Somali adulterer stoned to death

[Me]

Somali adulterer stoned to death
Islamists in southern Somalia have stoned a man to death for adultery but spared his pregnant girlfriend until she gives birth.

Abas Hussein Abdirahman, 33, was killed in front of a crowd of some 300 people in the port town of Merka.

An official from the al-Shabab group said the woman would be killed after she has had her baby.

Islamist groups run much of southern Somalia, while the UN-backed government only control parts of the capital.

This is the third time Islamists have stoned a person to death for adultery in the past year.

Al-Shabab official Sheikh Suldan Aala Mohamed said Mr Abdirahman had confessed to adultery before an Islamic court.


“ They [al-Shabab] are forcing women to wear very heavy clothes, saying they want them to properly cover their bodies but we know they have economic interests behind - they sell these kinds of clothes and want to force people to buy them ”
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
"He was screaming and blood was pouring from his head during the stoning. After seven minutes he stopped moving," an eyewitness told the BBC.

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says that if the woman is also killed, her baby would be given to relatives to look after.

Meanwhile, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has accused al-Shabab of spoiling the image of Islam by killing people and harassing women.

"Their actions have nothing to do with Islam," said the moderate Islamist during a ceremony at which he nominated a new administration for the capital, Mogadishu.

"They are forcing women to wear very heavy clothes, saying they want them to properly cover their bodies but we know they have economic interests behind - they sell these kinds of clothes and want to force people to buy them."

Last month, two men were stoned to death in the same town after being accused of spying.

A 13-year-old girl was stoned to death for adultery in the southern town of Kismayo last year.

Human rights groups said she had been raped.

Another man has also been punished in this way in the Lower Shabelle region.

Mr Sharif, a former rebel leader, was sworn in as president after UN-brokered peace talks in January.

Although he says he also wants to implement Sharia, al-Shabab says his version of Islamic law would be too lenient.

The country has not had a functioning national government for 18 years.

Story from BBC NEWS

[Private Affair]

unfortunately this sort of thing occurs all too often in that part of the world.

[Hb]

This is incredibly sad. Once again, mankind's "religion" killing based on twisted dogma.

[MAAT]

Religion has been the cause directly or indirectly of hundreds of millions of people for thousands of years. The mind set is that if you do not believe my version of a "God" then I have the right to kill you or take your property as mine. This is in the bible and held up as good. Num.25:16-18; 31:7-18 When it is my belief system it is all good but when it is someone elses belief system it becomes all wrong. This was what the Crusades were about and also the spread of Islam. They all said that their "God" told them to do it. We are slicker today than back then. Because of our love of "Liberty" we are killing people in Africa, Iraq, Afganistan. Who knows who or where else? As long as we can rationlalize our barbarity in the name of a higher cause (religion, or liberation) we feel justified to murder and kill people for their property and resources. My look at how much we have changed over the centuries. Adolf Hittler had the same notion to, didn't he ? Im(hotep)

[Private Affair]

Yes it's horrific when someone uses religion to justify violence. The Crusaders were notorious for that along with many others.The Crusaders used religion to exploit other weaker nations/peoples but their motives were for pure profit. Throughout the existence of man there has been religion of some sort. It creates problem when despotic individuals or groups take over and seduce the ignorant masses but the opposite is even worse: Anarchy. Where every man is out for himself and there;s no rule of law.The human heart without boundaries will slowly seek that which will eventually destroy it because of myopic temporal pleasures of the mind and body. You will NEVER have a stable society of free thinking public without religion in some form to keep the masses in check. The alternative is to use oppressive military force to keep a people down but that will only last for so long. They will revolt sooner or later. Religions that address the core human conditions will last beyond the temporal institutions of man-made governments and philosophies.

I'm just glad that Christ himself and His true followers were totally against such evil policies. In fact, Christ prophesied about the rise of such individuals who would kill people in His name thinking that they are doing it for His cause. Anyone reading the Gospels can see with no problem that Christ was against such evil practices, but somehow people lump everyone who call themselves Christians into the same group. This to me is no worse/better than when white folks lump all black folks into the same group based on the crimes and misdeeds of a few. Christianity itself can no more be blamed for people who twists it's message for selfish gain, than car manufacturers can be blamed for drunk drivers getting behind the wheel of a car and killing innocent people.

Now as far as Islam goes, all I have to say is that I;ve read the Koran for myself and President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is not being truthful in his stance regarding Islam. I know that may not go over well with the PC crowd but it's true.
What it boils down do is this:
Followers of Islam do a disservice to humanity when they strictly follow their belief system. However, followers of Christ do a major disservice when the do NOT strictly follow the principals of Christianity.
If you read the New Testament (which is where the Christian gets the bulk of his/her principals from) of how to deal with those who oppose their ideology and compare it with the Koran's teachings for the same then you will see for yourself what I mean. One says love the opposition and the other says to destroy the opposition. Don't take my word for it, read it yourself.


MAAT said:

Religion has been the cause directly or indirectly of hundreds of millions of people for thousands of years. The mind set is that if you do not believe my version of a "God" then I have the right to kill you or take your property as mine. This is in the bible and held up as good. Num.25:16-18; 31:7-18 When it is my belief system it is all good but when it is someone elses belief system it becomes all wrong. This was what the Crusades were about and also the spread of Islam. They all said that their "God" told them to do it. We are slicker today than back then. Because of our love of "Liberty" we are killing people in Africa, Iraq, Afganistan. Who knows who or where else? As long as we can rationlalize our barbarity in the name of a higher cause (religion, or liberation) we feel justified to murder and kill people for their property and resources. My look at how much we have changed over the centuries. Adolf Hittler had the same notion to, didn't he ? Im(hotep)