In continuation to my entry on the 5th , Mukhlas and the two other people convicted of the bombing in Bali are currently in a prison cell, awaiting the day of their execution. Today, Mukhlas and his accomplices demanded a different execution method: decapitation rather than being shot—which they say is against the Islamic law (littlegreenfootballs.com).
What really caught my attention was not the article itself, but the comments left by other readers. There were comments such as: “Wrap them in pigskin, dip the bullets in pig fat, and shoot them anyway”, “Can they be suffocated in pigskin?” or “force-fed lard until their arteries burst?” Of all the comments (there were 190 when I last checked), similar comments dominated.
Talk about cruel and insensitive! Not only do we want to inflict physical pain on them, we try to offend their religion too!
While I agree that the Bali bombers have crossed the line, this is not quite the reaction I had expected from a nation who’s Supreme Court, just yesterday, pondered whether execution by lethal injection is too “cruel and unusual”. I feel that this is very hypocritical. While we sympathize with our own prisoners, simultaneously, we try to come up with harsh and offensive punishments for foreign prisoners the same time.
4 comments:
I agree that the response seems very hypocritical and over the top. I don't think that thinking like that and dissing on another religion will solve any problems, since it just leads to more dislike and ill feelings.
While decapatation might teach a dramatic lesson, I still feel that it is inhumane, and that any form of the death penalty is too extreme a punishment. Besides, it seems that life imprisonment is more of a punishment for an evil deed.
I actually had a really good laugh reading through the comments. Some of those are so ridiculous. I guess these people have no lack of creativity when it comes to punishing other people.
In one respect, I don't feel that the prisoners have the right to determine the method of punishment they should receive (being that it is not cruel or unusual), but be it that they do get to decide proves what I posted on my blog. Terrorists and criminals from other countries do not fear the US and are more likely to strike us because they know that our democracy protects human rights. It makes us more vulnerable to attacks, but we do indeed need to draw some lines. Unnecessarily offending their religion not only offends the prisoners, but the Muslims that have done nothing wrong. That would only bring about more anti-Americanism.
Wow...i totally agree with you! It is soooo sad that people are treating others like this. I wish America could move on and get over their hypocritical state of mind.
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