Comments on: Legal Matters

By: Elisabeth

Elisabeth — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:39:33 +0000

Hey Ahmed, since you commented on my blog I figured I’d return the favor! As usual you write fantastically relevant posts about subjects that are…. let’s say “underrepresented” in dialogue here. I definitely agree that Saudi is lacking a clear codified system of laws (and constitution, and ….well, the list goes on). But do you really think codifying the Sharia is the answer? If you codify what people currently think of as Sharia (and who gets to decide, anyway?) you’re just going to end up with a set of really strict really archaic rules. And besides, one of the things that kept Sharia so useful across the centuries was its adaptability and the fact that judges could (and should) take circumstances into account when making their decision. Unlike Roman law, which was all dependent on the law as it was written, Sharia is supposed to be based on a sensitive and context-reliant reading of the case and of the religious texts. If you codify that, don’t you lose pretty much the only good thing about the system?

Not that it’s working the way they’ve got it. I’m just sayin’….

By: Umm Ibrahim

Umm Ibrahim — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:40:38 +0000

Salaam… Consistency is definitely what is required in Saudi. As you say there can be such a huge difference in given sentences and of course there is the ‘wasta’thing thrown into the pot too. :/

By: Global Voices Online » Saudi Arabia: Legal Question

Global Voices Online » Saudi Arabia: Legal Question — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:52:16 +0000

[...] plan when they seemed for a very long time rather comfortable with the status quo?” writes Saudi Jeans, from Saudi Arabia. Posted by Amira Al Hussaini Share [...]

By: princejimi

princejimi — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:35:19 +0000

the problem is… if u have an engineering problem you get a good and reputable engineering firm to look at your system, if u have an accounting problem you get an accounting firm to look at your accounts… now, if u have a problem in an area where u think that you are the best… who do you get?

By: ممارس صحي

ممارس صحي — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:00:15 +0000

:) .. yea .. They were just waiting for the King to start fixing their corruption which they have been practiced for quite long time :) ..

I don’t expect much .. it’s all with anything else here .. corrupted people claiming that they are fixing the corruption.

By: Moondune

Moondune — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:07:35 +0000

Thanks for the update, Ahmed. Indeed, it is disappointing, if not depressing, to see that the same people responsible for the dysfunctional judicial state we’re in are expected to be able and willing to fix it. In other news, the Shura council still thinks it is relevant (as if it ever was…)

By: Abu-dahim

Abu-dahim — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:03:55 +0000

To me the problem is not just the need for the laws to be clear and codified, I don’t want a law that discriminates against women and minorities weather it’s codified or not.

Codifying some of the unjust laws of our country will only make it harder to reform or abolish them [as some laws MUST be abolished]

Last famous words
“an unjust law is no law at all”
St. Augustine

By: JCman

JCman — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:01:24 +0000

HEY JACKASS, why unchu never talk about the girl that died while drivin her ass so fast in a crowded area… u juss keep bugging our asses asking for some human rights, well guess what… it wont work, says reality [learnt from the girl's accident]

By: Saudi Smith

Saudi Smith — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:04:37 +0000

The laws are not the problem. In Singaphore you get lashes for chewing gum in the street.

It’s the consistancy as well as making the laws clear that is the problem.

Every country has unpopular laws, but they are clear so they must be followed (like the J-walking law in the US). And if you don’t like the laws in the US, then you move.