Turk barber faces execution for swearing

[mutlib]

A Turkish barber accused of swearing at God is sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, with his family back in Turkey calling on authorities to intervene.

Sabri Boğday from the southern Hatay province went to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia 11 years ago and opened a barbershop.

According to reports, Boğday argued with his neighbor, an Egyptian tailor, and was arrested after the tailor told the police that he had sworn at God.

While Boğday has been in prison for the past 13 months, the Egyptian who made the allegation has disappeared.

When he was sentenced to death in the last court session and prison authorities came to his cell and told him to call his family for the last time, the family panicked and is now calling for Turkish authorities to intervene. The family also fears Boğday might be executed before the appeals court deals with the matter.

His mother Atra Boğday said her son is a very polite and God-fearing individual, dismissing the claims that he had sworn at God. �His Egyptian neighbor lied. His biggest wish was to save enough money to buy a house for us. But now they will execute him if authorities don't intervene,� she said.

His wife Muazzez said their son was three months old when Sabri was jailed. �I confronted the tailor when my husband's friends told me what happened. He said it's none of his business. We later learnt that he closed down his shop and fled. He didn't attend a single court session.�

Muazzez Boğday said her husband knew the laws of Saudi Arabia well and would never swear. �Even if he did, he would never swear at God. He knows what the punishment would be,� she said.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=101552

 

[yigiter187]

yeah yeah we know that s.arabia loves islam very very much that it doesnt allow anybody to swear islam...althouh they live in wealth they dont forget islam(!)...we are expecting arabia to behave the same way against israel...oh but israel doesnt swear , it only damages islam...

 

[Silver]

Wow!!!! Even if he did swear...don't they have other more important issues to deal with instead of executing a poor man who might've not even meant what he said?? I know that he sinned but we all do.
All people have their moments of anger and they do repent later and it's up to God to forgive them or not, and if we were to execute every person who swears there would be very few people left on earth.

 

[Umar001]

I find this ultra hard to believe, specially since the accuser has gone missing, how can the man still be persecuted.

Allah knows best.

 

[Woodrow]

i suspect there is more to this story than what was reported in the Turkish Newspaper.

 

[Silver]

i suspect there is more to this story than what was reported in the Turkish Newspaper.

Yeah, that makes sense I guess...I don't think they can persecute the man if the accuser fled and there are no other witnesses. It's simply against their laws.

 

[Malaikah]

i suspect there is more to this story than what was reported in the Turkish Newspaper.

Ditto!

 

[Pk_#2]

If he did, he will be happy to get the punishment am sure,

If he dint, ahh man life sux.

 

[abdil han]

in the turkish news,his family says he is nt such a person who swears God,or somethng bad...

my point is,if the egyption is true,where is he now?
n how the saudis r nt lookng for other witnesses n accusing a person by an ''escaped'' man?

 

[Fishermans_eye]

Saudi Arabia might be the country currently having the holy cities of Medina and Mecca. In 100 years it might be another country. That does not have Riyadh but Cairo.

Saudi Arabia is just another country. It got it's faults as well.

 

[The_Prince]

i too agree with woodrow, there is most likely something more to this story.

remember turkey is a secular country and right now the ultra secularists are having their beef with the goverment for supposedly being too Islamic, so it serves their interest of these seculr turks to write a story like this to to further their secular agenda and anti-Islamic one..........

so dont believe everything u read from this report.

 

[abdil han]

the case was postponed be coz of changing of the judge...
i hope the truth would be enlightened...

 

[Malaikah]

Saudi Arabia might be the country currently having the holy cities of Medina and Mecca. In 100 years it might be another country. That does not have Riyadh but Cairo.

What, they are going to move Makkah and Madinah to Egypt? :?

 

[north_malaysian]

It's not reasonable for a man to curse God, when he's fighting a person...

I dont believe he did it....

Where is the Egyptian? The witness? How a person could be convicted when the witness couldn't be found for cross-examinations by lawyers?

:exhausted

 

[yigiter187]

if tehre is someone to be punished,it is the man who has a wealthy rich life by expoliting his own countries sources....ı wonder what would arabia do if there were no pterolium and holy cities makka madinah....ı hope turkey will go and biring its innocent citizen.

 

[Malaikah]

Where is your proof that he is innocent, yigiter187?

 

[------]

:salamext:

This is an over exagerration. :-\ Find better things to do with ur time 'o executioners'. There are murderers and rapists out there for gods sake.

 

[S_87]

if he said what it says he has apostasized which is an act punishable by death! why are people complaining? if the court didnt pay any attention to this then we'd have people complaining that saudi arabia allows people to curse Islam. is there no satisfaction?

from arab news:

JEDDAH, 21 April 2008 — The case of a Turkish barber who was sentenced to death at the Jeddah General Court on March 31 on charges of blasphemy will be sent to the Appeals Court in Makkah next week.

Sabri Bogday was sentenced to death after two men, one Saudi and the other Egyptian, reported to the authorities that he had sworn at God and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at his barbershop in Jeddah early last year.

Bogday was made to appear before three judges — Sheikh Muhammad Al-Aamer, Sheikh Fahd Al-Ammari and Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Lihidan — at the Jeddah General Court on June 13, 2007.

A source told Arab News that Bogday admitted in court to swearing and did not challenge the witnesses’ testimonies. He also said that he was in no conflict with the two witnesses — an important point, since, according to Saudi law, the testimony of an accuser is not accepted if it can be shown that he or she has some ulterior motive.

The source added that the judges did not give Bogday the chance to repent. However, it is unclear whether Bogday continued to insist on the words that he had uttered.

Arab News also learned that the death sentence was based on a “hadd” ruling (a clear verdict based on laws from the Qur’an and Sunnah) and not a “ta’azir” ruling (a judicial interpretation of the Shariah law). In both cases the death sentence can be appealed. However, since the verdict in this case is based on a “hadd” ruling, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah would not be able to pardon the victim, as was the case in the Qatif Girl’s ruling.

At the final court hearing three weeks ago, a death sentence was announced in spite of Bogday denying that he swore at God and the Prophet (pbuh). The ruling was issued based on the witnesses’ testimonies and Bogday’s previous admission in court.

According to Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, a Riyadh-based lawyer, some judges consider blasphemy heresy and infidelity, and say that the accused cannot repent and would face the death penalty. Others consider the statement to be disbelief and would allow the accused to retract his words.

“The majority of Muslim jurists demand that the accused must be given a chance to repent. Sometimes, those accused are not raised in a proper Islamic environment and are unaware of the consequences and meanings of certain words. Cases such as these are very sensitive, and so the trial must adhere to strict procedures and double check the two witnesses’ eligibility to testify,” said Al-Lahem.

Officials at the Turkish Consulate in Jeddah, when contacted, said they were not allowed to comment on the case and that it is being dealt with by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Sources said officials from the Turkish Consulate did visit the Jeddah General Court at the beginning of the trial, but did not assign Bogday a lawyer.

Hussein Al-Sharif, head of the National Human Rights Society (NSHR) for the Makkah Province and a professor of law at King Abdulaziz University, said that he hopes the Turkish Consulate will intervene and assign a lawyer for the Appeals Court.

“The verdict is primary and not final. There are three stages that the case must go through before an execution can take place,” said Al-Sharif, adding that the case would go to the Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Council and to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for final approval.

“Till today the society has not received any complaint about the case or a call to intervene. We have observed it through the media and will follow it up with officials, check the facts and offer any possible help,” said Al-Sharif.

“We’ll send an NSHR representative to visit Bogday in prison to get first hand information as soon as possible,” he added.
http://arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=109150&d=21&m=4&y=2008

 

[------]

:salamext:

^ I didnt see the bit where he cursed Islaam. I thought he was simply swearing. :-\

 

[S_87]

^^ yeh the title is misleading like he just said some curse and is in trouble for that lol