RIYADH, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A senior Saudi cleric has said purveyors of horoscopes on Arab television should face the death penalty, a paper said on Sunday, days after another cleric argued death for TV owners.
"Sorcerers who appear on satellite channels who are proven to be sorcerers have committed a great crime ... and the Muslim consensus is that the apostate's punishment is death by the sword," Sheikh Saleh al-Fozan told al-Madina daily.
"Those who call in to these shows should not be accorded Muslim rites when they die," the prominent cleric added.
Many of the hundreds of Arab satellite channels have sprung up in recent years specialise in horoscopes and other advice to callers on solving problems that is seen as "sorcery".
In their capacity as judges, clerics of Saudi Arabia's austere form of Islam often sentence "sorcerers" to death.
40 comments
Dear exalted rulers of Saudiland,
This letter is to inform you that every single arab is a sorcerer. You need to begin the systematic cleansing of all arab states immediately.
Love, Allah.
So a Saudi who looks at horoscopes or watches re-runs of Eastenders should die.
There goes that religion of peace.
Oh, and sorcery doesn't exist.
Among fundies of any religion, everything is a crime and an abomination against their god.
What's next? Turnips are evil? Peanut butter is Satan's favorite dish?
When do they stop? When the earth is ash and bone and they grub among the ruins with the other cockroaches?
A senior Saudi cleric has said purveyors of horoscopes on Arab television should face the death penalty...
I can't really find it in myself to disagree with this.
...another cleric argued death for TV owners.
Theocracies ROCK
Interview with a Saudi cleric.
"Only WE can lie to you! That's how a monopoly works!"
True words.
"...another cleric argued death for TV owners."
A flat earth orbited by the sun and death to all Jews / Hindus / Atheists / Gays / Shiites, invisible Jinns....sure...but NO TV? What's next? No showers? No electricity? No sliced bread?
I wouldn't make fun of the Saudis if I were an American. From the outside it looks like the US is heading down that same road too!
My advice would be that Americans should look at France for a system of keeping religion and the State separate. Otherwise the US could he heading into a theocracy. Makes the blood run cold.
Only WE can use the media! Everyone else is a sorceror!
*eyeroll*
They're so backwards, they function in reverse.
A senior Saudi cleric has said purveyors of horoscopes on Arab television should face the death penalty
It's Saudi Arabia! They give away a death sentence with every happy meal.
They need a more Church of England Death or Cake attitude :)
Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you: the Pat Robertsons and Sarah Palins of Islam.
...and remember, the Saudis are supposed to be the major U.S. allies in the region -- they're helping us bring democracy !
""Those who call in to these shows should not be accorded Muslim rites when they die," the prominent cleric added."
This is fine. Every thing else is die in a fire
Horoscopes, and assstrology in general, are pure, unadulterated bullshit, so I can sort of sympathize with their solution, but then so is religion, so...
Simply put, astrologers and other such charlatans ("faith healers," "fortune tellers," "psychics," etc.) do not deserve death. I'd say that they deserve to have to pay a positively withering fine, and some of them deserve jail time for committing specific offenses of especially heinous fraud, and there might even be one or two who deserve to suffer mysterious injuries while in custody -- but death is going a bit too far.
EDIT: Come to think of it, though, certain medical quacks just might qualify, considering the results of people following their "treatments."
"Funny if you think about the fact that around 1000 years ago the islam was way more tolerant towards such things (other beliefs, pactices) than christianity ;)"
That's more of an indictment of christianity 1000 years ago...
Don't you know a ridiculous superstition when you see it?
Hmm, silly question now that I think of it.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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