[zzze]

Assalamu alaykum

Moments Before the Execution
Mahmood Ahmad, Arab News staff


JEDDAH, 8 March 2003 — When Friday prayers are said, police form a cordon around the audience gathered in the large square beside Al-Jafali Mosque in the Al-Balad district of this city.

In the center of the square, flanked by the imam, the prison warden and a few police officers, kneels the prisoner. He faces the victim’s family, who are waiting for him to die. He may beg them to forgive him. They may choose to do so.

The crowd shouts at the prisoner, reminding him of his Shahada, or at the victim’s family, asking for forgiveness.

The prisoner is examined by a doctor, and most of the time he is given a sedative to help him get a hold of himself. Across the square, the prisoner’s family are weeping and begging the victim’s family to forgive. A medical team and Red Crescent ambulances are standing by.

The prisoner now recites verses from the Qur’an while a government official reads the charges and the verdict. Halfway through the reading the executioner suddenly nicks the back of the prisoner’s neck with his sword, causing him to tense and raise his head involuntarily.

Then, in one swift move, the executioner separates the prisoner’s head from his body. Several spectators faint, and the executioner is pulled from the scene lest he get carried away and injure someone else with his sword.

This is the scenario unless the victim’s family forgive the prisoner at the last minute, in which case the atmosphere all of a sudden changes to the joy one might expect at a wedding, with people cheering and blessing the family.

The reaction of the spectators can vary widely. At the execution of three men for murder, the family of the victim were screaming hysterically for the loss of their father. The audience shouted at the executioner: “Kill these criminals. Take off their heads. God bless you.” There was a common feeling of anger toward the three killers, and each time the executioner took off a head, the shout went up: “Allahu Akbar (God is great).”

On another occasion the victim’s father delighted the audience seconds before the execution by walking into the middle of the square and announcing that he forgave the prisoner.

Execution by sword is usually reserved for men, while women are shot. However, in areas where there are no swordsmen, men may also be executed by bullet. When execution is by sword, the prisoner’s head must be separated completely from the body. Usually this only takes one attempt, though it can take two or three.

If the prisoner is shot, two bullets are used, one to the heart and one to the neck. In preparation, doctors mark the area where the bullets should hit.

Statistics show that between 2000 and 2002, 43 executions were carried out, 33 of them on Saudis. Two women were executed, one Saudi and one Indonesian. All the executions were for murder.

Director General of Prisons Gen. Dr. Ali Al-Harthi would not reveal details of prisoners awaiting execution in a recent wide-ranging interview in Okaz newspaper, from where the above information was taken. “Usually I ask: Is there any use in publishing your story?” he said. “Some newspapers are looking for excitement. That is your right. But the Kingdom is under attack from human rights organizations for enforcing God’s law, and they are ignoring human rights issues elsewhere. There are therefore some issues that I don’t want to discuss at the moment.

“While we are talking about these matters, I would like to increase awareness; that is to say, awareness among people not to let their anger lead them into killing others. It is not worth risking your life for one moment of blind fury. We must be patient and not allow the devil to drive us to murder.

“A murderer’s reward is the sword — not counting the psychological pain he suffers because he ended another person’s life. We have to use our minds and remember the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said three times: ‘Do not be angry.’

“The punishment for drug dealing is also death,” he added. “I ask every drug dealer, is it worth putting your life at risk for money?”

Moments Before the Execution

[ShotgunMessiah]

I can't imagine the feeling before being executed. I always hope I don't expect my death and that it just kind of... happens. If I were to go through an execution, I feel like I'd barely be able to walk. My thoughts would be burdened with whatever it is that I had (or had not) done, what my family would do, how would they carry on, how could I seek forgiveness, and did I even deserve it?

I hear you go on living for a bit after your head is severed. What kind of thoughts would you have? Would you have the strength in faith to have your final thoughts directed towards Allah? Even if you do, does it even matter if the victim hasn't forgiven you?

What if the sword doesn't kill you right away, or completely sever your head on the first try? Think of the feeling of having your head literally dangling from your body, all the pain and shock you would feel, watching your own blood pouring out of you. You know death is coming but it hasn't arrived yet. Even thinking about it gets my stomach welling up; I imagine my body would try to vomit but if my throat was cut be unable to do so.

I wonder if, even on some distant level, animals feel the same way as they are being led to slaughter. That kind of thinking almost makes me want to become a vegetarian just thinking about it.

Even the "humane" way of being executed, the lethal injection, supposedly has the victim completely paralyzed and even in a burning pain until they finally die. Just picture being strapped to a table when the executioner injects one needle into you and suddenly you can't move, can't speak, can't do anything at all. A second needle, and you can't breathe. A third and you literally feel your heart slowing, then stop.

I like to think I don't fear death. But put into that context, where death is delivered to you, displayed before you and then handed to you, it's definitely a scary thought.

I hope I'm never put in that kind of position.

[Wolfn]

Originally Posted by ShotgunMessiah

I hope I'm never put in that kind of position.

Same here. I always wonder what my death will be like. Even if I were to die old, what would that be like? You're lying in bed at night, and suddenly you can't breathe. You try to gasp for help, but you can't.

I always wonder if it will be painful when I die.


I guess this comes from the 'Final Destination' movies I contantly watch. You see people die in these freak accidents, and in 'Final Destination 2', one of the characters goes to the main character and asks "when I die, is it going to hurt?".

[Good_ol_JR]

Originally Posted by Wolfn

Same here. I always wonder what my death will be like. Even if I were to die old, what would that be like? You're lying in bed at night, and suddenly you can't breathe. You try to gasp for help, but you can't.

I always wonder if it will be painful when I die.


I guess this comes from the 'Final Destination' movies I contantly watch. You see people die in these freak accidents, and in 'Final Destination 2', one of the characters goes to the main character and asks "when I die, is it going to hurt?".

Most people don't fear death, they just fear the immense physical pain shortly before it. But I read somewhere that if you die as a Shaheed the pain feels like a small p.rick of the fingers. Maybe they ought to just throw all the murderers into an army regiment and make them carry out assignments where it's a guarantee they'll die, if it'll be less painful.

I guess I don't mind public executions but it's kind of disturbing how emotional people get around them. You would think after seeing them every week people would just get used to it. People take this Dunya way too seriously.

Btw why does the OP have a sad face

[thejellymill]

What a hideous way to die

[Good_ol_JR]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

What a hideous way to die

Why? it's in accordance with the Shariah. Death is death it will be over in seconds; is it worth worrying about the 3-5 seconds of pain you may feel right before it happens. After all you know what they say "pain is weakness leaving the body" So wouldn't you wanna die a painful death so you can die as a strong person.

Also pain builds character, according to Calvin's father from Calvin and Hobbes. Wouldn't you wanna die with character? And next time hold your vomit in when on a public forum. It's better the vomit goes back down your throat, as opposed to it spewing over everyone around you

[zzze]

assalamu alaykum

Why the sad smiley? Well...reading how everyone shouts for the criminal (if he did indeed commit the crime) to die, i'm not sure how Islamic that is. I also don't have much trust in Saudi's implementation of Shariah law, e.g women are prohibited from driving due to mahram issues..but they're allowed to be in a car with a non mahram driver and taxi man? There is so, so, so much corruption here..with the right contacts I wonder how much one can get away with...and how many innocents an influencial person could put on death row.

Hangings used to be on TV every friday in Libya..it wasn't nice to watch.

Is hanging and beheading an Islamic punishement? Need to read up on it.

[thejellymill]

Nobody said a murderer shouldn't be put to death under Islamic law but who said it has to be in such a hideous way? "The executioner accidentally nicks his neck halfway through the reading, he raises it involuntarily so the executioner chops it off right there"? The people are shouting for their deaths? Strangers are watching his head roll away from his body? How disgusting and animalistic. I have to agree with zzze on this too, Saudi is no model example of an Islamic nation.

Yuck.

[sixpakistan]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

Nobody said a murderer shouldn't be put to death under Islamic law but who said it has to be in such a hideous way? "The executioner accidentally nicks his neck halfway through the reading, he raises it involuntarily so the executioner chops it off right there"? The people are shouting for their deaths? Strangers are watching his head roll away from his body? How disgusting and animalistic. I have to agree with zzze on this too, Saudi is no model example of an Islamic nation.

Yuck.

This is expected and normal human behavior at public executions that occur anywhere. Public executions are fully compliant with the shariah and meant to be used as a deterrent. Clearly, going by rate of crime in Saudi Arabia vs any other developed nation, it's an effective deterrent.

What is surprising and heartening is the joy that fills the environment when a condemned man is pardoned. That tells you that the crowd is not baying for blood.

People look for pretty much any excuse to whine about Saudi Arabia, even when and where it doesn't make any sense to do so. The clearest evidence of your prejudice and bias is that said prejudices and biases allowed you to misread a very clear statement about the executioner nicking the prisoner's neck and interpolate your own nonsensical meaning which has no basis to it.

[m_ali_qazi]

Originally Posted by thejellymill

Nobody said a murderer shouldn't be put to death under Islamic law but who said it has to be in such a hideous way? "The executioner accidentally nicks his neck halfway through the reading, he raises it involuntarily so the executioner chops it off right there"? The people are shouting for their deaths? Strangers are watching his head roll away from his body? How disgusting and animalistic. I have to agree with zzze on this too, Saudi is no model example of an Islamic nation.

Yuck.

killing one person is like killing humanity

killing humanity is hideous and animalistic, the justice for it would be just as ugly

[roberto]

[quote=sixpakistan;179941]

What is surprising and heartening is the joy that fills the environment when a condemned man is pardoned. That tells you that the crowd is not baying for blood.

Yes it's just good family entertainment