Australian man sentenced to 500 lashes

**bonehead** · 07 Dec 11,, 08:50

Australian sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia - Yahoo! News

SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian man has been sentenced to 500 lashes and a year in a Saudi Arabian jail after being convicted of blasphemy, officials said Wednesday.
The 45-year-old man, identified by family members as Mansor Almaribe of southern Victoria state, was detained in the holy city of Medina last month while making the Muslim pilgrimage of hajj. Family members told Australian media that Saudi officials accused him of insulting the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, a violation of Saudi Arabia's strict blasphemy laws.
Australia's ambassador in Saudi Arabia has contacted Saudi authorities in a bid for leniency, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Consular officials are providing support for the man and his family in Australia.
"The Australian government is universally opposed to corporal punishment," the department said in a statement.
Almaribe was convicted of blasphemy on Tuesday and initially sentenced to two years in jail and 500 lashes. The court later reduced his jail sentence.
Almaribe's son Jamal told The Age newspaper that his father was reading and praying as part of a group when he was arrested.
Almaribe's son Mohammed said he feared for his father's well-being. "Five hundred slashes on his back, and he has back problems. I wouldn't think he'd survive 50," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Who couldn't see this train wreck coming? He was muslim so he should have known better. However, Australians are famous for speaking their minds and M.E. countries are infamous for a lack of tolerance. Still, it doesn't take much for an outsider to be accused and prosecuted over there. I wonder if there was a rant involved, Offhand remark, or did he not say anything at all but got blamed anyway.

**snapper** · 07 Dec 11,, 08:54

No rum ration either; I'd rather have been with Nelson!

**Parihaka** · 07 Dec 11,, 09:17

Saudi officials accused him of insulting the companions of the Prophet Muhammad,

This can be as simple as mispronouncing the names. If he's picked up an aussie accent the officials may have thought he was taking the piss

**Repatriated Canuck** · 07 Dec 11,, 14:21

I agree with Pari on this one. It's east to pick up an accent. I was asked again if I'm English again yesterday.

**tankie** · 07 Dec 11,, 16:12

If this barbaric act is carried out he will not do a year in jail unless he does jail time 1st , 500 ? he wont feel much after 30 imo it will kill him

**Parihaka** · 07 Dec 11,, 22:37

Originally Posted by tankie

If this barbaric act is carried out he will not do a year in jail unless he does jail time 1st , 500 ? he wont feel much after 30 imo it will kill him

It is if I recall correctly the same as the old British Navy punishment of Flogging Round the Fleet for mutineers. No one survived that, no matter how fit.

**USSWisconsin** · 07 Dec 11,, 23:12

Yep, it sounds like a corpse flogging - the first few dozen will kill him and the rest will just tear him to peices.

**dave lukins** · 07 Dec 11,, 23:19

Originally Posted by Parihaka

It is if I recall correctly the same as the old British Navy punishment of Flogging Round the Fleet for mutineers. No one survived that, no matter how fit.

I think they do it over a period of time and not in one go. I've not heard of anyone caned who has died and if he did there would be a huge outcry. Put it this way, if I was an arab I'd be careful of throwing a piece of paper on the streets of Australia as their new law says all arabs who litter can now be thrown to crocs 500 times

It was going to be those arabs who cannot pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch but they thought that too easy

**tankie** · 07 Dec 11,, 23:57

Originally Posted by dave lukins

I think they do it over a period of time and not in one go. I've not heard of anyone caned who has died and if he did there would be a huge outcry. Put it this way, if I was an arab I'd be careful of throwing a piece of paper on the streets of Australia as their new law says all arabs who litter can now be thrown to crocs 500 times

It was going to be those arabs who cannot pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch but they thought that too easy

Bet you googled that French name didntya

**Aussiegunner** · 08 Dec 11,, 02:45

I almost went nursing in Saudi Arabia but a good friend advised me that with my talent for insulting people without really trying, I'd probably be the first person to have his head cut off, have it sown back on and then cut off again. It was good advice and this story just reminds me of why.

This guy's plight sucks big time though. It is a sick, sick society over there.

**bonehead** · 08 Dec 11,, 03:16

Um. As an aside I misspelled Australian in the title. Thats bugging the hell out of me and I am sorry about that. Could the mods edit or can I?

**Gramps** · 08 Dec 11,, 03:45

500 lashes to a healthy person is more than likely a death sentence.

**Bigfella** · 08 Dec 11,, 07:25

Originally Posted by tankie

If this barbaric act is carried out he will not do a year in jail unless he does jail time 1st , 500 ? he wont feel much after 30 imo it will kill him

I agree Tankie, barbaric indeed. Very possibly fatal. Curiously, however, I recall not that long ago more than a few 'law & order' conservatives cheering as Singapore caned a young American for graffiti. I can't help but think that if Singapore was Islamic they would have been singing a differnt tune.

**Bigfella** · 08 Dec 11,, 07:29

Originally Posted by Parihaka

This can be as simple as mispronouncing the names. If he's picked up an aussie accent the officials may have thought he was taking the piss

He's actually a migrant from Iraq, so his arabic is probably spot on. Turns out that his sin was not verbal, but religious. He is a shia muslim. At the time he was reported he was in an area frequented by Shias & was wearing a green turban that apparently is an identifier of Shias. With all the problems in the region over the past year or so apparently the Saudis are being especially nasty to shias at the moment. Apparently he is physically frail, partly as the result of a car accident some years ago. This is likely a death sentence