Muslim Demographics - End Times

[Sean1427]

After my last post, I thought it would be appropriate to elaborate a bit on “Death of a Princess,” which The Passenger brought up and which I touched on in my most recent post. I do so simply to shed more light on something that future readers might be interested in. But again, let me remind anyone who might read this that what I share does not mean that beheadins and amputations no longer take place in Saudi. They still do as they are legal punishments found in Islamic Law. My focus here is merely to shed light on the video “Death of a Princess”, and I would hope that by doing so, I’m also able to give a few insights into Islamic law.

“Death of a Princess” aired in 1980. It was a “fictionalized” docu-drama about a Saudi princess who fell in love with and had an affair with another member of the royal family and was beheaded for having done so. We need to remember, however, that the video was fictionalized. To use this as proof of how barbaric Muslims are in general and Saudi Arabia is in particular is unfair given it was fiction. One could say that it was no different than many of our movies that are purportedly based on history.

Islamic Law (i.e., Shariah) is a complicated legal system which consists of four schools. Our own legal systems in the West are complicated. While in America we often speak of the American legal system, in reality there are many legal systems represented in America—federal law, state law (and there are 50 states), common law, civil law (as opposed to common law), Napoleanic law, criminal law, tort law, etc. Because we Americans can’t explain our own legal system(s), we should be very careful when we try to explain a complicated system that we, for the most part, know almost nothing about. But let me shed a little light on the case that is believed to have inspired “Death of a Princess” and a little more about Islamic law as it applies to this case.

It is believed that the execution of the Saudi princess in “Death of a Princess” was inspired by the killing of Misha’il bint Fahad al Saud. But the fact is that Misha’il was not beheaded. She was shot. She was killed in 1977, which, ironically, is the same year the last legal beheading took place in Europe. Misha’il was the granddaughter of the older brother of the king of Saudi Arabia at that time, Khalid bin Abul Aziz.

While attending school in Lebanon, Misha’il fell in love and began an affair with the nephew of the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon. After they returned to Saudi, they continued their affair in secret. They then decided to escape from Saudi, but before doing so, she attempted to fake her own drowning. She and her lover were caught trying to escape Saudi Arabia. This is where it becomes more uncertain and complicated.

Many Saudis and non-Saudis, Mulsim and non-Muslims, who are well-versed in Islamic law believe that her death was illegal; in other words, they believe she was murdered. The reasons are as follows. First, Misha’il was not married, and therefore could not be guilty of adultery, the penalty of which is death. If unmarried individuals are having an affair, they are guilty of the crime of dating in Saudi, not adultery. The punishment for these individuals guilty of dating would be whipping, not death.

Second, under Shariah, one cannot be convicted of the crime of adultery without the testimony of four adult male witnesses to the actual sexual penetration during intercourse. Hence, the definition of adultery is very narrow and adutla male witnesses are required. But there were no witnesses to Misha’il’s case at all. In fact, as I point out later, it’s not even sure there was a trial. However, if the accused confesses in court that they are guilty of a crime, then witnesses are not necessary. Miaha’il’s family urged her not to confess but instead simply promise not to see her lover again. If she had confessed, her punishment would have been 100 lashes as I’ve previously described the manner in which they whip someone in Saudi. But she refused to do as her parents advised and when she purportedly returned to the courtroom, she stated three times, “I have committed adultery.” (Note: three times is important; it’s similar to how a man divorces his wife. In any event, if she did this, it would be similar to “death by cop” in the US.)

Third, Misha’il was then executed by gunshots to the head, which in itself is a violation of Islamic law. The same day she was executed her lover was also executed.

You’ll note that I used the adverb “purportedly” in describing her return to the courtroom. Some say there was never actually a trial, which his required by law in Saudi. For instance, Antony Thomas stated on PBS the following:

“It wasn’t even a trial. She wasn’t even executed in the Square of Justice. Sheh was just executed in a car park. I’ve witnessed executions in Saudi Arabia, I’m afraid. They’re always done in a special square. This wasn’t even done there. It wasn’t done with an official executioner, not aht that would make it any worse or any better. But this was not following the process of any law.”

What Thomas says about where executions are done is accurate. Executions are not just done anywhere but in specific places and in public. They’re usually done on Fridays after the main prayer. (I know of one case where the police actual did it on a Tuesday without any public notice because the convicted was a pedophile who’d sodomized and brutally killed a young boy. They did not want him to get off by the boy’s family’s acceptance of “blood money” at the last minute. But they still did it in public and in the appropriate square.”

David Fanning, the cowriter and executive producer of “Death of a Princess,” stated that the princess in the video was not killed because of adultery but rather as an act of tribal vengeance in a parking lot. Hence, even according to his description of the circumstances, those circumstances would indicate that her death was illegal under Islamic law. His statement is also one reason many believe that Misha'il's death was the inspiration for the video.

Referencing “Death of a Princess” to show how barbaric Saudis, and by extension Muslims, are reminds me of what often happens in America. My brother’s in-laws, who are vey well educated, refuse to go to Mexico after having watched “Man on Fire.” I’ve lived in several parts of Mexico, and I really don’t think you can judge Mexico by what you see in “Man on Fire.” After “Brokeback Mountain” came out, the Wyoming tourist bureau was inundated with letters, calls and e-mails from Americans who wanted to visit Wyoming and see Brokeback Mountain. Sadly, the bureau had to tell all those people there was no such mountain in Wyoming. (The film was made in Canada. Maybe it’s there!) Promoted as a movied based on history, “Hidalgo” is about a 3,000 mile horse race across the Arabian Peninsula. Get out a map of the peninsula and you’ll see that you can’t go 3,000 miles anywhere and still be on the peninsula, unless you zig-zag or do a loop. In any event, there never was such a race on the peninsula and American equestrian society statements show that the man the movie was about had all kinds of stories that were never real. Judges in America today have all kinds of problems now with jurors who believe that what they see on TV’s CSI shows is actually what happens across the country. I’ve actually had well-edducated Russians tell me that they know what America is like because they’ve seen our movies! I laughed at the idea, and then laugh a bit more when I realize that we Americans often “learn” what other countries are like because we’ve seen our movies as well.

My experience has taught me that a healthy sckepticism is wise, and that we really need to do our homework well rather than simply absorbing as reality whatever we see or hear in the media. I was scared of Saudi and the ME before I went there. And my first year there was very uncomfortable simply because I kept waiting for the bogeyman to get me. It took me about a year to realize that something wasn’t quite right with the image I had in my head of Saudis, Muslims, and Arabs. The world is full of all kinds of voices leading us to believe so many things that have no basis in truth, fact, or reality.

Edited July 23, 2010 by Sean1427