WE know fortune-telling is a load of old codswallop, but no sane society would ever sentence a person to death for engaging in this silly pastime.
Saudi Arabia, though, is a far from removed from sanity as it is possible to get – and right now a Lebanese “psychic” is languishing on death row in the Kingdom for having made predictions on satellite TV from his home in Beirut in 2008.
Ali Sibat’s “psychic” powers were clearly crap, for he failed to foresee that he would be arrested by Saudi religious police when he went on a pilgrimage to that basket-case of a country in May 2008
He was nabbed in Medina for practicing “witchcraft” on the tellie, and on November 9 was sentenced to death.
This week Human Rights Watch called for Sibat’s release, and also asked the Saudi government to stop:
Its increasing use of charges of ‘witchcraft’, crimes that are vaguely defined and arbitrarily used.
Sibat is one of scores of people reportedly arrested every year in the kingdom for practicing sorcery, witchcraft, black magic and fortune-telling.
According to this report, no officials could be reached to comment on Sibat’s case or offer information on how many death sentences have been issued in witchcraft-related cases.
Human Rights Watch report presented a series of cases in the country, including that of Saudi woman Fawza Falih, who was sentenced to death by beheading in 2006 for the alleged crimes of “witchcraft, recourse to jinn (supernatural beings)”, and animal sacrifice.
On November 2, 2007, Mustafa Ibrahim, an Egyptian pharmacist, was executed for sorcery in Riyadh after he was found guilty of having tried “through sorcery” to separate a married couple, said the rights group.
AlqamarDesigns, another of those barking websites which specialise in telling Muslims what is halal (acceptable) and haraam (forbidden) makes it clear that fortune-telling is “totally haraam”.
Whether it be visiting an astrologist, listening to his predictions, buying books on astrology, reading coffee/tea cups, superstition, reading one’s horoscope, tarot hands, or palm reading … these are all forbidden! Those who part-take in astrology and its likes come under the ruling contained in the Prophet’s (S) statement:
“Whoever approaches a fortune-teller and believes in what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad.” [Reported by Abu Hurayrah and collected by Ahmad and Abu Daawood]
“The Salaah (daily prayer) of the one who approaches a fortune-teller and asks him about anything will not be accepted for forty days and nights.” [Reported by Hafsah and collected by Muslim]
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever learns anything of astrology has learned a branch of witchcraft (al-sihr)…” [Abu Daawood]
This practice is so dangerous and evil that if one believes in the above mentioned practices, one runs the risk of falling out of the folds of Islam.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
November 25th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
This is a good one, isn’t it: “Practising witchcraft on TV”. It reminds me of something that I may have mentioned before – the fact that there was great opposition to the televising of the Coronation in 1953, because men might then be watching the service with their heads covered and women without wearing a hat! These religious types just tie themselves in knots with their stupid, pointless and arbitrary rules and regulations!!
November 25th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Fortune telling should get you laughed at, not killed.
November 25th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
PS Perhaps we could all club together and buy Derek Acorah a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia. (Just a thought!)
November 25th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Send Derek Acorah to Saudi Arabia now that is THE best idea I’ve heard all day
November 25th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I’m a think-tank, ZombieHunter!
November 26th, 2009 at 7:37 am
What’s a prophet if it isn’t a fortune-teller? And what’s Islam if it’s not a superstition? Talk about pot and kettle!
November 26th, 2009 at 8:26 am
This practice is so dangerous and evil [islam] that if one believes in the above mentioned practices, one runs the risk of falling out of the folds of [humanity].
fixed
November 26th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Robert you said it all!!!
November 26th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Just like the Catholics – the only imaginary creatures that you are allowed to talk to are the ones that WE make up!
November 26th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Note that the victim was not merely doing his nonsensical stuff on television but was doing it from his home in another country. Yet he’s sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia.
You know, rather like people are taken to the cleaners in the UK libel courts by foreign potentates for things published abroad.
Small world, innit?
November 26th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Yes, Brian; I shall be very wary of visiting the Isle of Wight in future! You never know – I may, at some point in my life, have inadvertently transgressed one of whatever mediaeval laws might still operate there!!
November 26th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Truly crazy. The fact that the guy accused was himself practising woo doesn’t make it any better. I’ve mentioned these modern day witch hunts in my blog:
http://carnifexinsania.blogspo.....hunts.html
November 26th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Who here has not done something that would get them executed in Saudi Arabia if you went there* and got prosecuted for it?
*ok, why would you unless you were feeling suicidal…
Iran takes the biscuit though: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/S.....e/ShowFull if you have not seen this one, get ready to be incensed.
December 12th, 2009 at 9:37 am
On the other hand, the Chinese embraces fortune telling. The art has been around for thousands of years.