Comments on: Iranian Supreme Court Acquits Murderers Because They Killed the "Morally Corrupt"

Iranian Supreme Court Acquits Murderers Because They Killed the "Morally Corrupt"

shivohum — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:47:31 -0800

Iranian Supreme Court Acquits Murderers Because They Killed the "Morally Corrupt" "Iran's Islamic penal code...says murder charges can be dropped if the accused can prove the killing was done because the victim was morally corrupt. ... This is true even if the killer mistakenly identified the victim as corrupt. ... examples of moral corruption that do permit bloodshed, including armed banditry, adultery by a wife and insults to the Prophet Muhammad."

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:57:41 -0800

Yep. These guys so want much wanna participate in civilized society and work towards democratic reform so they can be more like us. Can't you tell? o.0 I haven't ever done the armed banditry thing, but I've committed adultery and insulted Muhammad before. Two out of three ain't bad. Heck, I've insulted Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Sol, I ain't picky. Does this mean I should be on the lookout for Islamic extremists who want to kill me as an infidel on their glorious Jihad for Allah? Color me impressed. Come to think of it, I can't remember actually insulting Muhammad. To be honest, I don't think it's ever come up. Guess I need to work on that. I just don't know enough about Islam to make fun of it. Not that that ever stopped me with the pagans.

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:03:41 -0800

I don't think I've insulted Mohammed, either. Mohammed was a jerk. *looks around shiftily*

By: delmoi

delmoi — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:12:58 -0800

Yep. These guys so want much wanna participate in civilized society and work towards democratic reform so they can be more like us. Can't you tell? No, only all the lower courts who upheld the convictions.

By: Azaadistani

Azaadistani — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:17:07 -0800

The Shari'a has got to be reformed or eliminated altogether. It is man-made law, and rather arbitrary. Regrettably, that reform must come from within, and will only occur when the madrassahs start attracting progressive people who question many of the dubious ahadith and reject retrograde interpretations of the Quran. That said, the two things that hearten me are 1) that the 3 lower courts all handed down guilty verdicts. It was the Supreme Court that came down with the ludicrous vedict; and 2) there is still one appeal left. Hopefully, the full bench of the Supreme Court will have better sense, and will not pull a Kennedy on the so-called 'partial birth' abortions.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:23:29 -0800

The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of six members of a prestigious state militia. That says it all. This has nothing to do with religion. It is politics and power hiding behind a religious smokescreen.

By: Arturus

Arturus — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:38:47 -0800

Iran's general population is one of the most westernized in the middle east. Their government is not. A key line from that article is the fact that the ruling "has produced anger and controversy, with lawyers calling it corrupt and newspapers giving it prominent coverage." My feeling is that iran is one of the best hopes for a stable, liberal democracy in the middle east, but it's a process which must be done internally and in their own manner. The traditions are in the society already, and foreign powers can encourage these, but to try and force anything in iran would just create backlash. Some good links posted on metachat the other day, about the culture of iran: one, two, three. On the flip side, we're buddy-buddy with the government of Saudi Arabia, which has one of the more repressed populations. But they give us oil, so it's okay.

By: davy

davy — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:11:36 -0800

I've insulted Muhammad, if calling him a pedophile counts as an insult. And I've never committed armed robbery either, but I have had adultery — with both sexes. What would a murderous Muslim fanatic need, an engraved invitation? Note that I fully realize that not all Muslims, or even all Muslim fanatics, are murderous, so hush.

By: Heywood Mogroot

Heywood Mogroot — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:44:38 -0800

These guys so want much wanna participate in civilized society and work towards democratic reform so they can be more like us "Those few abortionists were shot or, depending on your point of view, had a procedure with a rifle performed on them," XYZ told her audience, which responded with laughter. "I'm not justifying it," she continued, "but I do understand how it happened."

By: Heywood Mogroot

Heywood Mogroot — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:47:30 -0800

(apologies, my above is basically straight from a lefty blog, which I should have credited or something)

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:58:33 -0800

A new dam is due to open in southern Iran amid criticism it will flood an ancient site holding archaeological relics dating back 7,000 years.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:12:10 -0800

Yep. These guys so want much wanna participate in civilized society and work towards democratic reform so they can be more like us. Can't you tell? Yeah, so apples and oranges I'm sure, but this isn't exactly the week to be praising our own Supreme Court's avoidance of religiously-fueled anti-democratic decisions, is it.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:53:26 -0800

Which drum beat in the war song is this? I'm having some trouble getting the rhythm.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:07:14 -0800

I'm sorry, is this Metafilter? I think I must have entered http://www.freerepublic.org into my browser by accident. Funny.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:29:40 -0800

No, only all the lower courts who upheld the convictions. Exactly (and what Azaadistani said). This story doesn't tell us anything about what "these guys" want. It does tell us that the people at the highest reaches of government are still intractable jerks who will do whatever they can to preserve the tenets of the Islamic Revolution to control what's arguably an increasingly progressive populace. But that isn't exactly news to anyone. But, hey, if you want to insult Mohammed, cool, hilarious I guess this is thread for that! AMIRITE?

By: nofundy

nofundy — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 06:12:58 -0800

So now I see why Iran is on the axles of evil list. Dubya is jealous as hell.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:41:31 -0800

Mohammed was a jerk. *looks around shiftily* posted by Pope Guilty at 2:03 AM on April 20 [+] [!] Now that's eponysterical.

By: chunking express

chunking express — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:29:47 -0800

This thread is like reading LGF from the comfort of MetaFilter.

By: shivohum

shivohum — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:33:49 -0800

Yeah, so apples and oranges I'm sure, but this isn't exactly the week to be praising our own Supreme Court's avoidance of religiously-fueled anti-democratic decisions, is it. Hrm. As I recall, the partial-birth abortion ban was passed a democratically-elected federal Congress. The decision would then be read as democracy-affirming.

By: jdotglenn

jdotglenn — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:18:11 -0800

Article 102: The stoning of an adulterer or adulteress shall be carried out while each is placed in a hole and covered with soil, he up to his waist and she up to a line above her breasts. That's good, man. Real good. 'Cause when I'm throwing rocks at someone to death, I can't bear to view a bloody, bruised tittie. I may be aroused.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:27:01 -0800

The politicized religion that these people profess to practice is a nightmarish shadow of proper Islam.

By: ontic

ontic — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:51:52 -0800

This is plenty ghastly and wrong, though I do wonder what kind of numbers you'd get in the US with a poll question that asked, "Should murderers be given greater leniency in sentencing if it can be established that their victims were morally corrupt?" A disturbing number of my students think Boondock Saints is a morally praiseworthy movie.

By: pupdog

pupdog — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:55:25 -0800

Man, I was expecting at least ONE Boondock Saints reference. The internets are letting me down lately...

By: zouhair

zouhair — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:48:02 -0800

I think americans can have a word to say on this when the death penalty will be eradicated out there. Barbarians (most of you don't speak greek anyway) Oh yeah and this is has nothing to do with religion as sayed by eye of newt

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:48:49 -0800

murder charges can be dropped if the accused can prove the killing was done because the victim was morally corrupt. In Texas, this is called the "he needed killin'" murder defense. Why'd you shoot him? He needed killin'. All right, you acquitted. Go home. But don't you be killin' anyone that don't need it, ya' hear?

By: jayder

jayder — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:33:48 -0800

Cool Papa Bell --- you beat me to it. I was going to say that this Iranian legal principle, treated as exotic and backward by many commenters here, is not unfamiliar here in the States.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:43:20 -0800

McCain Starts a Band

By: shivohum

shivohum — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:59:32 -0800

I was going to say that this Iranian legal principle, treated as exotic and backward by many commenters here, is not unfamiliar here in the States. Yes, I've seen it endorsed in many US Supreme Court decisions. It's a bedrock of our legal system! The Iranian government is just trying to copy us...