Fears for Australian man facing 500 lashes

[Dovah]

Fears for Australian man facing 500 lashes - Religion and Beliefs - NZ Herald News

Grave fears are held for the survival of an Australian man sentenced to 500 lashes and a year's jail for blasphemy during a pilgrimage to Islam's holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Father-of-five Mansor Almaribe, 45, who has been in prison since his arrest on November 14, suffers from diabetes, heart disease and other health problems.

"Five hundred lashes on his back, and he has back problems," one of his sons, Mohammed, told ABC radio.

"I wouldn't think he'd survive 50."

Almaribe was arrested in Medina, the second holiest city of Islam and the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad, during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, a duty of all able-bodied Muslims.

The Saudis deserve a whole dedicated section..imo.

 

[niharjhatn]

The Saudis deserve a whole dedicated section..imo.

However barbaric it seems, at least I applaud them for being unwavering in their faith and not making exceptions to the rule... however this can be for good or (in this case) for ill.

 

[Dovah]

However barbaric it seems, at least I applaud them for being unwavering in their faith and not making exceptions to the rule... however this can be for good or (in this case) for ill.

Dude, that's creepy.

 

[niharjhatn]

Dude, that's creepy.

Sorry, I was trying to be sarcastic...it didn't come across did it

The guy travels to Saudi Arabia (which has a great record for sensitivity to human rights), to participate in his own equally exclusive religious ceremonies... and then says something he wasn't meant to...

Considering how some of these "blasphemy" crimes are dealt with in other Muslim nations, he's probably thanking his stars he is only getting lashes.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Flogging round the fleet

"The severest form of flogging was a flogging round the fleet. The number of lashes was divided by the number of ships in port and the offender was rowed between ships for each ship's company to witness the punishment."[3] Penalties of hundreds of lashes were imposed for the gravest offences, including sedition and mutiny. The prisoner was rowed 'round the fleet in an open boat and received a number of his lashes at each ship in turn, for as long as the surgeon allowed. Sentences often took months or years to complete, depending on how much a man was expected to bear at a time. Normally 250–500 lashes was when a man taking this punishment would kill him, as infections would spread."[4] After the flogging was completed, the sailor's lacerated back was frequently rinsed with brine or seawater, which served as a crude antiseptic. Although the purpose was to control infection, it caused the sailor to endure additional pain, and gave rise to the expression, "rubbing salt into his wounds," which came to mean vindictively or gratuitously increasing a punishment or injury already imposed.

Cat o' nine tails - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Tshering22]

We should have this punishments for terrorists and Amnesty International terrorist supporters... I would personally love to see Kasab getting lashed with the above ^^.

 

[ice berg]

Waiting for the Global Liberation Army to step in there. Oh wait, they are just gonna sell them more weapons instead.

 

[Dovah]

^^GLA from Command and Conquer?

 

[agentperry]

well let king interfere and reduce the no of lashes to something tolerate-able.

btw what was his fault? .

 

[ice berg]

^^GLA from Command and Conquer?

God bless......(fill in the rest)
Who liberated Iraq and Afghanistan from the evil dictators.

 

[agentperry]

God bless......(fill in the rest)
Who liberated Iraq and Afghanistan from the evil dictators.

oprah winfrey????

 

[Singh]

Australian Mansor Almaribe Faces 500 Lashes For Blasphemy
​

UPDATE 9.53am: THE family of a Victorian man sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia has made an emotional plea to bring him home, fearing he will die in jail.

The Shepparton family of Mansor Almaribe, 45, who was also sentenced to a year in jail for blasphemy, will head to Canberra to plead for help.

Isaam Almaribe, 21, said his father suffered from diabetes and had broken bones in his back and knees from a car accident in Australia.

"Dad told us 'Take me out of here as soon as possible because if I stay here I will die' - that's how bad his situation is," Isaam said.

"He couldn't survive 50 lashes let alone 500 lashes."

The family's local member, Murray MP Sharman Stone, said it was time for Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd to intervene.

Dr Stone said she was in talks with Mr Rudd's office, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to negotiate with the Saudi Arabian authorities to have the sentence dropped or reduced.

"I have said to them its time now to have Kevin Rudd hopefully pick up thast phone and talk to who must be spoken to in a diplomatic way in Saudi Arabia," Dr Stone told MTR this morning.

She said the details of his offence were shady.

"Mansor can't speak clearly on the phone to the family, he's had very brief calls and the family suspects they're being monitored because he's being very circumspect," Dr Stone said.

"Apparently he was in Medina with a group of fellow Shiites"¦and he was quoting out of a book which insulted the Prophet Muhammad's companion. This is how it's being described. Apparently this is a deeply offensive thing to do in the Medina apparently for people of Sunni Islamic philosophy or religion.

"He was selected to be kept in a police cell in prison in the 1st instance and then he was charged with this crime"¦of blasphemy."

A spokeswoman for Kevin Rudd, Kate Sieper, said the Government was "very concerned" about Mr Almaribe's wellbeing, and that consular officials were providing support to him and his family.

"The Australian Government has a universal policy of opposing the use of corporal punishment amounting to torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," Ms Sieper said in a statement.

She said Mr Rudd was in contact with Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Neil Hawkins, regarding the case.

"The Ambassador has urgently contacted Saudi authorities and will make strong representations, including to key figures in the Saudi government, seeking leniency. There are formal avenues for doing this under Saudi law," she said.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is engaging with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in Australia."

Mr Almaribe arrived in Australia in 1999 from Iraq as a refugee and brought his family over in 2006.

Isaam said the war in Iraq did not compare with what the family was going through now.

"We had different problems back then but now his life is on the line," he said.

"To be lashed is barbaric and it's really terrifying. Humans shouldn't be treated that way."

Wife Waffa Almaribe has not slept since her husband was detained while making the Hajj pilgrimage to Medina last month.

She collapsed in tears when she heard he would be lashed 500 times and serve a year in jail.

"It's very hard for me and my family and it's so terrible," she said.

"My husband is a peaceful man who looked out for everybody. My children and I need him with us. I am very scared he won't survive."

The family said Mr Almaribe, a Shiite Muslim, was dragged away by religious police while praying in the Sunni-dominated country.

Isaam said his father was not allowed to call home for 13 days and was allowed only a two-minute phone call.

He said Mr Almaribe was not being properly fed in jail, was not allowed to shower for 11 days and was denied legal representation.

A spokeswoman for Mr Rudd said the Federal Government was "very concerned" about Mr Almaribe's wellbeing, and that consular officials were providing support to him and his family.

"The Australian Government has a universal policy of opposing the use of corporal punishment amounting to torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," spokeswoman Kate Sieper said in a statement.

She said Mr Rudd was in contact with Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Neil Hawkins, regarding the case.

"The Ambassador has urgently contacted Saudi authorities and will make strong representations, including to key figures in the Saudi government, seeking leniency. There are formal avenues for doing this under Saudi law.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is engaging with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in Australia," she said.


Australian Mansor Almaribe faces 500 lashes for blasphemy | Herald Sun

 

[Dovah]

"Apparently he was in Medina with a group of fellow Shiites"¦and he was quoting out of a book which insulted the Prophet Muhammad's companion. This is how it's being described.

Hard to believe someone would be that stupid. There's something fishy in the story.

 

[ice berg]

oprah winfrey????

She may have liberated the American people along with Dr. Phil. However, I very much doubt she has ever set her foot on Iraq or Afghanistan...

 

[Naren1987]

The non Muslim world needs to man up, it's as simple as that.
Just build more nuclear reactors.
How long are we supposed to keep up with horse fertilizer like this?