Sadly, this isn't the only part of the world where Sharia is observed so strictly.
What *REALLY* gets me upset about the Taliban is how they pick and choose what parts of Sharia they decide to observe... and they almost always prefer the option involving more bloodshed, mayhem and death, especially when dealing with females.
For example: if you kill someone, Sharia states that the family of the person you killed gets to decide your fate: The family can ask the Islamic court to put you to death... or you can pay a "blood debt" to the family which is supposed to balance the physical worth of the person you killed. I'll admit that I'm somewhat fuzzy on the details of how this "blood debt" is to be calculated, but I am assured that this is a recognized option under Sharia.
About 2 years before the US invaded Afghanistan, there was a somewhat (in)famous trial in Kabul: a woman killed her abusive husband, arguably in self-defense. However, after being found guilty, the woman's in-laws didn't ask for the death penalty, but requested payment of the "blood debt"... and the woman's family had the resources to pay it. The Islamic court was told all this... and decided that the woman would be put to death anyway, and had her publicly executed in the middle of a local soccer game. You can find the video of the execution if you want to -- a woman wearing a burka is forced to kneel on a soccer field while a man puts a rifle to the back of her head and shoots.
People say that the US shouldn't be the world's policeman. Maybe so... but there are parts of this world that *DESPERATELY* need "policing"!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-01-20 08:39 am (UTC)What *REALLY* gets me upset about the Taliban is how they pick and choose what parts of Sharia they decide to observe... and they almost always prefer the option involving more bloodshed, mayhem and death, especially when dealing with females.
For example: if you kill someone, Sharia states that the family of the person you killed gets to decide your fate: The family can ask the Islamic court to put you to death... or you can pay a "blood debt" to the family which is supposed to balance the physical worth of the person you killed. I'll admit that I'm somewhat fuzzy on the details of how this "blood debt" is to be calculated, but I am assured that this is a recognized option under Sharia.
About 2 years before the US invaded Afghanistan, there was a somewhat (in)famous trial in Kabul: a woman killed her abusive husband, arguably in self-defense. However, after being found guilty, the woman's in-laws didn't ask for the death penalty, but requested payment of the "blood debt"... and the woman's family had the resources to pay it. The Islamic court was told all this... and decided that the woman would be put to death anyway, and had her publicly executed in the middle of a local soccer game. You can find the video of the execution if you want to -- a woman wearing a burka is forced to kneel on a soccer field while a man puts a rifle to the back of her head and shoots.
People say that the US shouldn't be the world's policeman. Maybe so... but there are parts of this world that *DESPERATELY* need "policing"!