Dude, What’s with the Lashing?

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Another day, another outrageous lashing sentence.

On Saturday, a court in Jeddah sentenced 22-year-old female journalist Roazanna al-Yamai to 60 lashes for her alleged involvement in the infamous case of Mazen Abdul-Jawad, aka the TV sex braggart. Few minutes ago, AP reported that King Abdullah has waived the sentence and ordered the case be referred to the legal committee at the Ministry of Culture and Information. Well, this should have happened without a royal intervention, but I’m relieved the sentence will not be carried out.

This case aside, I am astonished by the very liberal use of lashing sentences by our right honorable judges. Is this some sort of fetish, as Asmaa once said? Do these sentences say something about struggle to reform the judicial system? Personally, I think that except for the few cases explicitly specified in Quran, lashing should be stopped once and for all. No human being should be given the power to inflect this kind of punishment on another human being, simply.

24 thoughts on “Dude, What’s with the Lashing?”

  1. I was just thinking: they used to say that Jenifer Lopez paid 1 million $ for an insurance company to cover her a**!
    I think we need something similar to protect our a**es in this obsessed country :D
    Seriously, aside from al7dood (الحدود), this madness has to stop. Human dignity receives no respect what so ever!

      • I’ll try to make my point clear, while I don’t think the use of lashing in this case was justified (or even a guilty verdict) I’m not at all against liberal use of lashings. I’m not about to let criminals have a nice happy stint in jail and then get out. The law must be feared to be respected.

  3. “nice happy stint in jail” :)
    man, looks like you like the inside of jails so much that you think spending time there is “nice happy stint”

    just perfect!!

  5. I am glad the King did pardon her; it is still debatable if she should be part of this trail at the first place. However, although she did not ask ‘the sex bragger’ to tell his intimate bedroom details, she should’ve been more careful with the story when he did.

    Lashes or not, this is another subject. I tend to agree with Ahmed that it should not be sentenced recklessly. But still, I believe it is an acceptable disciplinary sentence, at least in some cases.

  6. Ouch :( … but then again, when was that word ever considered by them :(
    Poor her! She must have been immensely scared.

  7. it’s a new obesisson and stupid. They probably think that as long as the case is riduclious why not give a ridiculious punishment as well.

  8. What about the producer or programme directors who actually decide the content of programs??!! (not that I think anyone should be lashed!)

    A lone journalist would never be able to go off and do their own programme!!! She was obv told what to do and research!! Grrrr makes me so so angry that someone has to be tortured whilst those who actually made the decisions are ignored by those dishing out the punishments. Either punish (torture) those who are truly at fault or don’t bother at all!! I opt for the latter when it comes to this stuff! and whats with the lashing, someone obv forgot to tell them its been out of fashion for a few hundred years… hmmm

  9. Hello,
    I came cross your blog because I was sure that you’re going to talk about this issue.
    I really have personally very sharp divided thoughts about this controversy. Sometime I look at the shameful side of it I mean the programme and what they have talked about. And when I remember that she is a journalist. I got back again to think that she should be punished by the committee of journalists in here. But the lack and the unclear law of journalist makes this issue in really debateable whether if she must punished by the civil court. Or the committee which we have never heard of anyone in the ministry of information commentate about the issue since it’s begun.

    I think she has to be aware of the journalism ethics and respect the community before being involve in such case , before calling herself a “Journalist”.

  11. Clerics sentence a young lady to 60 lashes!

    This young lady in no way whatsoever assisted the man in his immoral activities, as I understand the matter.

    If that is so, then her involvement should involve no such criminal punishment.

    It should be unsurprising that non-believers are appalled when clerics who assertedly are acting in the name of God sentence a young lady to such punishment.

    It demonstrates yet again the reasons why clerics should have no governmental power.

  13. I’m astonished that some people have hinted that Rozanna actually participated in the program where Mazin ousted himself. That is not the case. Her only connection with the case is that she works for the station. She had nothing to do with the program, and the judge in question actually acknowledged that fact. He was punishing her for “working for an unlicensed TV station” and as “deterrence”.

  14. It’s the job of a journalist to report. No journalist can be held responsible for what the interviewee is blurting out. So she shouldn’t have been in court in the first place.

    Saudi Jawa, that is even worse! So they just want to lash somebody and construct a weird reason for doing so.

    Why the judges are so fond of lashings? I can only suppose those old lecherous goats get off on it when watching a pretty young woman (or boy) being tortured.

  15. Saudi Jawa–excellent points, although I believe it is the journalist herself who said that the sentence was intended as a deterrent. Fortunately for her, she was not involved in the making of this particular episode.

    The interview, the producer, the director, cutting room, and the editor, all have an impact on who says what and how on camera and what parts are aired or not. In that sense I do believe it is highly possible that Mazen was duped, egged on, and lead astraym and then his interview edited to the demands of the LBC or The Redline. Of course I don’t believe in flogging any of them by Mazen is far from alone in this. Infact he is probably the only non-media savvy one and in that sense is more innocent than the others.

  16. Bro, lashing does not even hurt! I’d rather a lashing than years in prison!

    I do get your point though! The dude should not have been airing his zinaa on the boobtube anyhow. What an idiot!

  18. I completely agree with you Ahmed.. This has got to stop
    There are specific instances when lashing is considered a (7d) for committing a crime, but nowadays it seems like lashing is the way to go for any crime !

  21. what about the truth, integrity of these journalists regardless of any gender?!! I think this very thing was overlooked by main stream media!!
    also that just reflection the qualities & principals this TV station stands for…
    Regards

  22. Pingback: CPVPV in KSU, Discrimination at KAUST, Limits on Lashing « Saudi Jeans

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