Saudi Arabia (The Weekly Vice) -- A University psychology professor from Umm al-Qra University has been sentenced to 180 lashes and eight months in jail. What was his crime? He had a cup of coffee with a student.
Caught in a Saudi honey-trap, an entrapment technique for punishing those who have contact with someone of the opposite sex, the man was framed by the religious police after he angered some of the members at a training course, according to the accused man's attorney.
Contact between unrelated sexes, directly or in many cases indirectly is strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia. The Religious police, which are authorized by the Saudi Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, are charged to monitor the public and enforce a strict translation of Islam.
While local media have not broadcast the professor's name, some journalists have identified Dr. Abu Ruzaiz, a highly respected husband and father, as the intended target who will soon face the beating.
According to the man's attorney, Ruzaiz received a phone call from a student who requested help with a class related question. Ruzaiz agreed, provided the student was accompanied by her brother. When the professor arrived, the girl was alone. Within moments, Ruzaiz was surrounded by the religious police who reportedly hid in wait.
It is believed the professor irked some of the Commission's staff by teaching his students the value of being polite in public. Some of the trainees also sought revenge for failing the professor's course and/or receiving low marks on their exams.
This case follows a long history of cases where extreme punishments are dolled out under non-tangible or questionable evidence. In some cases, there is no evidence outside of the eyewitness account of the religious police.
One such case involves a Saudi woman, Fawzi Falih, who had been sentenced to beheading, after an accuser alleged she made him impotent through witchcraft.
Last week, the religious police arrested 57 young men who were arrested for wearing improper clothing and dancing as a means to attract females.
A teenage victim of a gang rape was sentenced to 200 lashes because she had been in an unrelated man's car at the time.
A spokesman for the Commission in Mecca denied that his officials had conspired against the professor. “They are honourable people and would not create such a trap for any kind of personal revenge,” Ahmad Kasim Al-Ghamdi, told Arab News, a local paper.
The Weekly Vice Opinion:
The next time your boss gripes at you for being late or some other reason, just remember that in some countries you are beaten half to death for doing your job. And ladies, next time your man can't get his willy up, have patience. In some countries they'll saw the woman's head off as punishment for the man's embarrassment.
But on a more serious note, keep in mind the kind of mentality our boys overseas are up against as media outlets insult their progress and ignore their sucesses.
In the upcoming elections, as politicians try to convince you that the threat of terrorism is a tired old argument, just remember - this brand of insanity knows no limits, does not get tired, does not change it's mind and does not quit.
Since Islamic extremist consider this kind of justice as being God's law, they insist that it applies to everyone. There is no option of believing or no believing it. Break the rule, your head is lopped off. If you irritate them, your back will be turned to hamburger meat. While it seems to be rather distant and unreal - be assured it's real, persistent, unrelenting and spreading.
Enjoy your coffee. =)
Danny Vice
The Weekly Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com
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