An eye for an eye, as Somali boy executes father's killer

[HeiGou]

Times Online May 03, 2006
An eye for an eye, as Somali boy executes father's killer
By Simon Freeman and agencies

A Somali teenager publicly hacked his father's killer to death in a punishment sanctioned under Islamic law today.

Hundreds of people gathered in Mogadishu to watch the court-ordered execution. Witnesses said that Mohamed Moalim, 16, approached the condemned man Omar Hussein, who was hooded and tied to a pole, and stabbed him repeatedly in the chest, neck and head.

Hussein had been found guilty of murdering the boy's father, a teacher, in a similar manner two months ago. The execution was the first to be held in the Somalian capital for a decade and was hailed by local Islamic spiritual leaders as a sign that order was being restored.

The execution was carried out as the British Home Office faced mounting pressure over its decision to spare Mustaf Jama, a Somalian convicted of robbery, from deportation three months before his alleged involvement in the shooting of Sharon Beshenivsky, 38, in November last year.

After carrying out the killing, Mohamed Moalim calmly said: "My father’s killer is now gone. I am happy now because I killed the man who killed my father."

Sheikh Ibrahim Mohamed Nur, an imam in the Bermuda district of the capital, said: "Islam is the only solace to the overcome the difficulties we are facing. The justice of Allah has been implemented and there is no better justice than what Allah reccommended.

"The public is aware from today on that killers won’t go unpunished as they did in the past," he said.

A young bystander who gave his name only as Mohamoud said: "You cannot stop violence by another sort of violence."

Graphic photographs of the spectacle were posted on Somali internet sites. It came amid rising fears of an escalation in the tensions between militia loyal to the courts and an alliance of warlords devoted to curbing their influence.

Western intelligence agencies are growing increasingly concerned about the creeping influence of al-Qaeda on lawless Somalia, where Islamic extremists are believed to be harbouring senior figures from the terrorist network.

John Reid, the Defence Secretary, said today that Jama, still wanted over the Beshenivsky murder, had not been deported to Somalia because an immigration panel had considered it it was simply too dangerous.

"When he came out he was considered for deportation but in Somalia the government had fallen apart, it was being controlled by warlords and there was a threat that if he took a plane into the capital, Mogadishu, not only would he have been blown out of the air but the pilot of the plane would have been," Mr Reid said.

"So it was decided on balance they should not deport him in this case."

Mogadishu’s Islamic courts came into existence law in 1994, three years after the mainly Muslim country of 10 million was plunged into anarchy when Mohamed Siad Barre's 22-year presidency was brought to an end after two years of civil war.

In 1995, they ordered the stoning to death of several people convicted of adultery and the amputation of limbs for thieves but Tuesday’s killing was believed to be the first public execution in a decade.

[seeker_of_ilm]

:sl:

My friend was telling me about this today, but I didn't know many details, so thanks for posting the article.:)

[786rani]

thanx. i don't agree with this sort of revenge though!
rani

[HeiGou]

thanx. i don't agree with this sort of revenge though!

Well I'd prefer a clean job, but even that is better than letting him out to reoffend.

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[786rani]

yes he or she should be detained but if u kill isn't that as bad as the first crime. only Allah has the right to take away life.
rani

[Arch_warrior]

thats quite shocking !!!!!!! coz im partialy somali , somali ppl are not known to carry out such things!!!

[Shukria]

Same here...Dey normally just shoot people

[Sister_6038]

being somali...not that it makes a difference..muhaaha...erm well i dont agree with that whole get the boy to kill his daddyo's killer...theres islamic rulings upon how murderers are punished....

[seeker_of_ilm]

:sl:

I don't think it was done in a proper islamic manner. As far as I can tell, he didn't kill him straight away, rather he stabbed him in different places (a form of torture in a way), and I was under the impression that executions in Islamic Sharia were meant to be quick. I don't know though...correct me if I'm wrong

[Mawaddah]

I just read this article on another forum I go to
The woman who posted up this article was like " What on earth......... If this is what Shari'ah is... I do not want any part of it. There should be no place on earth where this could be done, no less in public. It makes me sick. "

What I want to know is........was the method that was used according to Shari'ah?

[HeiGou]

I don't think it was done in a proper islamic manner. As far as I can tell, he didn't kill him straight away, rather he stabbed him in different places (a form of torture in a way), and I was under the impression that executions in Islamic Sharia were meant to be quick. I don't know though...correct me if I'm wrong

Hmm, that surprises me. I expected some response, but not to the method of execution - as opposed to the fact for instance.

Well I don't know if it is Islamic or not and I would hope that a Mod would tell us. But if you're going to give the job to a teenage they are going to make a mess of it from time to time.

But maybe the murder did the same to his father and so it was as close as "an eye for an eye, a wounding for a wounding" as they could get?

[seeker_of_ilm]

Hmm, that surprises me. I expected some response, but not to the method of execution - as opposed to the fact for instance.

Well I don't know if it is Islamic or not and I would hope that a Mod would tell us. But if you're going to give the job to a teenage they are going to make a mess of it from time to time.

But maybe the murder did the same to his father and so it was as close as "an eye for an eye, a wounding for a wounding" as they could get?

:sl:

I'm not too educated on this topic, but I would have thought that allowing the son to commit the execution, would have been done in a form of revenge more than a punishment. Again correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't the executioner be someone "impartial"

[Shukria]

Dat's wat i thought..I swear u r not allowed to kill in revenge or someting..Some1 needs to research dis...

[Abdullah4ever]

:sl:

Yes... when Wahshi killed the prophet muhammad (saws) uncle , after the conquest of makkah the prophet saw him and forgave him and wahshi became but the prophet never killed him or anything...

[NahidSarvy]

The courts claim to be sharî3a, but that was clear clan-revenge. A literal eye for an eye innit? Not Islamic, in fact specifically un-Islamic - Jâhilic, I guess we'd say.

[Abdullah4ever]

:sl:

This is like the romans, they follow the bible and the bible has the rule eye for eye tooth for tooth meaning if someone does something to you you do it back to them.... :(


Edit:

[17:33] Nor take life - which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to demand retaliation or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life, for he is helped (by the Law)

[2:178] O you who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then prosecution (for the bloodwit) should be made according to usage, and payment should be made to him in a good manner; this is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy; so whoever exceeds the limit after this he shall have a painful chastisement.

[42:40-43] The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah: for (Allah) loves not those who do wrong. But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong (done) to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a grievous penalty. And whoever is patient and forgiving, these most surely are actions due to courage.

[Link]

:sl:

eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life, is found in the bible aswell as the Quran

Gandi says "eye for an eye, the whole world will go blind!"

I say "Let the whole world go blind, I want justice!"

[Abdullah4ever]

:sl:

5:45 And We ordained therein for them: Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth and wounds equal for equal. But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it shall be for him an expiation. And whosoever does not judge by that which Allah has revealed, such are the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers

This is called the retaliation and as you can see allah is saying them meaning the jews and christians in their books and its carried over into islam.

Sharia Law:

Islamic Law has an additional category of crimes that secular nations do not have. A Qesas crime is one of retaliation. If you commit a Qesas crime, the victim has a right to seek retribution and retaliation. The exact punishment for each Qesas crime is in the Quran. If you are killed, then according to Sharia your family has a right to seek Qesas from the [murder]er. Punishment can come in several forms and may include "Diya."

[Link]

Salam

you pay when it is an accident, if you kill, you get killed

[Muezzin]

:sl:

eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life, is found in the bible aswell as the Quran

Gandi says "eye for an eye, the whole world will go blind!"

I say "Let the whole world go blind, I want justice!"

Justice is blind.

But then, how are you supposed to do all this killing if you can't even see? :okay:

[nimrod]

Rani, an interesting question would be, when exactly does a citizen acting on behalf of the state, become an independent agent?
Was it the “state agent” or a “private citizen” that put the man to death?

Are all state sanctioned death penalties acts of revenge?
Should all close family members be automatically excluded from the role of executioner?

While I am no fan of the death penalty, I can see that it provides some amount of “closure” for some people.

Thanks
Nimrod

[HeiGou]

Rani, an interesting question would be, when exactly does a citizen acting on behalf of the state, become an independent agent?
Was it the “state agent” or a “private citizen” that put the man to death?

There is also a larger issue of law here - Islamic law is sort of half way between private law (where murder is a tort and the state is not involved) and public law (where murder is a crime and the individual is not involved). So it allows for murder to be treated as a tort and recompense is paid in money, if that is what the relatives want, but it also allows it to be treated as a crime, and so is punished with murder if the relatives reject the money. The State does not play a big role in any case as it is up to the relatives who, in every case I have heard of, also execute the murderer - so sort of state-supported feud. In Islam, as far as I can see, the whole notion of a state is extremely weak anyway.

[Wahid]

Justice is blind.

But then, how are you supposed to do all this killing if you can't even see? :okay:

justice is blind?? this is in the Quran read the last post....

and if ur not a criminal u wont go blind

[nimrod]

HeiGou “There is also a larger issue of law here - Islamic law is sort of half way between private law (where murder is a tort and the state is not involved) and public law (where murder is a crime and the individual is not involved)”, that sort of thing does allow for a lot of personal values to come into play while deciding what the proper punishment should be.

Are the victims to be less valued, or valued more, depending on if they are the only son verses one of many daughters? Is the murdered “not well liked” victim to be less avenged than that of the “well liked” victim?

Is murder “less” wrong, depending on the victim and therefore a lesser punishment can be meted out? (In at least one respect I see the same logic being applied to law here in the USA with all the “Hate crime” laws. Plain murder is murder. The reasons for it are, in most cases, un-important as to the resulting punishment.)

There is much about how Islam views murder and punishment that I don’t understand.

Should a wealthy man be held any less accountable than a poor man for committing the exact same crime? One pays out of his excess’ and the other pays with his life?

That is just one of the many problems I see when folks start talking about implementing Islamic law as a good thing.

Murdering a man for insulting Muhammad is no less offensive than murdering a man for being black.

“In Islam, as far as I can see, the whole notion of a state is extremely weak anyway”.

I agree, for me it presents a rather confusing set of circumstances at times in my views of Islam. (As an aside, I also find Islam’s view on rhetoric to be rather confusing. The fellow in Iran is an example of what I am referring to.)

Thanks
Nimrod

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

Hello HeiGou,

The State does not play a big role in any case as it is up to the relatives who, in every case I have heard of, also execute the murderer - so sort of state-supported feud.

No this is not the case in Islamic law. There is a specific person designated an executioner, it is not tribal revenge organized by the state. When somneone is killed, there is to be no vigilante justice, the crime must be reported to the Islamic state and they are to take care of it by performing the proper investigation and having the penalty implemented by a state authority.
http://www.islamtoday.com/show_detai...&main_cat_id=6

In Islam, as far as I can see, the whole notion of a state is extremely weak anyway.

And why is that?

Hello Nimrod,

Are the victims to be less valued, or valued more, depending on if they are the only son verses one of many daughters? Is the murdered “not well liked” victim to be less avenged than that of the “well liked” victim?

No.

Is murder “less” wrong, depending on the victim and therefore a lesser punishment can be meted out?

No.

There is much about how Islam views murder and punishment that I don’t understand.

Feel free to ask.

Should a wealthy man be held any less accountable than a poor man for committing the exact same crime? One pays out of his excess’ and the other pays with his life?

The family can accept bloodmoney from a poor person too, he just might not be able to pay it instantly.

Murdering a man for insulting Muhammad is no less offensive than murdering a man for being black.

First, when is someone murdered for insulting Muhammad? And second, a person attacking the faith of others/promoting hatred is not the same as someone being born of an ethnicity.

Regards

[twelver]

Another reason why Shariah is to be opposed. This is pretty sick.

[Zulkiflim]

Salaam,

Allah laws are clear,an eye for an eye, and so on..

If a person is killed that his death is upon the hand of the family that has lost their loved ones.

read the Quranin verses,they are allowed retaliation but IT IS BETTER FOR THEM TO FORGIVE..

A test,a test for the offender not to commit his crime and a test for the family not to follow in crime,bu assuredly if they did then it is their right..

A murder for a murder,but does the sharia laws state that the murder must be the same manner?

Assuredly no,unless anyone else have any other data?

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

Hi Twelver :)

Another reason why Shariah is to be opposed. This is pretty sick.

You should judge Islamic law based on objective study of it, not media reports of how some Muslims have implemented it. Please read my last post.

Regards

[Waryaa]

It is disgusting and barbaric. It shames us particularly Somalis how far low the ebb of this barbarism we went down.

No shareeca law accepts this sickness, the way it was committed completely was irrational to say the least.

Some Somali news sites published the pictures. No sane human can stomach it, the repeated stabs, the hooded, handcuffed struggling man for his life, breaking eventually away from weak-structured wood pillar that quickly broke, and teen going after him the hapless man, stabbing once more again and again. Sickness.

May Allah help our ignorant people. Aamiin.

[Ghazi]

Another reason why Shariah is to be opposed. This is pretty sick.

Salaam

I doubt you'd take that tone if you were that boy, seriously put your self in his position and please in future don't insult my religion.

[786rani]

my grandfather was killed by some rishkaw driver. my father let him go because it's allah's will to call some one to him and the person is just an excuse.
rani

[Zzims]

there are others ways to meet this kind of problem.. Killing him as blood for blood repayment is one option.. but Imprisonment or Diat could be use.. a man must pay for hes misdeeds.. if anyone who is familiar with Syariah laws knows.. forgiveness is always the better option then revenge.. but if hes alredy a convicted robber.. they shouldve have given him the the usual punishment for robbers.... long before he murdered the boy's father.. as stated in Surah Al-Maidah ayat 33..-38 if they pushed for shariah laws then.. things would have been different..

[Zzims]

my grandfather was killed by some rishkaw driver. my father let him go because it's allah's will to call some one to him and the person is just an excuse.
rani

what rani says i true.. its all a test from God.. Death comes in many forms and ways.. we just have to dealt with it and move on .. may god bless your grandfather's soul Rani.. Ameen