Gay lovers executed in Saudi Arabia

[dArKeR]

Saudi Arabia has executed two men who beat to death a Pakistani to stop him exposing their "shameful" homosexual relationship, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

It said Ahmed al-Enezi and Shahir al-Roubli, both Saudis, ran over Malik Khan in their car, beat him on the head with stones and set fire to his corpse "fearing they would be exposed after the victim witnessed them in a shameful situation".

Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Saudi Arabia, a deeply conservative Muslim kingdom which implements a strict version of sharia Islamic law.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw1110708720787B265

[imenja]

1. isn't' their crime here murder?

They did kill the man. Not that I support capital punishment, I don't. But we also execute murderers in this country.

[loro mi dicevano]

6. It seems to me that "Homosexuality is a crime..." and

"Gay lovers executed" weren't ACTUALLY the story, although they DO mislead the reader into thinking that they were executed for being gay.

[LisaL]

2. They were not executed for being gay.

They were executed for murdering someone.

[Rush1184]

18. Yea, but if you look at the reason they killed him

you will see that his murder is the result of the oppression that society put upon these two men. The article did not say what the penalty was for homosexuality, but they probably felt that their lives were in danger. This man in reporting them is condeming them to death, whether they are executed by the state or if they sent to prison where they would probably not live very long as a convicted homosexual.
When a human is put in a situation where it is threatened, the body's natural reaction is to fight or flight. Thus, they are left with only one option for survival, and that is to stop this man from reporting them.

Now, do I condone their actions, no, but it is important that we understand that their actions are the direct result of the threat posed to them by society, and thus, one could almost say that they killed him in self defense.

[jmowreader]

24. The penalty for homosexuality is pretty steep there

Homosexuality is a capital crime in Saudi Arabia, but judges are given leeway in this.

It's not MUCH leeway, mind you--judges are required to sentence you to flogging for homosexuality, and I've searched around and found gays sentenced to five years in a Saudi prison and 2500 lashes. Apparently you will get flogged just for BEING gay, but you can get executed for having gay sex. And there is no limit to the number of lashes someone can be sentenced to.

So let me see...this man was threatening to report the two gay men for being in a compromising position, which would merit the death penalty if the judge was in a bad mood that day but just 2500 lashes if he was feeling fit and happy--and Saudi cops, judges and so on seem always to be pissed-off. So they killed him, which is a guaranteed death sentence under Sharia.

It would be nice if they'd just deport their homosexuals to Bahrain or somewhere else being gay isn't a capital crime, but Sharia is heavy on retribution so that's probably out.

[Toucano]

19. In this case, that would be true.

But the fact remains that homosexuality is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. I don't want anyone to get confused about that.

Added on edit
http://worldpolicy.org/globalrights/sexorient/maps-gay.html

Dark red = death

[Rush1184]

23. Thanks for posting that map!

I did not know the persecution of gays by the state happened in so many contries.

[Nikepallas]

3. Here is a dumb question: What exactly is Sharia?

[imenja]

4. When in doubt: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia

[Nikepallas]

8. Thanks

[alcuno]

5. I believe it means that the Koran is the basis for law.

That there are crimes and penalties in the Koran that must be a part of government. I'm not sure where the no women driving part would be in the Koran, however.

[oneold1-4u]

21. Loved it

They not only can't drive a vehicle, but cant ride in a front seat. Take a good guess, who rides in the back of the pickup?

[daleo]

7. True, the headline is misleading

They were executed for murder, not for being gay lovers. Of course, in a society that shows tolerance for homosexuality this case would never have happened, as there would be no fear of being outed. Repression hurts people in all kinds of ways.

[LisaL]

9. Well, I don't know. I can envision a situation in which

people might have not want others to find out they were gay.

[daleo]

11. If there was no social stigma, I don't see why it would matter.

In that case, I think it would be like someone discovering you were left handed, or that you preferred dating tall people to short people. But, I suppose that situation is a long way off in the future.

[bluestateguy]

10. Saudi Arabia is a medieval terrorist nation

Liberals in America should remember that Islamic fundamentalism, like religious fundamentalism of any sort, is extremely dangerous to the health of democracy in America and in the world.

[jdj]

12. yes, I just saw the Barbara Slavin interview on C-span

Saudi Arabia makes Iran look like Sodom or Gomorrha, apparently.

[Rush1184]

14. AMEN!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. How about fundamentalist Christianity? How far behind Saudi Arabia....

...is the US in terms of creating laws similar to those practiced by Islamics?

[IndianaGreen]

16. They are both cut from the same mold

The American Taliban is just as bad as the Islamic one, and together with the Wahabis of Saudi Arabia, they teach intolerance and hatred.

[bluestateguy]

17. ?

Liberals in America should remember that Islamic fundamentalism, like religious fundamentalism of any sort, is extremely dangerous to the health of democracy in America and in the world.

:eyes:

[Rush1184]

13. Another thing Bush has in common with Saudia Arabia...

Well, we all know he would make it a criminal offence if he could!

[VegasWolf]

20. Allah loves the sinner but hates the sin. n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

22. They got to choose

Instead of being executed for being gay, they were executed for murder. Chances are, because there was a witness, they would have been given the death penalty (usually a wall being collapsed on them for homosexual behavior). So, I am guessing they felt they had no choice. Chances are they were going to die one way or another. I am opposed to capital punishment, but if I thought my life was in danger, I would kill to protect myself.