NationStates Jolt Archive

this thread here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=521557) reminded me of an incident in Sharjah (the Emirate next to Dubai, where I live) a few weeks ago.

A man (a local lawyer) and a woman were in a flat having a night in with a few bottles of booze.

Her Jordanian husband breaks in and stabs the man something like 38 times in a frenzied attack.

What do you think the punishments were?


Jordanian - three months inside

Lawyer - 70 lashes, three months prison

Moroccan woman - 80 lashes, three months in prison and deportation.

That's right - the two completely innocent parties got a far greater punishment than the attacker! Why?

Well, they were punished for 'being in seclusion without being religiously committed' and for drinking alcohol.

So, in Sharjah, drinking a bottle of wine with your girlfriend will get you a far greater sentence than assault, battery, wounding and attempted murder! Go figure.

You gotta love the Sandlands.

You can read the Gulf News report of the story by clicking this link: http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/02/08/10102712.html

A sad state of affairs indeed.

Some people tend to overreact when they see their spouse in something which may be construed as an adulterous affair.
Hint, don't spend private time with other peoples' wives in those countries.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/02/08/10102712.html[/url]
It's quite typical in macho cultures like that. They are obsessed with sex, so anyone who transgresses that line is in for much more shit than someone who does something acceptable such as violence.

Why does it always seem to be lawyers that are the targets of wives cheating on their husbands?

Why does it always seem to be lawyers that are the targets of wives cheating on their husbands?They're good at working their mouth.

What? You were expecting it to be the United States?

It's a corrupt country with chauvinistic backwards laws with a convenient religious excuse.

Europe used to be the same way when the Catholic Church had a monopoly. And the Martin Luther posted his 99 Points and we had the Reformation.

Islam is way overdue for a Reformation.

Europe used to be the same way when the Catholic Church had a monopoly. And the Martin Luther posted his 99 Points and we had the Reformation.Well... No. The renaissance involved a sensual/ sexual revival on scales that'd make the most promiscuous hippies in the seventies blush with embarrassment (This eventually ended when syphilis was introduced from the americas - not dissimilar to the effect AIDS had on our societies), the church itself was renown for its, ah... less-than-holy attitude (More so at the vatican than on the countryside, mind you), and there was considerably strong resistance from the population at large when some authorities demanded 'No Premarital Sex'. And while women quietly having their adventures outside marriage were looked down upon, well... Sure, she'd probably get a sound trashing from her husband (On the countryside, anyway - in the larger cities, particularly in Italy, it could at times end up being a sport), but not a public whipping/ stoning. The idea would've been considered barbaric, even at those times.

The whole 'Submissive Wifes' bit really took off with the reformation - ironicially, protestantism relegating women from the convents to the households had a detrimental effect on their emancipation, as they were now again bound to a husband, rather than working on (And among) their own.

Similarly, the oh-so-often quoted witchburning excesses were a) rarely sanctioned by the catholic church (The inquisition had educated people in it who weren't easily convinced of the presence of demons, nevermind that their job was a more political one - and it was, by and large, small), and b) usually pulled off by local (And worldly) authorities - nevermind that its worst excesses did indeed happen after the reformation, and to no small part in protestant territories.

It is worth actually reading Luther's theses - they're essentially accusing of the catholic church not being strict enough, letting people off too easily/ without true remorse (But for money). Not of being a horrifying instrument of barbarism and backwardness. Note how Luther quite openly warned everyone about the threat of witches and jews.

Not exactly progressive, now is it?

Well, that's religious law for you. Were you expecting a logical ruling, somehow?

There is only one place for Evil WOMEN and that place is Siberia.

To be fair, the woman isn't being punished for the actions of her husband. I could see exactly the same thing happening in the US if they were indulging in hard drugs instead of alcohol.

What? You were expecting it to be the United States?

It's a corrupt country with chauvinistic backwards laws with a convenient religious excuse.

I'm slightly confused about what "it" stands for in that second line... :D

Sorry, couldn't resist...

In France so-called Crime of Passion are not punished as severely as cold calculated assaults either.

Those evil backwards French....

Of course my personal opinion is not represent by the above statement.

Islam is way overdue for a Reformation.

Are you my puppet now? :fluffle:

Are you my puppet now? :fluffle:

No. I never said Islam was perfect as is, and unlike you I don't think Muslims are evil or need to be force-fed pork.

Well... No. The renaissance involved a sensual/ sexual revival on scales that'd make the most promiscuous hippies in the seventies blush with embarrassment (This eventually ended when syphilis was introduced from the americas - not dissimilar to the effect AIDS had on our societies), the church itself was renown for its, ah... less-than-holy attitude (More so at the vatican than on the countryside, mind you), and there was considerably strong resistance from the population at large when some authorities demanded 'No Premarital Sex'. And while women quietly having their adventures outside marriage were looked down upon, well... Sure, she'd probably get a sound trashing from her husband (On the countryside, anyway - in the larger cities, particularly in Italy, it could at times end up being a sport), but not a public whipping/ stoning. The idea would've been considered barbaric, even at those times.

The whole 'Submissive Wifes' bit really took off with the reformation - ironicially, protestantism relegating women from the convents to the households had a detrimental effect on their emancipation, as they were now again bound to a husband, rather than working on (And among) their own.

Similarly, the oh-so-often quoted witchburning excesses were a) rarely sanctioned by the catholic church (The inquisition had educated people in it who weren't easily convinced of the presence of demons, nevermind that their job was a more political one - and it was, by and large, small), and b) usually pulled off by local (And worldly) authorities - nevermind that its worst excesses did indeed happen after the reformation, and to no small part in protestant territories.

It is worth actually reading Luther's theses - they're essentially accusing of the catholic church not being strict enough, letting people off too easily/ without true remorse (But for money). Not of being a horrifying instrument of barbarism and backwardness. Note how Luther quite openly warned everyone about the threat of witches and jews.

Not exactly progressive, now is it?

I give you that, but Luther also did make a rant about the more blatantly corrupt practices associated with the Catholic Church, such as Indulgences. However the primary effect of the Reformation is that Christianity got rocked and the Vatican launched the Counterreformation in order to win people back from Protestant denominations. And both of those events somewhat updated Christianity a bit. Even if modern leaders seem all too fond of that old time religion especially in regards to homosexuality.

No. I never said Islam was perfect as is, and unlike you I don't think Muslims are evil or need to be force-fed pork.

Never said that they need to be force-fed pork. Must be a deeply held fantasy of yours.

Never said that they need to be force-fed pork. Must be a deeply held fantasy of yours.

Do you think all Muslims are evil though?

There is only one place for Evil WOMEN and that place is Siberia.

If by "Evil" you mean "willing to sleep around" then there is also a place for them at my house.

Do you think all Muslims are evil though?

Nope. Only the Salafists.

There is only one place for Evil WOMEN and that place is Siberia.

I don't live in Siberia. :confused:

In France so-called Crime of Passion are not punished as severely as cold calculated assaults either.

Those evil backwards French....

Of course my personal opinion is not represent by the above statement.

I hope you don't think three months in prison is enough for even a crime of passion. Maybe three years. This (never mind what happened to the lawyer and the woman) is just disgusting.

If by "Evil" you mean "willing to sleep around" then there is also a place for them at my house.

Nice to meet you, Hugh Hefner. ;)

I hope you don't think three months in prison is enough for even a crime of passion. Maybe three years. This (never mind what happened to the lawyer and the woman) is just disgusting.

Far from it. Murder is murder. Attempted murder is still attempted murder. Passion is not a mental illness.

I was just pointing out that even industrialised western countries have rather odd notions...

Passion is not a mental illness. Sure?

Never said that they need to be force-fed pork. Must be a deeply held fantasy of yours.

And I suppose you were misquoted in your cute pseudo-Arabic attempts at "Death to God" and "Eat More Pork."

:rolleyes:

Sure?

Yes. Psychotic behavior is though.