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What's the rules for beheading?

Berrin, thanks for the explanation. It just seems to me that the example of capital punishment in the US show the flaws in such systems that are supposedly legally designed to take into consideration mitigating factors. I'm just not confident that Sharia law's harsh punishments would be applied fairly. When it comes down to it, no human being deserves to have their body parts cut off as punishment.

Berrin, you're contradicting yourself.

If hand chopping is preferable to the offender and society, then why are there stricter guidelines for hand chopping than prison sentences?

If one police officer witnesses a person steal, the courts cannot sentence the offender to have his hand chopped, but will sentence him to jail.

If hand chopping were preferable to prison, then you should be advocating the other way around - prison terms should have stricter criteria for sentencing rather than hand chopping.

event horizon wrote:If hand chopping is preferable to the offender and society, then why are there stricter guidelines for hand chopping than prison sentences?

It's simple EH, you only loose hand once, and when you lost it you lost it for life, whereas if you prison a person,you can keep him or release him, there is no irrevocable decision to be made.. So if taking decisions that have life long consensequences,authorities would have to pay extra caution and require secure/solid acceptable evidences..

I understand that. That's one of the reasons most / all normal people find hand chopping barbaric.

(This is one of the issues that separate normal people from religious extremists)

But it was your claim that hand chopping is a better alternative to prison sentences. I believe you've viewed jail terms as worse than hand chopping.

So if there are stricter requirements for hand chopping than jail/prison, that means you tacitly agree that hand chopping is not "better" but more severe.

kanelli wrote: I'm just not confident that Sharia law's harsh punishments would be applied fairly.

I don't know much about punishments and the way they are practised in various parts of the world... but when I look at the types of punishments in sharia law, I can see how effective they can be to keep a well functional safe society, they are very deterrent couse scares people, therefore everyone would give more than a second taught before committing any corruption.. At the end of the day, noone has the right to kill another, noone has the right to take up theft as a professional job. If they do wrong they do it to themselves at their own risk. If they don't care about their own life and limbs, it's their problem not mine.. but I want to live my life in safe and reliable community..

Also one of the differences between sharia and non sharia governed countries is that the execution decision is not taken by the state but by the individual/s family that was wronged. The state is only responsible to identify the crime and sorting out the evidences for sentencing, once the sentence in place, it is left to the wronged one to decide if they want the application of the sentence or to forgive the offender instead. But I think noone would forgive, if it is likely to be hurt again. Imagine if your property is robbed more than once or twice... You would get so angry that you'd appreciate having such punishmens in place.. One never understands their importance unless exposed to such crimes and saw some serious damage..

--- Sat Mar 10, 2012 7:15 pm ---

What are you trying to do EH? I much rather have hope for forgiveness than face a whole life of imprisonment that costing billions to everyone that has nothing to do with my criminal activity... I am all for sharia law.. Hell, kill me if I kill you.. chop my hands if I bankrupt you... I deserve it..

kanelli wrote: When it comes down to it, no human being deserves to have their body parts cut off as punishment.

I can think of one flawed group of the human race: pedophiles.

I considered that BB. If me or my children were raped, it certainly would be tempting to chop off the offender's pe.nis! Still, even if they were loose in the public with no pe.nis. they are capable of molesting again. I think volunary chemical castration helps, or locking them up permanently if they re-offend.

(I guess FD is not going to come up with any evidence to support his initial beliefs which he presented as fact. Disappointed, but not surprised.)

Moving on..

eh supports capital punishment though, and I would expect that life imprisonment for serious crimes also doesn't offend.

The logic behind the amputation of hands for serial theives is that this is an alternative sentence to indefinite incarceration. It is not mandatory for every conviction of theft, but is a severe punishment that serves as a deterrent and a punishment.

I understand why some people think it is harsh - but it is interesting to note the lower levels of theft in countries which have this punishment than those which don't. Interestingly, the death penalty doesn't seem to reduce the incidents of murders etc - if it did, the USA would have a relative low rate of murders relative to comparable countries - when actually the opposite is true.

Food for thought? Or is it just coincidence or other factors behind the crime rates? I think the punishment does have a deterrent effect when it comes to thefts.. but what do you think?

Cheers,

Shafique