The answer to the above question is clear; religion. No, it’s not because of the religion in the Middle East, it is because the society cannot separate religion from politics, governance and every element of society and many do not want to.
Religion, any religion, can be a very powerful force and when coupled with government and power seeking individuals it can be destructive and deadly. When there is no distinction between the two, power can be channeled by people using religion as their justification which must be accepted by society because society has no alternative when religion also governs every facet of daily life.
Religion should be personal and private in my view. It is beyond my comprehension and perhaps most westerners to understand the following news story. Why are governments afraid of freedom of speech except they fear their own legitimacy? As the world shrinks and information flows freer the problems of the Middle East will only grow. Like all those who seek unquestioned control, a scapegoat is needed to deflect criticism. In the case of the Middle East the political scapegoat is the Western world. To make matters worse there is growing conflict within societies and even among elements of the same religion.
How can there ever be what we in the West understand as democracy, how can there be peace, stability or respect for every individual? The future appears bleak in my opinion.
A Jeddah criminal court judge has sentenced Saudi Arabian journalist Raif Badawi to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for the crime of “insulting Islam.”
A screenshot of Amnesty International’s web coverage on Raif Badawi. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are among the global watchdog groups calling for Badawi’s freedom. Source: Amnesty International via Bloomberg
It could have gone worse for Badawi: Had the judge not thrown out the charge of apostasy, he would have received a death sentence.
He’ll probably survive the whipping only because it comes in four sessions with planned hospitalizations in between. He has until Sept. 6 to file an appeal.
Badawi, 30, is the co-founder and editor of the website saudiliberalnetwork.com, which encouraged people to post their thoughts about the role of religion and politics, among other things, in their lives. (No longer, however: The site has been shut down.)
via Saudi Court Condemns Editor to 600 Lashes With Breaks – Bloomberg.
According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of crimes including “adultery”, armed robbery, “apostasy”, drug smuggling, kidnapping, rape, “witchcraft” and “sorcery”. In case you didn’t know, apostasy
is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one’s former religion (apostasy) by a person who was previously a follower of Islam. Islamic scholarship differs on its punishment, ranging from execution – based on an interpretation of certain hadiths – to no punishment at all as long as they do not rebel against the Islamic society or religion. The majority of Muslim scholars hold to the traditional view that apostasy is punishable by death or imprisonment until repentance, at least for adult men of sound mind. [Wikipedia]
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