Somali Islamists Cut Off Hands and Feet of 4 Thieves
An Islamic court in Somalia on Thursday cut off a hand and foot from each of four men convicted of stealing phones and guns, drawing hundreds of onlookers as the weeping men were punished at a military camp.
The Shariah court that carried out the sentences is run by the powerful insurgent group al-Shabab, which is trying to topple Somalia’s U.N.-backed government and install a strict form of Islam.
“The men were bleeding and crying when the man cut their hands and feet off with a long knife,” said one witness, Liban Ali. Journalists were not allowed to cover the sentencing. The four were convicted earlier this week in the capital, Mogadishu.
The U.S. considers al-Shabab a terrorist group with links to al-Qaida, which al-Shabab denies. The group, which controls much of Somalia, is joined by hundreds of foreign fighters.
Somalis traditionally observe Sufi Islam, a relatively moderate form of worship. But in recent years, insurgents have begun to follow austere Wahabi Islam — rooted in Saudi Arabia and practiced by Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 when the overthrow of a dictatorship plunged the country into chaos. A surge in violence in recent weeks, which diplomats said is a major push by the insurgents to force the government out of its Mogadishu strongholds, has killed about 225 people.
Boy, and our criminals cry about how unfairly we are treating them if we try to limit the amount of cable television they can watch while in jail.