Fayadh had publicly blasphemed
A Saudi court has sentenced a Palestinian poet to death for apostasy.
The religious police first detained Fayadh in August 2013 after receiving a complaint that he was cursing against Allah and the prophet Muhammad, insulting Saudi Arabia and distributing a book of his poems that promoted atheism. Fayadh said the complaint arose from a personal dispute with another artist during a discussion about contemporary art in a cafe in Abha.
He was released on bail after one day but the police arrested him again on 1 January 2014, confiscating his ID and detaining him at a police station until he was transferred to the local prison 27 days later. According to Fayadh’s friends, when the police failed to prove that his poetry was atheist propaganda, they began berating him for smoking and having long hair.
“They accused me [of] atheism and spreading some destructive thoughts into society,” said Fayadh. He added that the book, Instructions Within, published in 2008, was “just about me being [a] Palestinian refugee … about cultural and philosophical issues. But the religious extremists explained it as destructive ideas against God.”
The case went to trial in February 2014 when the complainant and two members of the religious police told the court that Fayadh had publicly blasphemed, promoted atheism to young people and conducted illicit relationships with women and stored some of their photographs on his mobile phone.
Not bad for the 11th century.
For “conducted illicit relationships with women and stored some of their photographs on his mobile phone” read “had some friends and colleagues who were women”.
Well hey, Bob, this is the 11th century, so having friends and colleagues who are women is TOTALLY illicit. It’s illicit even for women, let alone men. All women are supposed to be friendless and colleagueless, so of course all friendships and colleagueships are illicit. THIS IS THE 11TH CENTURY.
A Saudi ‘COURT’?
One needs a system of rational jurisprudence in order to have a court.