Update: Sign a petition calling for justice for Lama here.
Cleric sheikh Fayhan Al Ghamdi, a regular on Islamic channels, was absolved and made to pay blood money (only half of what he would have had to pay had he killed a boy) for raping and torturing his five year old daughter Lama last October; he had custody of the child after he divorced from her mother though she begged him for Lama.
The absurdly lenient ruling is based on Saudi law that a father cannot be executed for murdering his children. It is also based on some Hadith sources (sayings and actions of Mohammad).
According to OnIslam:
As for fathers, the matter is different; a father cannot be executed for killing his child. This is because a father is the considered the origin of his child and the child is the branch; and the branch cannot be used to eliminate the origin.
It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “No father should be killed (executed) for killing his son.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Having said this, it should be also pointed out that Imam Malik has a different opinion: if a father kills his son definitely on purpose without any doubt, he may be executed.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Three Saudi activists, including Manal al-Sharif from the SaudiWomen2Drive campaign, have raised objections to the ruling. They have started a Twitter campaign hashtag “Ana Lama” which is Arabic for “I am Lama”. The campaign must be unequivocally supported until there is justice for Lama.
Imprisoned Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari did say “No Saudi women will go to hell, because it’s impossible to go there twice”, but I do sometimes wonder whether hell isn’t better.
Please remember Lama next time someone tells you that matters of marriage, divorce, child custody, and females being worth half of males are ‘mundane’ family matters that can be relegated to Kangaroo Sharia courts.
I held my son a little closer when I picked him up from school today and wept for Lama and her mother who speaks below about what happened (in Arabic):
I know heinous child abuse, rape and torture occurs everywhere. I’ve heard some of the worst cases right here in Britain. But it is only under Sharia (and religious laws) that there is always some Islamic justification for leniency or for blaming the mother or child. This case reminds me of an Iranian asylum case I worked on years ago where the Sharia judge told the woman that she was responsible for her child’s sexual abuse as she was not satisfying her husband…
And in the wonderful Islamic tradition of obsessing about females, one Saudi cleric has issued a fatwa calling for parents to put burkas on their babies to prevent child sexual abuse…
Ana Lama
Ana Lama
Ana Lama…
I despise Sharia
I despise Sharia
I despise Sharia…
“The notion of an invisible Male misogynist God is the best marketing ploy ever conceived by men..Actually in the Jewish Bible, I believe it was Abraham in the days of common human sacrifices ( they were very civilized in those days!) who came up with this brilliant idea of an invisible God that tells him to stop with the killing of his son..He was no fool, actually he was brilliant!”
THE AMERICAN HOLOCAUST
What is the total number of legal abortions since 1973?
Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, there have been approximately 55 million abortions performed in the United States.
Source: Guttmacher Institute, 2011, August. Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States.
How many abortions are performed in the United States each year?
According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were 1.21 million abortions performed in the United States in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available. This amounts to 3,322 abortions per day.
Source: Jones, Rachel K. and Kathryn Kooistra. “Abortion Incidence and Access to Services in the United States, 2008.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 43, no. 1 (2011, March): 41-50
DOCTOR DEATH
Dr. Martin Haskell giving a presentation at the 16th Annual Meeting of the National Abortion Federation Conference in 1992 in San Diego. It was a gathering of abortionists — men and women who make their living by killing babies. Haskell was describing to his audience how to do a partial-birth abortion. Listen to his words about how this procedure takes place:
“The surgeon then introduces large grasping forceps … through the vaginal and cervical canal … He moves the tip of the instrument carefully towards the fetal lower extremities — and pulls the extremity into the vagina …The surgeon then uses his fingers to deliver the opposite lower extremity, then the torso, the shoulders, and the upper extremities. The skull lodges in the internal os. The fetus is oriented … spine up …
The surgeon then takes a pair of blunt curved Metzenbaum scissors in the right hand. … the surgeon then forces the scissors into the base of the skull–spreads the scissors to enlarge the opening. The surgeon–surgeon then introduces a suction catheter into this hole and evacuates the skull contents.”
Haskell, having described these brutal details, shows his audience a video of himself doing one of these procedures. And at the end of the video, after the sound of the suction machine taking the brains out of the baby’s head, the audience applauds.
É in accettabile.
Questo signor Padre Padrone deve essere condannato.
If Mohammed (no peace upon him) were alive today, he’d be in prison getting raped as a prison bitch.
Paedophiles are not popular in prison.
Not based on any and every crime should be punishable by … any hemisphere such a thing could happen, because all equipped with the nature to be very good and at the same time can turn into a very bad one.
# participate sad, and the earth is getting close to hell.
What is amazing is that in what should be a kind and gentle place of critical thinking the Comtessa still came up with a negative comment against a group of people. I try to deal with people as I find them, I have more in common with a moderate and educated Muslim then a fanatical Jew (I am of Jewish descent). If we see people in general as not race (we are all The Human Race) but as cultural divergence and within that cultural divergence Bell Curves of opinion I’m sure we will see major overlapping of common ground and opinion. (no I don’t have a study). However I seems to me that a major contributing factor to what skews us away from common ground is religion. What chance have we got for the future when statements such as “Trust a Jew coming up with that marketing idea” which lumps a group of people into one “Type” are made in a forum such as this? Is this place (FTB) still the world in microcosm?
From the linked babyburka article:
Oh alright, no problem then. Move on people, nothing to see here, the Saudi governernment is in control!
*spit*
While I agree the qualification that follows is absurd, Are you saying he should be executed? Are you pro death penalty?
No I am opposed to the death penalty even for this vile man. But there are other options other than execution and not being held accountable, is there not?
Thank you for the clarification. Of course what this man did is horrible, and he should be held accountable. And it is disgusting that his crime is considered lesser because his victim was female.
I guess my reaction to the line I quoted is similar to my reaction to the suggestion that women should be drafted: I despise gender discrimination but I also don’t want to see anyone drafted, period.
ALLAH & MOHAMMED DEMAND THE DEATH PENALTY!
APOSTASY
Ar: irtidad or riddah. An apostate is called murtad. There has been much controversy among Muslims whether the male apostate is to be put to death. Many Muslim countries prescribed the death penalty for the apostate if he continues in it. A certain grace period may be given for the apostate to for him to repent, after which he may be executed. Death bed repentance is not allowed. The female apostate is to be kept in confinement until she recant or death. If one of a husband or wife apostatize, a divorce takes place and the wife is entitled to her dowry, but if both apostatize together, then the marriage is not dissolved, but Iman Zufar regards that the marriage is annulled. However, if later, one of them returns to Islam, then divorce is necessary (Hamilton, Hidayah, vol. ii. p. 183).
According to Abu Hanifah, a male apostate is disabled from selling or otherwise disposing of his property. But Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad differ from their master upon this point, and consider a male apostate to be as competent to excercise every right as if he were still in the faith. (Hughes’ Dictionary of Islam, p. 16, citing Hamilton, Hidaya, vol. ii, p. 235)
If a boy under age apostatize, he is not to be put to death, but to be imprisoned until he come to full age, when, if he continue in the state of unbelief, he must be put to death. Neither lunatics nor drunkards are held to be responsible for their apostasy from Islam (Hidayah, vol. ii, 246). If a person upon compulsion become an apostate, his wife is not divorced, nor are his lands forfeited. If a person become a musalman upon compulsion, and afterwards apostatize, he is not to be put to death. (Hidayah, vol. iii, 467).
The will of a male apostate is not valid, but that of a female apostate is valid. (Hidayah, vol. iv, 537).
Narrated Abu Burda:
…. The Prophet then sent Mu’adh bin Jabal after him and when Mu’adh reached him, he spread out a cushion for him and requested him to get down (and sit on the cushion). Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu’adh asked, “Who is this (man)?” Abu Muisa said, “He was a Jew and became a Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism.” Then Abu Muisa requested Mu’adh to sit down but Mu’adh said, “I will not sit down till he has been killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and repeated it thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered that the man be killed, and he was killed. Abu Musa added, “Then we discussed the night prayers and one of us said, ‘I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for my sleep as well as for my prayers.'” (Sahih Bukhari 9.58, also Sahih Bukhari 9.271)
• Ali burnt them, but Muhammad said to kill him (with the sword).
Narrated Ikrima:
Ali burnt some people [hypocrites] and this news reached Ibn ‘Abbas, who said, “Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, ‘Don’t punish (anybody) with Allah’s Punishment.’ No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, ‘If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.’ ” (Sahih Bukhari 4.260)
• give charity even to the “erring ones”, an-Nur 24:22
• God alone will punish rejectors, Âl ‘Imran 3:15; al-Muzammil 73:11; al-Mudathir 74:11
• God did not open a way unless they fight Muslims, an-Nisa’ 4:90
• no compulsion in religion, al-Baqarah 2:256; Yunus 10:99
This verses, however, do not apply to the Muslim. A Muslim is not allowed to revert.
• punishment for those who war against Allah and His messenger is death or crucifixion, al-Ma’idah 5:33
This verse indicates why the Muslim finds it hard to believe that Jesus died on the cross, for it indicates not only an unholy death, but also punishment for the person who died on the cross. However, this is exactly what the Christians believed: that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind.
• punishment in the hereafter, al-Baqarah 2:217; at-Taubah 9:74
• rejection by others, Âl ‘Imran 3:87
• repentance, Âl ‘Imran 3:89; al-Ma’idah 5:34; at-Taubah 9:5,11; an-Nahl 16:110; al-Ahzab 33:24
• on Judgement Day is too late, 40:85
• under duress, an-Nahl 16:106
Islamic belief is that apostasy under duress (for eg. torture) is not a sin, and he can even lie about his belief under such circumstances. Contrast this with the Bible’s attitude :
[Jesus said:] “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)
• NOTE: most verses deal with “Hypocrites” in the original context, ie. people who made a profession of Islam but were not sincere, and then went back to their former beliefs.
“When the desertion of the Hypocrites at Uhud nearly caused a disaster to the Muslim cause, there was great feeling among the Muslims of Medina against them. One party wanted to put them to the sword; another to leave them alone. The actual policy pursued avoided both extremes, and was determined by these verses. It was clear that they were a danger to the Muslim community if they were admitted into its counsels, and in any case they were a source of demoralisation. But while every caution was used, no extreme measures were taken against them. On the contrary, they were given a chance of making good. If they made sacrifice for the cause (“flee from what is forbidden”), their conduct purged their previous cowardice, and their sincerity entitled them to be taken back. But if they deserted the Muslim community again, they were treated as enemies, with the additional penalty of desertion which is enforced by all nations actually at war.” (Yusuf Ali’s commentary on an-Nisa’ 4:89)
“Whoever turns back from his belief (irtada), openly or secretly, take him and kill him wheresoever ye find them, like any other infidel. Separate yourself from him altogether. Do not accept intercession in his regard.” (Al-Baidhawi, commentary on an-Nisa’ 4:89, quoted by Samuel Zwemer, The Law of Apostasy in Islam, p.33f)
“The persons spoken of in this passage are the apostates, or those who ‘turn from their religion’. A wrong impression exists among non-Muslims, and among some Muslims as well, that the Holy Qur’an requires those who apostatize from Islam to be put to death, but this is not true….As the plain words of the Qur’an show, what is stated here is that the opponents of Islam exerted themselves to their utmost to turn back the Muslims from their faith by cruel persecutions, and therefore if a Muslim actually went back to unbelief he would be a loser in this life as well as in the next, because the desertion of Islam would not only deprive him of the spiritual disadvantages which he could obtain by remaining a Muslim, but also of the physical advantages which must accrue to the Muslims through the triumph of Islam. And neither here not anywhere else in the Holy Qur’an is there even a hint at the infliction of capital or any other punishment on the apostate.” (Maulvi Muhammad Ali, The Holy Qur’an, Arabic text with English translation and Commentary, Ahmadiyya Anjuman-i-Ishaat-i-Islam, Lahore 1920, pp.98-99. Ahmadiyya is declared a non-Muslim community by the government of Pakistan)
* Many Muslims believe that the Qur’an does not prescribe the death penalty for apostasy, except when they fight against the believers (an-Nisa’ 4:90). Any former Muslim who engages in proselytizing to Muslims will be considered to be fighting against believers. Others believe that the penalty is that the apostate is no under Muslim protection or obligated to avenge his death. The hadiths of Bukhari and Muslim, however, states that “if they change religion (islam), kill them.”
“Forbidden is the blood of a Muslim person except under one of three (conditions) – a married person who commits adultery, a person in return for another, and one who has left his religion, separating from the community” (Bukhari and Muslim) (this is one of the forty chosen by al-Nawawi in his well-known collection. In Muslim it is “one who has left Islam”)
“Forbidden is the blood of a Muslim person except under one of three – a man who has rejected belief after accepting Islam, or commits fornication after marriage (lit. after chastity or fortified protection), or kills someone without (just basis due to) another.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nissa’i, ibn Majah reporting from Uthman. Others include ibn Abbas and abu Huraira and Anas ibn Malik).
* Some scholars have stipulated that the mere abandoning of the 5 prayers is enough to constitute abandoning Islam. (The Hadiths above from A Collection of Knowledge and Wisdoms in Explanation of 60 Hadith of the Collections of the Word, by Zein al-Deen Aby Faraj Abdul-Rahman bin Shihaab ul-Din ibn Ahmad bin Rajab al-Hanbali al-Baghdadi, 795AH)
• Âl ‘Imran 3:72,86-88,90-91,167; an-Nisa’ 4:89,137; al-Ma’idah 5:54; at-Taubah 9:74,107; an-Nahl 16:106-107; al-Ahzab 33:14
I’ve read this story many times. I think I come close to crying just about every time. When you wrote this “I held my son a little closer when I picked him up from school today,” it was a little worse this time. All I could think of was my little girl.
I find myself mourning this little girl I never knew each time. It hurts to read this, but I am glad I did.
Thank you for the very informative article. I couldn’t agree more on the opinions you express, but some of the facts you relate were not quite known to me. Ana Lama. :'(
And here in UK, our fantastically intelligent politicians and judicary(!) are falling over themselves to introduce Sharia law into the judicial system. See last weeks news.
May Ana Lama now rest in peace, finally free from the psychopathic father who ruined her precious life.
This isn’t just Saudi Arabian laws being ridiculous. It’s all citizens of Saudi Arabia essentially being terrible people for letting this go on.
There is always resistance but not so easy under a dictatorship. Even so, several people have publicly challenged this ruling including the woman behind the SaudiWomen2Drive campaign. The #AnaLama campaign was started in Saudi Arabia…
But let me get your argument straight – even in a democracy where people supposedly have a say – are you saying the public are responsible for all the cuts on our welfare system, schools and libraries, anti-immigrant legislation, bonuses to bankers, outright institutionalised racism, Sharia courts in Britain, wars and so on? To only see people and not systems at play does a disservice to the many dissenters often risking their lives. Also it makes it seem that the Saudi government represents all Saudis, which is just illogical.
But let me get your argument straight – even in a democracy where people supposedly have a say – are you saying the public are responsible for all the cuts on our welfare system, schools and libraries, anti-immigrant legislation, bonuses to bankers, outright institutionalised racism, Sharia courts in Britain, wars and so on?
Interesting – but to flip the argument around, in a democracy, would you say that the people who vote for, for e.g., tea party candidates are not responsible for what happens when these people get elected and pass laws?
Generally, people are always accountable of course – even when they do nothing – but my point was that you cannot equate all people with a ruling system especially one that is a theocracy and dictatorship.
That poor little girl … it is just unspeakable. The whole world is sickened & stupefied by this case. Maryam is right to say that this sort of horrific abuse – tragically – occurs everywhere. It is the ridiculous nature of the legal system which is characteristic of Saudi Arabia. That there is now organised opposition in the form of Manal, Hamza & others gives a ray of light for the future of that country. Rest in peace little Lama x
The so-called Prophet Mohammed would be imprisoned here for pedophilia. We have our share of religious pedophile lunatics here too and every religious sect ( They all are!) seems to be affected and not addressed properly..Look what is happening in the Catholic Church!
What do you expect in a man made monotheistic religion?
The notion of an invisible Male misogynist God is the best marketing ploy ever conceived by men..Actually in the Jewish Bible, I believe it was Abraham in the days of common human sacrifices ( they were very civilized in those days!) who came up with this brilliant idea of an invisible God that tells him to stop with the killing of his son..He was no fool, actually he was brilliant! Trust a Jew coming up with that marketing idea and billions of stupid, scared human animals bought the concept..
Organized religion is the worst that happened to human animals!
Comtessa, your opposition to religion is commendable, but please reflect on that “Trust a Jew” remark: that is uncalled for.
Comtessa de Metoncula,
With no religious dictating procedures:
THE AMERICAN HOLOCAUST
What is the total number of legal abortions since 1973?
Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, there have been approximately 50 million abortions performed in the United States.
Source: Guttmacher Institute, 2011, August. Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States.
How many abortions are performed in the United States each year?
According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were 1.21 million abortions performed in the United States in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available. This amounts to 3,322 abortions per day.
Source: Jones, Rachel K. and Kathryn Kooistra. “Abortion Incidence and Access to Services in the United States, 2008.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 43, no. 1 (2011, March): 41-50
What are the methods of abortion and at what stages of pregnancy are they used?
The following abortion methods are used regularly in the United States. Saline abortions are no longer performed.
• Suction Aspiration—6-12 weeks
• D & C (Dilation and Curettage)—6-12 weeks
• D & E (Dilation and Evacuation)—12-24 weeks
• D & X (Dilation and Extraction or Partial Birth Abortion)—24-36 weeks
• Prostaglandin or Live Birth Abortion—second or third trimester
• RU-486 (Early chemical abortion)—up to 56 days gestation
How is a Suction Aspiration abortion performed?
Suction aspiration, the most common abortion method, is typically performed when the fetus is 6-12 weeks, but can be used up to 16 weeks. The cervix is dilated, and a hollow plastic tube with a sharp tip is inserted into the cervix and then into the uterus. An aspirator attached to the tube tears the body of the fetus apart and suctions the pieces through the tube.
How is a D & C abortion performed?
A suction/D & C abortion is performed when the fetus is 6-12 weeks. The cervix is opened using an osmotic dilator. Then a curette (a thin metal rod with a knife-sharp loop at the end) is inserted into the uterus. The curette is used to dismember the fetus.
After this, a cannula (a hollow plastic tube) attached to a suction aspirator is inserted to remove the fetus, placenta and uterine lining. These are captured by a stockinet attached to the end of the suction tube.
To avoid the risk of infection or hemorrhaging, the contents of the stockinet are examined to be sure all fetal parts have been removed.
How is dilation and evacuation abortion (D & E) performed?
A D & E abortion is performed in the second trimester (12-24 weeks) and is usually a 2-3 day procedure. At this stage of pregnancy, the fetus’ tendons, muscles, and bones are more developed. The cervix has closed more tightly and must be dilated enough to remove the larger fetus.
To aid in cervical dilation, laminaria (dried seaweed sticks) are inserted into the cervix. The dilation process can take 1-2 days depending on the size of the fetus.
Once the cervix is sufficiently dilated, the laminaria are removed. Forceps are inserted into the uterus to forcibly dismember the fetus. The skull is then crushed and removed. A suction aspiration is then introduced to remove any remaining fetal parts, the placenta and uterine lining.
How is a partial birth abortion (D & X) performed?
The D & X abortion is used in late second and third trimesters (24-36 weeks). As with the D & E, the cervix must be dilated using laminaria.
Forceps are then introduced into the uterus to grasp the baby’s legs. The baby is delivered breech while the head remains inside the birth canal. Using blunt-tipped surgical scissors, the base of the skull is pierced and a suction catheter is inserted to extract the brain. This causes the skull to collapse and the dead baby is then fully delivered.
Sometimes, while the child is partially delivered and still alive, the organs are removed and sold for fetal tissue experimentation (an illegal practice).
How is a live birth abortion (prostaglandin) performed?
A Prostaglandin or Live Birth Abortion is done in the second or third trimester. Prostaglandins are naturally occurring chemical compounds which assist in the birthing process. For the abortion procedure, artificial prostaglandins are injected into the amniotic sac which induces violent labor and leads to the birth of a child usually too young to survive.
Often salt or another toxin is first injected to ensure that the baby will be delivered dead, since some babies have survived the trauma of a prostaglandin abortion and been born alive.
How is a chemical abortion (RU-486) performed?
RU-486 is a chemical (rather than a surgical) abortion, performed up to 49 days gestation. RU-486 requires at least three visits to the doctor’s office or clinic.
At the first visit, the woman is given a physical exam and is administered mifepristone. RU-486 blocks the action of progesterone, the natural hormone vital to maintaining the lining of the uterus. The embryo starves as the nutrient lining disintegrates.
At a second visit, 36-48 hours later, the woman is giving a dose of artificial prostaglandins, usually misoprostol, which initiate uterine contractions and usually cause the embryo to be expelled from the uterus. Most women abort during the four hour waiting period, but about 30% abort as many as five days later—at home, work, etc.
A third visit about 2 weeks later determines whether the abortion has occurred or if a surgical abortion is necessary to complete the procedure.
DOCTOR DEATH
Dr. Martin Haskell giving a presentation at the 16th Annual Meeting of the National Abortion Federation Conference in 1992 in San Diego. It was a gathering of abortionists — men and women who make their living by killing babies. Haskell was describing to his audience how to do a partial-birth abortion. Listen to his words about how this procedure takes place:
“The surgeon then introduces large grasping forceps … through the vaginal and cervical canal … He moves the tip of the instrument carefully towards the fetal lower extremities — and pulls the extremity into the vagina …The surgeon then uses his fingers to deliver the opposite lower extremity, then the torso, the shoulders, and the upper extremities. The skull lodges in the internal os. The fetus is oriented … spine up …
The surgeon then takes a pair of blunt curved Metzenbaum scissors in the right hand. … the surgeon then forces the scissors into the base of the skull–spreads the scissors to enlarge the opening. The surgeon–surgeon then introduces a suction catheter into this hole and evacuates the skull contents.”
Haskell, having described these brutal details, shows his audience a video of himself doing one of these procedures. And at the end of the video, after the sound of the suction machine taking the brains out of the baby’s head, the audience applauds.
BABY BODY PARTS
Fetal tissue wholesalers are companies which place employees in abortion clinics to harvest tissue, limbs, organs, etc. from aborted babies. This material is then shipped to researchers working for universities, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. Although it is against federal law to sell human tissue or body parts, these organizations have devised a system to circumvent this restriction. Technically, all fetal material they harvest is “donated” to them by the clinics. However, they do pay a “site fee” to the clinics for the right to access the tissue. The tissue is then “donated” to the researchers who in turn pay the wholesalers for the cost of retrieval. Profit is realized by the wholesalers’ ability to set their own retrieval fees.