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since Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:04:17.
Baby Beheaded in Saudi Supermarket
An Enraged Uncle Beheaded an 15-Month-Old Baby in Front of Mother
By LARA SETRAKIAN
Saudi Arabians recoiled this week at the news that a man allegedly decapitated a 15-month-old baby before his mother's eyes inside a crowded Riyadh supermarket.
"It was shocking for everyone. No one can believe it happened. & It was very depressing," said Samar Fatany, a journalist and women's rights activist in Riyadh.
On Sunday morning a 25-year-old Syrian man beheaded his nephew at Al-Marhaba supermarket, Arab News reported. The man reportedly killed the child after an argument with his sister and brother-in-law.
"It happened so quickly. Before people could intervene, the man had cut more than half way through the child's neck," said Abu Muhammad, a grandfather in his mid-60s, told Arab News.
"He was doing it to get back at his brother-in-law who was always threatening to take the child away from his sister," said Fatany, a contributor to the Arab News.
Some onlookers reportedly fainted at the sight of the body. The accused man was taken into custody and is expected to face the death penalty.
"There were plenty of witnesses, the facts of the case are clear, the evidence is abundant," said Christoph Wilcke, of Human Right's Watch, and an expert on Saudi Arabian law
Wilcke adds, however, that under Saudi law, even if a judge ruled for the death penalty the victim's family could choose to pardon the killer -- perhaps more of a possibility in this case because the alleged killer and victim are related.
If it turns out the the man snapped as the result of mental illness he could also be eligible for a pardon, though Wilcke says that is uncommon.
"I've never heard the insanity defense work in this Saudi Arabia. The concept of mental capacity exists, I just can't think of a real case where it applied," Wilcke said.
This is the latest in a handful of criminal justice cases in Saudi Arabia that have grabbed Western attention in the last year.
In December 2008 a Saudi Arabian rape victim was charged with jail time and 200 lashes after being found in a car with a man to whom she was not related - a verdict that prompted international outrage from Human Rights Watch and other foreign observers, including the White House and U.S. presidential contenders Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. The woman, known anonymously in the Saudi press as "Qatif Girl" was eventually released from jail and later pardoned by Saudi King Abdullah.
Fawza Falih, a Saudi woman, is currently awaiting execution after being found guilty of witchcraft in 2005. Dozens of Saudi men were arrested last month for allegedly flirting with women in front of a shopping mall in Mecca. In January, a woman was arrested after having a Starbucks coffee with a male business colleague.
As the decapitation case moves forward, Saudi Arabians are left recovering from the shock.
"For a whole two days everybody was depressed and too shocked for words. It is not something you hear of every day here. It is not something accepted or part of the culture," said Fatany.
| Man Butchers 15-Month-Old Nephew in Jeddah Supermarket Samir Al-Saadi, Arab News |
| JEDDAH, 3 March 2008 — Early morning shoppers at a supermarket in Jeddah were left reeling yesterday, with some falling unconscious, after a well-built Syrian man clinched a knife and decapitated his 15-month-old nephew in front of his mother in the store's fruit and vegetable section. In a brutal murder that has shocked the city, the 25-year-old man beheaded the boy, who was out shopping with his mother — in full glare of shoppers and staff at Al-Marhaba supermarket on Sari Street around 9.30 a.m. The man, who is the boy's maternal uncle, apparently killed the boy following a dispute with his sister and brother-in-law. Eyewitnesses said that the man picked up a knife from inside the store and severed the boy's head. The mother and a shopper standing close by fainted, while several other stood in shock and disbelief over what had happened. A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Arab News, "The murderer was in a dispute with the boy's mother and her husband. He chopped off the boy's head in front of the mother to get back at her." He added that the mother has been left traumatized and is in hospital. The boy's father was at work at the time of the incident. Following the murder, police sealed off the supermarket while forensic experts gathered evidence. Ambulances were also called to the scene. The supermarket reopened for business at around 1.15 p.m. "It happened so quickly. Before people could intervene, the man had cut more than half way through the child's neck," said Abu Muhammad, a grandfather in his mid-60s. A Saudi till attendant at a nearby cafe said, "One of my colleagues went to see what was going on and returned shivering. He saw the kid's body and so we gave him the day off. He was in a bad state." An eyewitness, who lives in the neighborhood, said that the victim's family lived close by and frequented the supermarket. "I've seen the murderer carrying the same child and playing with him on a number of occasions," he added. "No one could bear the gruesome sight of the boy's decapitated body lying on the floor," said Muneer, a Turkish car mechanic, who works at a garage close by. "How could someone do such a thing? I just can't understand it... I still can't believe it," he said, shaking his head. When the store reopened, employees were still in a state of shock. A guard, standing at the entrance, stood frozen and oblivious to the rush of shoppers. Pain and anguish were writ large on his face. |
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3 comments:
Do Zionist propagandists really think Americans will blink an eye at this when US teenagers are regularly slaughtering their own parents over access to cell phones and car keys in America, and husbands are regularly murdering their wives for life insurance money?
If anecdotal incidents are a verdict of judgment on entire cultures and societies, America is in a hell of a lot of trouble.
Let he who is without sin...
Thanks, It reminds me of the stories we heard just before the first war with Iraq, where we heard that babies were being thrown out of incubators in Kuwait. Wonder what they want this time.
I thought about the story some more.
I think it might have been an attempt to distract from the IDF's killing of Palestinian infants during the last few days.
I added this thought to the blog entry, which now says:
Is the appearance of this story an attempt to distract from the IDF's killing of Palestinian infants within the last few days, or is someone trying to plant stories in the English language Middle East press to prove that Arabs are barbaric?
and not simply:
Is someone trying to plant stories in the English language Middle East press to prove that Arabs are barbaric?
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