Neck of the woods
“A Saudi man has been beheaded on charges of sorcery and witchcraft, the state news agency SPA says. The man, Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri, was found in possession of books and talismans, SPA said. He had also admitted adultery with two women, it said. The execution took place in the southern Najran province, SPA reported. Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned executions for witchcraft in Saudi Arabia. Last year, there were reports of at least two people being executed for sorcery……… No details were given of what he was found guilty of beyond the charges of witchcraft and sorcery. Amnesty International says the country does not formally classify sorcery as a capital offence…… Some, he explains, have repeatedly called for the strongest possible punishments against anyone suspected of sorcery – whether they are fortune tellers or faith healers…………”

The Saudi law enforcement system, of which the late Prince Nayef was the boss for decades, is an eager pursuer of all kinds of crime except one. They are especially avid pursuers of all kind of opposition to the regime, and that includes any call for “reform”. Reform is strongly opposes because it will inevitably bring down the regime, hence political prisoners are often tried as “terrorists”. That keeps the Western powers happy and content that the al-Saud are keeping their end of the bargain and working hard to protect life, liberty, and the American (and French) way of life.
Next in line are those who seek to have fun (aka fun seekers) but are not among the royals or their close retainers. (Real fun is supposed to be reserved for the elite in Saudi Arabia and in a couple of other Gulf countries. The peons are deemed beneath such suspicious activity). After that come those who try to add some magic to life in the Kingdom without Magic. Magicians, sorcerers, witches, warlocks, fortune tellers, charlatans (other than the Wahhabi clergy), and others including Ronald McDonald and your typical Pagliacci clown.
Oddly, and in spite of the severe sentence of beheading, many such characters pop up in the kingdom. Several magicians, sorcerers, witches, warlocks, fortune tellers, and charlatans are arrested every year; most are sentenced to beheading. This is a result of the interaction of two factors: (1) Desperation and poverty in what is supposed to be a very rich country. People fall for anything or anyone who promises to improve their lot in life. (2) Sheer boredom in a country where the only legal fun is in eating, drinking (soda pop), and driving round creating traffic jams while using up cheap gasoline. Some people try to break the monotony by attending mosques and funerals (one can spend a whole day, each day, offering condolences to the bereaved and accumulating heavenly merits for the future).
As someone might have said: “No worry. There are more heads where those that they chop off come from”. And that is a comforting though to the average citizen and to the executioner swinging the sword.
Cheers
mhg
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