TV Presenter On Death Row For Witchcraft

The_Minister

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091124/twl-tv-presenter-on-death-row-for-witchc-3fd0ae9.html

A man has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft because he makes predictions on television. Skip related content
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Enlarge photo .Ali Sibat is not even a Saudi national. The Lebanese citizen was only visiting Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage when he was arrested in Medina last year.

A court in the city condemned him as a witch on November 9.

The only evidence presented in court was reportedly the claim he appeared regularly on Lebanese satellite issuing general advice on life and making predictions about the future.

The case is causing outrage among human rights campaigners but has made little news elsewhere despite the ludicrous nature of the charges and the extraordinary severity of Sibat's sentence.

"Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

"The crime of witchcraft is being used against all sorts of behavior, with the cruel threat of state sanctioned executions."

Ali Sibat's supporters say he was denied a lawyer at his trial and was tricked into making a confession.

He is not the only victim of Saudi Arabia's literal witch hunt. Human Rights Watch says two other people have been arrested on similar charges in the last month alone.

It claims a lower court in Jeddah started the trial of a Saudi this month who was arrested by the religious police and said to have smuggled a book of witchcraft into the kingdom.

In another case the religious police are said to have arrested for "sorcery" and "charlatanry" an Asian man accusing him of using supernatural powers to solve marital disputes and induce others to fall in love.

In 2006 a Jeddah court convicted an Eritrean national Muhammad Burhan for "charlatanry" because he possessed a phone book that contained writings in the Tigrinya alphabet used in Eritrea.

Human rights campaigners claim prosecutors classified the booklet as a "talisman" and the court accepted that as evidence, sentencing him to 20 months in prison and 300 lashes

Coming up next it's Saudi psychics li-.......oh.

genericguy

can we get that joe coleman and christina gallagher next please? oh, and anyone who believes them.

Kradock

Wonder what they would do with reality TV "stars".

Cookie_Monster

Kradock wrote: »

Wonder what they would do with reality TV "stars".

The right thing - burn them all

Ross_Mahon

To this day and age...they are still witch hunting? FFS

Gone Drinking

If only they'd hang those paranormal muppets from "Most Haunted"

shqipshume

He made the wrong prediction,must have been women will rule soon here

SkepticOne

" A man has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft because he makes predictions on television."

He didn't predict that.

Captain Havoc

I would laugh but for the fact an innocent mans life is about to taken for something as absurd and stupid as this.

My name is URL

Islam, it's a hell of a cult

shqipshume

jerseyeire wrote: »

I would laugh but for the fact an innocent mans life is about to taken for something as absurd and stupid as this.

He knew tha way they are and still said it,I wouldnt call him smartest person in world.
Although is sad poor man

humanji

Does the fact that he didn't see this coming not prove him innocent?

callig

Well this is one subject where followers of Christianity and Islam both have the same screw loose.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-8/episode-1/

shqipshume

callig wrote: »

Well this is one subject where followers of Christianity and Islam both have the same screw loose.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-8/episode-1/

How long ago in christian civilization was someone attacked for been a witch :rolleyes:

AnonoBoy

Can we get the English to export Derren Brown over there?

oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please

humanji

shqipshume wrote: »

How long ago in christian civilization was someone attacked for been a witch :rolleyes:

1944 in the UK and plenty more around Africa.

wes

shqipshume wrote: »

How long ago in christian civilization was someone attacked for been a witch :rolleyes:

Its still happening in certains part of Africa:
Saving Africa's Witch Children

**EDIT**
Just noticed, that the link was already posted.

shqipshume

humanji wrote: »

1944 in the UK and plenty more around Africa.

And killed for it?

wes wrote: »

Its still happening in certains part of Africa:
Saving Africa's Witch Children

**EDIT**
Just noticed, that the link was already posted.

Yeah but thats also a back ward barbaric country

Hey wes long time no see hows life?

Ghost Train

He must have seen it coming

humanji

shqipshume wrote: »

And killed for it?

But that's a different question.

wes

shqipshume wrote: »

Yeah but thats also a back ward barbaric country

I would say they lack education, and there government keeps them poor despite the fact that the country is sitting on top of a lot of oil (which incidently applies to both countrys in question).

shqipshume wrote: »

Hey wes long time no see hows life?

Good, and yourself?

brenchman

what if he is a witch?

o1s1n

brenchman wrote: »

what if he is a witch?

Then he'll magic himself away just before the execution. Proving he is a witch and that they were right.

opinion guy

shqipshume wrote: »

He knew tha way they are and still said it,I wouldnt call him smartest person in world.
Although is sad poor man

He wasn't predicting in saudi. He was predicting on lebanese tv. He went to saudi on pilgrimage. Its abit like if I went on holiday to saudi and they arrested me for having drunk alcohol in ireland before i went

shqipshume wrote: »

How long ago in christian civilization was someone attacked for been a witch :rolleyes:

Um did you read the link ?

OutlawPete

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Can we get the English to export Derren Brown over there?

oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please

Or how about those c*nts on TV3 after midnight that make thousands by asking viewers to phone in and answer easy questions yet never answer the phone. If I had my way they people behind that scam would be locked up for theft.

Calibos

How about the eejits who fund the founder of Irish Psychics Live's trip to outer space.

aligator_am

brenchman wrote: »

what if he is a witch?

Easy way to find out for sure is to put him on a weighing scales with a duck, if the weight is equal then........ A WITCH!!!!!

dr.bollocko

We're living in the 21st century and legitimate courts can still come up with this nonsense. It would be ludicrous were it not for the fact that an innocent man is to be put to death. Shocking. Ridiculous. I hope there is a wave of international condemnation. You can't politely choose to ignore a belief structure as loony as this when it starts to have a body count attached to it.

dr.bollocko

Interestingly that article says the guy is lebanese. And that his show is on lebanese tv... And he was only in Saudi on a pilgrimage...

wes

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Interestingly that article says the guy is lebanese. And that his show is on lebanese tv... And he was only in Saudi on a pilgrimage...

Will be interesting to see if the Lebanese government stand up to them on this, as the Sunni factions within that government are being backed by the Saudi's as a bulwark against Hezbollah.

SV

Oh dear.

Come on people..keep defending it.
We don't understand their culture sure! That's exactly what it is..

keano_afc

Careful now children, this is Islam we're talking about. Its a religion of peace and love remember.

OutlawPete

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Can we get the English to export Derren Brown over there?

oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please

Thought you were only reading thread titles today? Was looking forward to which TV presenter you were hoping this thread was in reference to

shqipshume

wes wrote: »

I would say they lack education, and there government keeps them poor despite the fact that the country is sitting on top of a lot of oil (which incidently applies to both countrys in question).



Good, and yourself?

I keep seeing that keep people poor and uneducated and they wont ever question or stand up for themselves


Thats good :)I am great thanks.

shqipshume

opinion guy wrote: »

He wasn't predicting in saudi. He was predicting on lebanese tv. He went to saudi on pilgrimage. Its abit like if I went on holiday to saudi and they arrested me for having drunk alcohol in ireland before i went



Um did you read the link ?

So he was like a man arrested there for saying it on other tv :eek: Is that allowed :mad:

Still dont see anything to do with western society killing people for witch craft.

wes

shqipshume wrote: »

I keep seeing that keep people poor and uneducated and they wont ever question or stand up for themselves

Part of the plan, I would assume.

dsmythy

wes wrote: »

Its still happening in certains part of Africa:
Saving Africa's Witch Children

**EDIT**
Just noticed, that the link was already posted.

Perhaps change the term Christian civilisation for Western civilisation.

shqipshume

wes wrote: »

Part of the plan, I would assume.

It is apparently was some documentry on it.

opinion guy

shqipshume wrote: »

So he was like a man arrested there for saying it on other tv :eek: Is that allowed :mad:

Still dont see anything to do with western society killing people for witch craft.

I feel the need to remind you of you're own posts since apparently you can't keep track:

shqipshume wrote: »

He knew tha way they are and still said it,I wouldnt call him smartest person in world.
Although is sad poor man

Here your blaming the guy and calling him thick. I pointed out to you that he was on a trip to another country and had not done this in that country and had no reason to suspect this would happen.

shqipshume wrote: »

How long ago in christian civilization was someone attacked for been a witch :rolleyes:

You said Christian civilisation. You didn't say western. Seriously pay attention would you ?

El Siglo

Jaysus can you imagine what they'd do to this chap if he tried his "sorcery" on them...

And he's Jewish!:D

shqipshume

opinion guy wrote: »

I feel the need to remind you of you're own posts since apparently you can't keep track:




Here your blaming the guy and calling him thick. I pointed out to you that he was on a trip to another country and had not done this in that country and had no reason to suspect this would happen.



You said Christian civilisation. You didn't say western. Seriously pay attention would you ?

I was blaming the guy lol ok

Sheesh would you stop pulling my pig tails i dont want you :rolleyes:

kowloon

The below clip is entirely responsible for me not being able to take witchcraft seriously.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5ntikaU

dr.bollocko

kowloon wrote: »

The below clip is entirely responsible for me not being able to take witchcraft seriously.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5ntikaU

How could anyone sane take witchcraft seriously?

BrokenArrows

i guess he didnt predict this coming.

Busi_Girl08

BrokenArrows wrote: »

i guess he didnt predict this coming.

Congratulations. You are the 10th person on this thread to make that joke.

Aaand over to Ruth with the prizes!!!!

kowloon

dr.bollocko wrote: »

How could anyone sane take witchcraft seriously?

I'm thinking that poor fecker from the TV is :eek:.

recedite

BrokenArrows wrote: »

i guess he didnt predict this coming.

As was already mentioned, he was on his holidays there, so he was obviously off duty and wasn't wearing his witches hat.

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

K-Ren

It wouldn't be the execution that I'd be miffed about, rather the fact that I'm a guy and they go and call me a witch- gosh, sorceror or wizard please!

joseph brand

My name is URL wrote: »

Islam, it's a hell of a cult

People say there's no such thing as time travel? Get on a plane and fly to the Middle East. You will exit the plane in the past. BACKWARDS!

Blazer

joseph brand wrote: »

People say there's no such thing as time travel? Get on a plane and fly to the Middle East. You will exit the plane in the past. BACKWARDS!

well you certainly went to the past to revive this thread..2 bloody years in fact