Lebanese 'sorcerer'

by SouthernFriedInfidel | Published on March 19th, 2010, 11:51 am | Religion

In Saudi Arabia, a man has been sentenced to death for sorcery.

His crime, so far as I can tell, is hosting a talk show in Lebanon and "predicting the future," and giving out advice to his audience. He then made the mistake of going on some Muslim pilgrimage or other. The religious police found out that he was a "sorcerer" and promptly captured him and put him on trial.

Once again, we see the danger inherent in mixing modern and primitive cultures. In a modern world, this guy is just another Dr. Phil, with some weird schtick about telling the future. Then, like the proverbial American with a flashlight suddenly thrown into the midst of a primitive tribe that still thinks that rubbing sticks together is the state of the art in fire production, he is seen as some fearsome creature with incomprehensible powers.

Only this sand-bitten, bitterly ignorant tribe of cro-magnons have guns and prisons and courts to deal with "magicians." So they capture this poor dope and sentence him to death. Beheaded for entertaining people back home.

Normally, I would say, "Who cares? These cretins will do what they will, and they can work out their pathetic little problems, and hopefully one day grow up to join the civilized world in whatever way they see fit."

Only it's Saudi Arabia... the closest thing we have to a "friend" in the Arab world. And they still are floating on a veritable ocean of oil, and so unavoidably having to interact with modern civilization. And as we know, that interaction has claimed thousands of lives over the past couple of decades.

The main question is -- how do we make this interaction with such a revolting culture "safe"? The other question -- of getting this poor dope of a talk show personality out of his predicament -- is secondary. I have a little sympathy for his family, but really, one would have thought he could have anticipated the folly of traveling to Saudi Arabia these days.

Slight hijack here....

When I saw the title, I thought you were referring to this:

Zap.

die_you_french_bastard.jpg (29.68 KiB) Viewed 617 times

The hostess and a chanting audience urged the players — who had levers in front of them — to send jolts of electricity into the man in the box when he gave an incorrect answer.

Even when the player screamed out in pain for them to stop, 80 percent of the contestants kept zapping him. In reality, the man in the electric chair was an actor who wasn't really being shocked — but the players and the audience did not know that.

Makes me question my upcoming visit to Paris.

These folks been importing the wrong entertainment from Japan, you think?

You think they should have used a 40' wooden wang?

Ali Hussain Sibat was the host of a call in show who claimed to predict the future and gave out advice based on these predictions. Fraud? Very likely. But when he visited Saudi Arabia they believed in his shtick and have arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced him to death for sorcery - thereby completely validating his claims

According to Arab News, an English language Saudi daily newspaper, after the most recent verdict was issued, the judges in Medina issued a statement expressing that Sibat deserved to be executed for having continually practiced black magic on his show, adding that this sentence would deter others from practicing sorcery.

Arab News reports that the case will now return to the appeals court in Mecca.

Any members of the GOP would be safe from this charge since their predictions so clearly failed

Dude! I already posted this story! You posted to it!

Whoops - got distracted - you can delete this thread if you like

A Person wrote:Whoops - got distracted - you can delete this thread if you like

Actually, I think your post would be a nice addition to the original thread. I'd move it... only I never learned how to merge threads. :oops:

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote: I'd move it... only I never learned how to merge threads.

It's magic....

Apparently he's due to be beheaded on Good Friday. Crucifixion is too uncertain.

Primitive superstition claims another victim.

Quite an interesting juxtaposition: On Friday, Sadui Arabia will chop off a man's head in a barbaric response to modern entertainment. And a few thousand miles away, on the same day, Russia will life two men and a woman into orbit to spend time at the International Space Station.

And speaking of barbaric superstitions... note the photo accompanying the story... :think:

Nothing about this situation is making sense to me. This Sibat had a lawyer appearently, why then this lawyer didn't argue that even if "predicting the future is sorcery" Sibat should be free of any charges since he didn't commit this "sorcery" in Saudi Arabia thus breaking no laws there. Why wasn't it argued that Sibat was doing something lawful in Lebanon, approved by Lebanese governemnt and media not to mention a successful modern show . Away from Saudi Arabia, a few countries away actually. Sibat was in Saudi Arabia ONLY to accomplish his Hajj (the muslim pilgrimage). Doesn't anyone see how this could affect the rest of muslims around the world when it comes to thinking about doing their Hajj. Isn't Saudi Arabia deliberatly sabotaging the will of potential Hajjis?? Isn't that a crime in Islam? By the same Saudi Arabian standard this could be even worse then "practicing sorcery". Doesn't this qualify as an assault on Islam? Am I the only one seeing this?
La Joconde

[email protected] wrote:Nothing about this situation is making sense to me.

Perhaps because you have a non-Sharia mindset.

This Sibat had a lawyer appearently, why then this lawyer didn't argue that even if "predicting the future is sorcery" Sibat should be free of any charges since he didn't commit this "sorcery" in Saudi Arabia thus breaking no laws there.

A couple of things here that pop to mind. I wonder if the Lebanese TV station could be seen in Saudi Arabia? Also, it seems fairly evident that in a legal system that tracks sorcery, an assumption would be made that a sorcerer would practice his magic at all times, not just when on TV.

Why wasn't it argued that Sibat was doing something lawful in Lebanon, approved by Lebanese governemnt and media not to mention a successful modern show .

See, you're assuming that this argument WASN'T put forth in the religious court. You don't know this.

In today's latest news, there is some clarification of the story. The good news is that this fellow's beheading for today was canceled. The clarification is that the religious authorities of Saudi Arabia consider sorcery and witchcraft to be "polytheism," which is apparently a capital crime for any Muslim.

Isn't Saudi Arabia deliberatly sabotaging the will of potential Hajjis??

My guess is that they consider it "guaranteeing the purity" of Muslim minds if they come out for any pilgrimage. So I expect that among themselves, they think they are doing something positive. And that anyone who disagrees with them are non-believers, and therefor not worth listening to anyway.