# I predict a beheading for sorcery **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 1, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596 "2010-04-01T17:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/1 "2010-04-01T17:10:52Z")
I can’t believe that in the 21st Century of the Common Era, that a human being is going to be beheaded for sorcery…because the poor schmuck made predictions of the future on TV. Why he’s a veritable anti-christ (granted the term doesn’t apply in that culture). Seriously, when I hear things like this I am pushed to the brink of my own civility and I start to wish for places that “host” this type of insanity to be levelled and built anew. We should be redoubling efforts to get off the oil dependence so we can shun these bastards once and for all. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/2 "2010-04-01T17:21:49Z")
Who are you to judge another culture? Why should we impose our values on other cultures? etc. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/3 "2010-04-01T17:21:58Z")
[Linky-poo.](http://www.qatarliving.com/node/978486) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/4 "2010-04-01T17:24:02Z")
If they were merely beheading him for being a phony psychic, I could possibly get behind it. That they’re taking it seriously, though, just makes me sad for everyone involved. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/5 "2010-04-01T17:37:26Z")
Oh, glad you’re here, **Vinny**! Listen, if you feel a sharp stabbing pain like a huge needle going through you…my bad. Sorry. Won’t happen again. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/6 "2010-04-01T17:39:57Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > Who are you to judge another culture? > > Why should we impose our values on other cultures? > > etc. I call 'em as I see 'em. They’re happy to criticize our decadent culture. Regardless, I happen to believe that sort of cruelty should have no part in any culture. I start to regard that culture as not deserving consideration. I might feel differently if I had a hint that the majority of that culture also felt it was cruel and needless but that they were too afraid to fight it, either by ballot or by force. I get no such vibe. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/7 "2010-04-01T17:43:28Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Oh, glad you’re here, **Vinny**! Listen, if you feel a sharp stabbing pain like a huge needle going through you…my bad. Sorry. Won’t happen again. Seems like a “tiny prick” joke is in order, but perhaps not on this holiest of holy days. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/8 "2010-04-01T17:45:38Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Seems like a “tiny prick” joke is in order, but perhaps not on **this holiest of holy days**. Good Friday Eve? 😕😕 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/9 "2010-04-01T17:46:21Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I can’t believe that in the 21st Century of the Common Era, that a human being is going to be beheaded for sorcery… It’s not the 21st Century. It’s Saudi Arabia, and they’d be making progress if they joined the 19th Century. I’d settle for, say, 1850. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/10 "2010-04-01T17:47:20Z")
It’'s even worse than I suspected. The guy didn’t even commit the crime in Saudi Arabia. It was televised from Lebanon and they arrested him when he came to visit SA. Nice. I guess John Edwards would also be beheaded if he visited that country. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/11 "2010-04-01T17:49:31Z")
Marley, I think you are being overly generous in your estimation of their advancement. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/12 "2010-04-01T17:50:32Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > It’'s even worse than I suspected. The guy didn’t even commit the crime in Saudi Arabia. It was televised from Lebanon and they arrested him when he came to visit SA. Nice. I guess John Edwards would also be beheaded if he visited that country. What’s interesting is that it seems like the appellate court was itself faintly embarassed by the whole thing - sending it back to the trial court with an instruction to give the accused a chance to recant sounds like a not-bad way of saying “come on - it may not be politically possible for us to scrap this nonsense, but let’s try and avoid actually killing this man.” ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/13 "2010-04-01T17:52:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s not the 21st Century. It’s Saudi Arabia, and they’d be making progress if they joined the 19th Century. I’d settle for, say, 1850. Boy, that’s giving them credit. They only got dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 1400s not too long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/14 "2010-04-01T17:52:20Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > It’'s even worse than I suspected. The guy didn’t even commit the crime in Saudi Arabia. It was televised from Lebanon and they arrested him when he came to visit SA. Nice. I guess John Edwards would also be beheaded if he visited that country. And he was visiting Saudi Arabia to do the Hajj, i.e., make the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is an obligation on all Muslims able to do it. So he is being executed as an indirect result of carrying out his duty as a Muslim. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/15 "2010-04-01T17:52:59Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s not the 21st Century. It’s Saudi Arabia, and they’d be making progress if they joined the 19th Century. I’d settle for, say, 1850. BC or AD ? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/16 "2010-04-01T17:57:46Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I guess John Edwards would also be beheaded if he visited that country. See, they’re not all bad. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/17 "2010-04-01T17:58:51Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Marley, I think you are being overly generous in your estimation of their advancement. > [@Clothahump](#): > > Boy, that’s giving them credit. They only got dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 1400s not too long ago. I said they’d be making progress if they _joined_ the 19th Century, not that they’re there now. Killing people for witchcraft has more of a middle ages vibe, really, so they’re at least a century or two behind that. A civilized country would have put this guy on a scale to see if he weighed as much as a duck. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/18 "2010-04-01T18:03:51Z")
If we were anywhere but the Snuggly Kitten forum, I’d apologise, Marley. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/19 "2010-04-01T18:09:41Z")
[QUOTE=Clothahump] Boy, that’s giving them credit. They only got dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 1400s not too long ago. [/QUOTE] Not like we’re any further along. 85% of the US population believes in God, which is hardly any less ridiculous than sorcery. > [@Giles](#): > > And he was visiting Saudi Arabia to do the Hajj, i.e., make the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is an obligation on all Muslims able to do it. So he is being executed as an indirect result of carrying out his duty as a Muslim. He was visiting Mecca on the umrah, not the _Hajj_. _Umra(h)_ is a sort of mini-Hajj - there are fewer rituals to perform once you get there, and you don’t dye your beard, you just get a haircut (or shave your head). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596/20 "2010-04-01T18:13:01Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He was visiting Mecca on the umrah, not the _Hajj_. _Umra(h)_ is a sort of mini-Hajj - there are fewer rituals to perform once you get there, and you don’t dye your beard, you just get a haircut (or shave your head). Thanks for the correction. It doesn’t really change my point, however. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-predict-a-beheading-for-sorcery/534596.md?page=2)