Crime and Punishment in the Middle East

The advancement of social justice and freedom is something that we here in the West often take for granted.  Our struggle against the oppressions of the Catholic Church are hundreds of years old and we now view the idea that religion should dictate law as being dangerous to the social order and unhealthy for the thinking individual.  But there are still areas of the world where witch hunts and large-scale oppression still exist.  The Middle East is dealing with this particular issue all across its many countries and even the change of regimes seems to have little effect in setting things right.  The rule of religion, until it is directly challenged, will continue to use the barbaric remnants of medieval justice, keeping these countries firmly in the past.

One recent example of this concerns atheists in the country of Saudi Arabia.  Though the number of those who choose not to follow Islam is on the rise, the country punishes those who do not adhere to its strict Sunni Muslim rhetoric.  Atheists are viewed as immoral and dangerous people and if found out can be subject to punishment both legal and by the rule of the mob.  Being fired from your job, ostracized from the community and beaten in the street by “proper religious folks” are not uncommon occurrences.

Another example shows that just because a group struggles for change, it doesn’t mean that change is for the better.  Syrian rebels were recently implicated in the public execution of a 15-year-old kid who just happened to say something that nearby Muslims didn’t care for.  He used the name of the Prophet Muhammad in a way they saw as blasphemous, so they dragged him away, beat him and then shot him in the mouth, killing him.  These sorts of extreme and irrational actions make one wonder whether the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria is really for the best.

Religion plays an important role for many across the world, but when that religion prompts people to act barbarically and is misinterpreted for the sake of exercising power, it becomes a detriment to growth.  Most Muslims do not condone violence, but still some insist that murder and oppression is a fundamental part of Islam.  If they do not change this, the Middle East is likely doomed to remain in the past for decades to come and peace will not be found until the land is covered in the blood of innocents.

Syrian rebels photo courtesy of Scott Bobb via Wikicommons