A man has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft because he makes predictions on television. 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.
Which century are we living in again, remind me..?
well spotted.
Speechless.
This is rediculous… I thought this whole witchcraft **** was over and done with back centuries a go but apparently not. This man has done nothing wrong in my opinion and to be sentenced to death for “witchcraft” is a joke.
I’m seriously in ‘wtf’. Some stupid country fails to have an understanding so takes a man’s life for what?.. Can’t a professional from another country get involved? So this guy is actually going to die, no matter what? This is ridiculous, that country is performing immorality, let’s sentence them to a war. (joke) ….
I forwarded this story on to Amnesty International, I’m sure they’re already aware but shouldn’t somebody be making more noise about this? By what system of values is this regime not counted as being in the same league as that of Saddam Hussein?
“This is ridiculous… I thought this whole witchcraft **** was over and done with back centuries a go but apparently not. This man has done nothing wrong in my opinion and to be sentenced to death for “witchcraft” is a joke.”
I completely agree that it’s ridiculous, but the whole witchcraft thing is quite a problem all over the world – e.g. ‘witch’ children in africa who are beaten and killed, or perhaps more innocuously, the terrifying proportion of America that won’t let their kids read Harry Potter because of all the satanic witch craft in it… o_O
What’s wrong with being a witch anyway? Haven’t they seen Bewitched? Or Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler? Witches aren’t so bad. I would like to see how they’d react to the illusion of 3-D Derren leaning out of their televisions at them.
History is not in the past indeed.
Wont those people know about this on forehand I wonder? I myself dont visit countries where the past is still a bit too much alive. I would not feel at home. And I dont like to adapt to things that are conflicting with my own insights, moral etc.
“By what system of values is this regime not counted as being in the same league as that of Saddam Hussein?”
They have oil?
It goes on everywhere. A customer of mine was hounded out of America for bringing her daughter up as pagan. The school was found guilty of persecution and her daughters life was threatened by the teachers – parents of fellow students etc…. Disgusting. It was on CNN. and the case only completed in 2004. So this comes as no surprise.
I’m guessing we’ll not be seeing the ‘Enigma’ Saudi dates announced anytime soon then…, Though I am taking contributions for Derek Acorah’s flight ticket if anyone’s interested.
This has to be overturned in the 21st century, surely…
Just an absolute disgrace
He should play them at there own game and say that he will put an unbreakable curse anyone who attempts to kill or have him killed.
I adressed the issue over here, asking Dr.Muhamad Mugraby to appeal for this case of Ali Sibat with Amnesty Int. and the European Court of human rights. (feel free to copy and do the same!)
http://www.mugraby.com/contact.html
I´m pretty sure Dr. Muhamad Mugraby is aware of the issue since he is a Lebanese human right lawyer, who fought the battle himself because of being convicted by the military government of lebanon for slandering. He succesfully appealed to Amnesty International to judge against his own confiction by the military. He also is trying to enter´ the European court of human rights so action can be taken, by bringing the bad human-right conditions under the attention of Europe. Lebanon has this and a few convenants with European nation which clearly state that the human rights should be respected incl. freedom of expr.
My previous message seem to have dissapeared?
Msg from Abeo: Sorry it got caught in the spam filter, should be showing above now
It’s actually ridiculous. So he predicted things. WOW! We aren’t in Medieval (spelling??) times anymore. It’s the 21st Century for crying out loud!
Good grief, if we had this form of punishment over here for people who predict things etc, death row would be one very long row indeed!
LC x
You might as well say that every weatherman, every gambler, and every child who gets involved in a guessing game is a witch too! Has anyone even bothered to check whether any of this man’s predictions came true? Actual witches don’t cause any harm to anyone anyway (If you do try to harm anyone with a so-called spell A: It will not work and B: You’re not considered a witch, because harming people is against the Wiccan Rede.)
Well done to ReliegiousMarie, by the way. Something has to be done about this!
I trust Derren will not be going on Hajj any time soon!
The sad thing is I’ve spent time in Saudi Arabia and it’s a beautiful country with wonderful people. They deserve better from their authorities, this sort of thing does nothing for their standing in the world. And as Custodians of the Two Holy Mosques they have no right to police the morals of people from other countries, this is their (parallel) religious authorities trying to extend their moral reach to the rest of the world.
And by the way no-one who knows the region ever thought that Hussein’s regime in Iraq was in any way uniquely deserving of international intervention. As a secular nasty dictatorship it was quite the opposite to certain other countries in the region.
harming people is against the Wiccan Rede lmaooo
It doesn’t surprise me in the least. I used to live in Suadi years ago, when I was little. I remember going on a tour through the old part of Jeddah on a day they were carrying out public punishments. They stopped the bus and made all the tourists get out and stand near the front whilst they cut 1 mans hand off and beheaded another. Can still see it in my head, something I will never forget! But you would have thought the Lebonese Government/Foreign Office would have stepped in and tried to have the man exradited instead. Also someone posted before about trying to get the European Courts of Human Rights involved, surely they would have no juridiction whatsoever in Saudi and I very much doubt the Saudi Government would b interested in hearing from them. What it needs is global awareness and then global leaders put pressure on Saudi
@AlanC, sure you as a civilian can do very little but adressing it helps. Dr.Muhamad Mugraby has been here before as a human-rights-lawyer…and he has appealed with his own case with Amnesty Int. and the European Court. succesfully.
Your right about Saudie´s little interest and it being good to bring this under the awareness of int. leaders. That´s what this man is trying to do so hard, you know?
well, thank god I live in the greatest country ever, America. We definitely learned out lesson about religious intolerance, the ludicrous notion of witchcraft, and hate towards those that don’t believe what we do. it was a little thing called the Salem witch trials, and we LEARNED gosh-darnit. Our country’d never back intolerance, religious persecution, and fear based hate these day’s. Except of course Harry potter, Gay-marriage, our desire to police the rest of the world(totally our right), abortion. We aren’t hypocritical, we are AMERICA, and we are better than the rest of you, and we know it.
Is it that interested in global awareness? or just happy to conserve the old values (kill whatever you cant handle, dont understand or may endanger your viewpoint)? in de name of whatever god is available, ofcourse.
Hi Alan,
sorry I completely misread your comment!
Yes global awareness is needed!
Let’s hang every Saudie that predicts an increase in oil prices.
This is horrible to hear! I think that we should make this publicly known…
At least I know that I am not going to Saudi Arabia, I do not fancy being on death row for using mind manipulation.
WITCHCRAFT! Get into the 21st century, scary countries and people there in the middle east.
What is there what we can do?