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Saudis Face Soaring Blood-Money Sums
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Jul 27, 2008 10:11am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Washington Post |
| News Date | Sunday, July 27, 2008 04:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Tribes, Families Are Demanding Millions
By Faiza Saleh Ambah
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, July 27, 2008; Page A14
MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- Badr al-Hasnani was 18 when he got into a fight with a soccer rival and fatally stabbed him. He confessed and was sentenced to death by beheading, as prescribed by sharia, or Islamic law.
For more than two years, Hasnani has been in a juvenile detention center awaiting execution while his family has tried to save him.
The parents of the victim, Majid al-Mahmoudi, have three options under sharia: to demand punishment, to spare Hasnani's life to receive blessings from God, or to grant clemency in exchange for diyah, or blood money.
The Mahmoudis agreed to accept diyah, setting the sum at $2 million in cash, much more than Hasnani's family can afford.
Hasnani's case highlights the growing trend of exorbitant blood-money demands, which many say are fueled by greed and tribal rivalries. Last month, tribal leaders in the central city of Kharj demanded nearly $11 million to pardon a man who had killed a member of their tribe.
Officials, clerics and writers have spoken out against the excessive requests, saying an ancient Islamic practice meant to financially support those who lose loved ones has been corrupted. |
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