Saudi prince flogged in court-ordered punishment - newspaper

[uawchild]

Source: Reuters

A prince of Saudi Arabia's ruling Al Saud family was given lashes in a prison in Jeddah as a court-ordered punishment, a Saudi newspaper said on Wednesday, less than a month after the kingdom executed another prince for murder.

Okaz daily did not disclose the offense for which the prince was punished nor did it disclose his identity. It said he was also ordered to serve a prison sentence.

Publication of the prince's flogging, carried out by a policeman on Monday after medical checks to ensure the prince was strong enough to endure the punishment, was unusual.

Some Saudi social media users said it showed Islamic law did not differentiate between a prince and ordinary Saudis. Others saw it as a tactic to calm public disquiet over economic belt-tightening by the government.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-prince-lashing-idUSKBN12X0KF

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There's like, what, 3,000 Saudi princes? More?

Oh well, nice to see our staunch ally administering 17th century forms of justice.

I suppose that's progress for them.

[uawchild]

2. Forum rules say we must use the article's original exact title

And that is what it was. Struck me as poor proof reading at Reuters. Oh well.

[Cicada]

3. I think in Saudi the flogger must have a Koran under his arm, limiting severity

Saudi founder made an alliance with conservative mullahs, hence govt support of conservative wahabis. But being more liberal they "cheat" in some ways such as making those doing the flogging have a Koran in their armpit. Or they punish foreigners caught drinking only if they drive drunk and hurt someone.

And we too have some 17th century religious punishments such as our laws about sex with or between those who are 16 or 17 years old. Those laws reflect the insane views of Puritans from the seventeenth century and civilized people, such as Europeans, rightly view us as nuts.

[leftynyc]

5. Uh - no

We have the same punishments for sex crimes we do for other crimes - prison. Our prison system needs some work but comparing our system to one that LASHES PEOPLE TO DEATH for crimes like blasphemy is nothing but nonsense.

[Cicada]

6. Saudi is horrible but they do not lash people to death

They decapitate people. They are pretty darn horrible.

But we are also pretty darn horrible. We caused probably a million deaths by invading Iraq. We have been at war 93% of the time since 1776 I read.

We send women teachers to jail for having sex with high school boys.

We kill, cut up, set fire to and eat billions of animals.

So if I may be completely honest I think we are not all that much superior to the "primitive" Saudis.

We are born into a world of sin.

But things are definitely getting better and I have high hopes that we will one day not be so primitive. And I too am an evil bastard, but a bit better than I once was.

[leftynyc]

7. Changing the subject just shows

you went way too far in your comparing our justice system with Saudi Arabia. If you think that culture is superior to ours, I can only LOUDLY disagree. I certainly wouldn't want to be a Jewish woman in Saudi Arabia. I wouldn't want to be a Muslim woman in Saudi Arabia. Now I think I'll go out and eat a steak.

[Cicada]

8. I would rather be flogged than eaten, personally.

Slavery was defended once as God's will.

The more things change, the more they stay the same?

[leftynyc]

9. Are you seriously

comparing slavery to meat eating? Because I can't even begin to take you seriously if that's the case. If I'm dead, I don't care what they do with my body. If it saves lives to eat me, have at it.

[brooklynite]

4. Golly, no whipping boys in the Saudi Court?