Saudi court said to order criminal to be surgically paralyzed

DUBAI (Reuters) - Amnesty International has condemned a reported Saudi Arabian court ruling that a young man should be paralyzed as punishment for a crime he committed 10 years ago which resulted in the victim being confined to a wheelchair.

The London-based human rights group said Ali al-Khawaher, 24, was reported to have spent 10 years in jail waiting to be paralyzed surgically unless his family pays one million Saudi riyals ($270,000) to the victim.

The Saudi Gazette newspaper reported last week that Khawaher had stabbed a childhood friend in the spine during a dispute a decade ago, paralyzing him from the waist down.

Saudi Arabia applies Islamic sharia law, which allows eye-for-an-eye punishment for crimes but allows victims to pardon convicts in exchange for so-called blood money.

"Paralyzing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture," Ann Harrison, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said in a statement late on Tuesday.

"That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offences, as happens in Saudi Arabia," she added.

A government-approved Saudi human rights group did not respond to requests for comment.

The Arabic-language al-Hayat daily quoted Khawaher's 60-year-old mother as saying her son was a juvenile aged 14 at the time of the offence. She said the victim had demanded 2 million riyals to pardon her son and later reduced this to 1 million. "But we don't have even a tenth of this sum," she said.

Al-Hayat said an unnamed philanthropist was trying to raise funds to pay the blood money, but it was not clear how much time remained before Khawaher's sentence was to be carried out.

Amnesty said the case demonstrated the need for Saudi Arabia to review its laws to "start respecting their international obligations and remove these terrible punishments from the law".

Saudi judges have in the past ordered sharia punishments that include tooth extraction, flogging, eye gouging and - in murder cases - death.

(Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

The April Fool's joke that never was :)))))))

On Easter Monday, my family and I treated our Saudi guest to a fun outing at the Hartbeespoort Dam Aerial Cableway. We were completely surprised and taken a back when a young couple driving past our guest suddenly stopped him and greeted him. My dad and I along with the rest of the family were already at the ticketing office to purchase tickets for the Cable car ride up the mountain. The young couple greeted our guest and asked him if he was going up the mountain. Naturally he replied in the affirmative. The couple then took out one ticket for him and said that there was no need for him to purchase a ticket. Our guest said that we are six people so there is no need to worry. We will purchase the tickets. Suddenly, the young couple took out more tickets and said that there is no need to buy any tickets. When our guest presented the tickets to my dad we were all amazed as one ticket costs R140. We all assumed that the couple were playing an April fool's joke on us. So before we made our way to the cable cars dad first went to the ticketing office to make sure that the tickets were valid. To his surprise they were all valid. Our guest from Saudi was equally surprised and then said something that really stuck in my mind. He said, " Maybe I did something good in my life or someone made a special prayer for me and hence God Almighty is now rewarding me in this way." With a big smile on all our faces we made our way up the mountain by taking a ride in the Cable Car. The newly revamped cableway offers panoramic views of the Hartbeespoort Dam, Magaliesburg and the adjacent areas coupled with excellent recreational and educational facilities. Arriving at the top of the mountain we decided to take a walk around allowing our guest to take pictures of the stunning countryside.
There's lots to do at the base station and at the top of the mountain. Kids can wander along the Dassie Loop walkway, where educational placards describe points of interest seen from the top, or play in the KidZone, while parents enjoy some much-needed rest. Restaurants, express food stalls and a bar are all on site, as are picturesque seating areas and bomas.
Anyone who has visited the cableway will find that there is a huge bee population at the top of the mountain. A few years ago I was stung by a bee and it caused a slight anaphylactic reaction. I noticed that there were many bees inside the restaurant near the slush puppy machines. When I enquired if they were a health hazard I was told that the bees are a part of the conservation programme that is in place by the local authorities and that only 300 bee stings in total would deem the hives as being dangerous.Thus far no one has been stung according to the owners of the restaurant. The bees near the slush puppy machine were obviously attracted to the sugar and I was told that if they are not attcked or disturbed they will not retaliate by stinging. Enjoying a variety of snacks at the restaurant whilst watching the sunset is undoubtedly an image that will remain in my heart, mind and soul forever. Our guest was astounded at the sheer beauty of our country as a whole. The nature, greenery and scenic drives is definitely an experience he will never forget. He was equally flabbergasted at the friendly nature of most South Africans. If you wish to visit the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway simply click on this link for more information. Tickets can also be purchased online. After spending a beautiful afternoon in tune with nature we made our way to the breathtaking Turkish masjid located in the Midrand region. I will do a full write up on the Turkish masjid in my next post Insha Allah. After performing Esha prayers at the masjid, we all made our way to the Ocean basket at Melrose arch for a sumptuous dinner. A pretty fun filled, entertaining day indeed!!!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

The lost generation- South African Muslim Youth

Visited Sandton city last night after many years. It was fantastic to see a few refreshing changes in the decor at various stores and I was really impressed with the stunning Geldhof Chocolate Easter presentation but whilst sitting in the Nelson Mandela square munching on popcorn, I couldn't help but notice the Muslim youth of today. It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate a Muslim girl from a western woman or a Muslim boy from a western boy. Mini skirts, sleeveless tops, loose hair and figure hugging clothes seems to be the in thing in 'Muslim fashion', not to forget older Muslim women trying to compete with their daughters and grand daughters wearing leggings accompanied with tight short tops and what about Muslim boys sporting weird haircuts.Whilst standing in the queue in a well known retail outlet, a group of women from India were staring at me and naturally I smiled. They then started talking about mom and I in Hindi and they were under the impression that we were Emirati..I then asked them ' where are you from' in Hindi and obviously they were surprised and visibly happy that I could converse with them in their mother tongue...The women then said," we knew you were Muslim from your head scarf. We thought you were Arab. We are so sorry that we spoke about you in our language. We thought you wouldn't understand and the reason we stared at you is because through your attire you stand out in a crowd,".. Alhamdulilla it has been almost five years now that I am adorning the headscarf and I hope that I will never ever throw it away. My headscarf is my identity and I always believe that the way you dress and carry yourself in public says a lot about your character and personality.Our Muslim youth of today are losing their culture and identity. How many of today's youth know their mother tongue whether it is Gujurati, urdu or any other language. Being like Kylie Minogue or Justin Bieber seems to be hip and happening.What happened to the idea of being proud of your roots and your heritage. Please do not get me wrong. By adorning an abaya or a head scarf does not make a person pious or religiously inclined. However, the point I wish to drive home is  this: Is it so difficult for a Muslim woman to leave her home dressed decently. A dress or a jeans with a long top is a perfectly acceptable dress code.In my opinion a Muslim girl in a mini skirt parading herself in public lacks character and intellect. I wonder how do parents allow their daughters to leave the home in miniskirts and sleeveless tops in the first place.Call me old fashion but despite being a part of the new generation I am still very much a part of the old school of thought..

 

 

 

 A giant easter egg with a whopping price of R2800 at the Geldhof Chocolate presentation in Sandton city....

Owner ordered to repaint house that resembled Ka’aba

  

Abdulhadi Al-Suwaya
Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — The owner of a house in Madinah that was designed to resemble the Holy Ka’aba has been ordered to repaint the building.

The house owner designed and painted his house in Al-Mestarah neighborhood of Madinah to resemble the holy structure and was criticized by local residents.

Okaz/Saudi Gazette witnessed the repainting of the house.

However, the house door is still painted in gold, resembling the Kaaba’s door. The owner refused to talk to Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

The head of the Prince Naif Chair at the Islamic University of Madinah Ghazi Al-Metairi said common sense should govern a Muslim’s actions.

Designing houses to resemble the Ka’aba is a degrading act, he said, adding that the design of the house was considered a deviation in thinking and vision.

Spokesman for Madinah governorate Mohammad Saleh said in a statement that the governorate became aware of media reports on the controversial house and coordinated with the municipality to investigate the matter.

The general supervisor of municipality branches was contacted and the owner of the house was called and told to change the house’s color.

He was also asked to change any exterior features that may resemble the Ka’aba.

Concerned authorities are keeping an eye on the house until they are satisfied it does not resemble the holy building.