Saturday, July 26, 2008

Quote-Unquote

From an article on nine people (eight of them women) in Iran who are scheduled to be stoned to death for sex offenses, including adultery:


"Under Iran's strict penal code, men convicted of adultery should be buried up to their waists and women up to their chests for stoning. The stones used should not be large enough to kill the person immediately."

I find it such a strange distinction that the stoning should not lead to immediate death. I'm not an expert in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) by any means, but I can't imagine the process by which a community of scholars would come to the conclusion that drawing out suffering is a more pious way to punish someone for adultery. Allah is said to be both just and merciful; but perhaps the Iranian mullahs cannot manage to be both at once, or either at all times.

6 comments:

SecondComingOfBast said...

It's so more people in the community will have a chance to take part in the stoning. It's also meant to be a public spectacle, to leave an impression, so the longer it goes on the better.

Rufus said...

So this would be the Iranian equivalent of participatory democracy?

SecondComingOfBast said...

It's more like the equivalent of a hanging back in the days of the Wild West, only instead of just packing up a picnic lunch and taking the family out to view the festivities, you might actually get a chance to take part.

Rufus said...

That sounds about like a lynching. Just with an official imprimatur- although, I guess they often had that with lynchings too.

Holly said...

So... what happens if your stoning gets boycotted? What if no one shows up to throw rocks at your head? Are you off the hook or what?

Rufus said...

"Stoning Cancelled for lack of interest". It would actually make a good short story I think.