Lebanese "sorcerer" to be publicly beheaded in Saudia Arabia

For more than two years, Ali Hussain Sibat of Lebanon has been held in a prison in Saudi Arabia, convicted of sorcery and sentenced to death. His head is to be chopped off by an executioner wielding a long, curved sword.

His crime: manipulating spirits, predicting the future, concocting potions and conjuring spells on a call-in television show called “The Hidden” on a Lebanese channel, Scheherazade.

Several times in recent months, Mr. Sibat’s lawyer, his wife and his four children were told he would, any day, be escorted to a public square for his beheading. And several times, the execution was postponed after an outcry from international human rights groups and the Lebanese government.

Mr. Sibat’s odyssey through the Saudi justice system began in 2008, when he traveled to the kingdom to perform what is called an umra, or a minor pilgrimage, in the holy city of Mecca.

“It’s been two years of this mental anguish,” said his wife, Samira Rahmoun, during a telephone interview from their home in the Baalbek area of Lebanon. “Two years of torture. They are killing an innocent man, and they are slowly killing a whole family.”

Full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/world/middleeast/25saudi.html

Where is the US State Department?
Does an oil deal completely negate US "human rights" concerns?
The US embargoes Cuba for "human rights violations", but not a peep on this.

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Although in 1692 they did indeed execute "witches" in Salem MA.

And, that Christianity has it's less than attractive history of similar atrocities.

making that claim. Are you in the habit of posting in threads that condemn some aspect of western or U.S. culture of dashing into the thread to claim that some other culture is worse? Of course not. I don't get why people do this kind of stuff.

I condemn the torture, killing, imprisoning of human beings for their beliefs from whatever source.

It just aggravates to no end.
The US griping about Cuba and Venezuela, while "the worst of the worst"* human rights abusers on earth,
like SA and Equatorial Guinea, never get a State Department reprimand.
On the contrary, they are invited to red carpet dinners in Washington.
Based solely on who's selling their oil to American oil companies and who isn't.

* ("Worst of the Worst" from Freedom House ratings)

the Salem witch trials...

so it's a bit mind boggling to hear that someone is going to be executed for witchcraft.

As well it should be. I'm just trying to point out to the "Islam is a religion of evil" folks that Judeo-Christianity has a less than impeccable record in such things.

buy into that- and the ones that do? well, imo, they're completely hopeless in their bigotry and hate.

But why does the State Department remain silent?
SoS Clinton recently said that the Cuba embargo could not be lifted due to human rights violations in Cuba.
And yet this gets no statement?
Silence may not be complicity in this instance, but it would be nice to see the US take it's friend and ally to task.

Far more rational and humanitarian. :eyes:

and then they kill him, the spell will stay.

Isn't that how it works?

Know your BFEE: The Barreling Bushes

The only reason they don't behead Sorcerers, free thinkers and Liberals here is that the armed forces are largely run by decent folk.

It would be going on here.

If he was a sorcerer, couldn't he just walk through the prison walls, or use invisibility. Or just lay waste to anyone trying to take him to execution?

Wouldn't his imprisonment be proof that he is not a sorcerer?

Or maybe they are using some religious powers to fight his powers, would that be sorcerery?

Did they say what his D&D level is?

I should not joke about a persons life, but the death penalty is bad enough, but for people with spiritual issues, I would think prayer and counseling would be better.



I am no fan, of sorcery, and think people get messed up that meddle in that stuff, much of it is really bad stuff, and I think those that claim to talk to the dead and stuff can be creating illusions, or maybe have some spiritual thing going on, or they could be frauds, not sure. I should say I am no fan of it, accept for things like, Wisdom, dream interpretation, wrestling with angels(but just bad ones), from the old testament. Or miracles of healing, or many other miracles. Although I really don't think people do those things, I think they may happen through some people more often then other people, but people don't do those things.

Lots of people have tossed around accusations like that for years.

Although I could see a person offering to talk to the dead for someone getting in trouble for fraud.



Not to make light of such a thing, but does he get that magician Randi's million dollar reward?

Their "culture" is evil, sick, disgusting, and has no moral right to exist.

Saying what sweethearts the Saudis are, about a week ago. He was a big pal of Reagan's too - and the Bushs. They are all peas in a pod.