Saudi court condemns 'tattoo king' to jail, lashes

Joe Xuereb

Jul 18th 2012, 20:56

@Charles Grixti (17th July 17:54). Mr. Grixti, you ask how can a country be democratic that....

It is quite simple really. Basically, any society that follows strict religious rule is going to be in conflict even with such basic things as electing one political party over another. Unless of course they both bow strictly to the main belief system. In which case, why bother. Better stick to one unelected ruler and learn to put up with it, or collude, or rebel and pay the price, or be a hypocrite (but it is risky). Or come to London for a long weekend, let your hair down whichever way you fancy, and then return home all holy and pious and make sure you have no tell-tale clues that give the game away - like love bites, an aura about one of carnal sin, lipstick on the collar, dreaming loudly where others can hear you.....you get the picture. Because make no mistake, a man's got to do what a man's got to do!

So! a democracy in certain countries is a hope too far. Even in newly-liberated countries like Egypt and Libya, the settling of scores still holds sway. Certainly no Party elected (of two or three) is going to keep everybody happy. Sounds familiar?! Malta is a democratic country. Isnt it?! And yet the conflicts that assail the electorate in fundamentalist societies are not unknown in Malta, albeit in a milder form. We used to take Draconian action against the transgressor, the priestly abusers of children (although there probably are no records of this), the heretics. But the Vatican and the bishops are more benign now and are more concerned about getting back the congregations of old.

Malta is very Western, democratic, EU member, and purportedly, Secular. Despite a freely elected Party (the PN in this case) conflicts of interest among Parliament members and the electorate arise, and the PM dithers. Examples of this were the divorce debate and gay rights. These create an impasse because of the religious - that is what it is, basically - affiliations. Nothing wrong with those of course except that one would have to re-define democracy. Some things just aren't compatible. Even in Malta. Especially in Malta. In spite of us looking West. And in particular, we must not run away with the idea that democracy, once installed, is workable. As we all know, even the most democratic societies have their glitches to overcome, or aid and abet.

henry caruana

Jul 18th 2012, 12:10

The best ever logical action Saudi took

Wenzu Vella

Jul 18th 2012, 08:08

They are simply backward. Women are not allowed to drive a car. Talk to a man without a chaperon present. And another thousand idiotism of sort. The Saudis are No 2 allies of the US in the Middle East after Israel. Another oppressive land grabbing country.

Both countries cannot seem to do anything wrong in the eyes of Washington because the Saudis have plenty of oil and buy billions of dollars of military hardware from America. The Jews get their military hardware FREE because the Jewish lobby controls American politics.

Morana Axisa

Jul 18th 2012, 08:07

Oh pleaseeeeeee. And this is supposed to be a 'civilised' country? Civilised my foot!!

Mr Pierre Portelli

Jul 18th 2012, 07:12

This is a country that is one of the US greatest allies!

Martin Cassar

Jul 18th 2012, 00:41

Pre - civilizations tattoos were used as a method for identification, latter on tattoos were used only to write the names and addresses of illiterate people. Today many world wide respectful entities ban their employees for having such backwardness!

Joe Xuereb

Jul 18th 2012, 00:05

@Charles Grixti (17th July 17:54). Mr. Grixti, sitting outside Tesco(supermarket) this afternoon, I chatted to a Kuwaiti guy with boxes of beer-bottles (full ones) at his feet. Not a refugee but a moneyed tourist. Alcohol is unavailable so in Kuwait so he comes to London regularly to make up for it. He was young and vigorous and I wouldn't be surprised if he did NOT turn his nose up at our ladies of the night. You have them in Gżira and thereabouts too I believe, the kuwaitis AND the ladies.

And this is Kuwait, never mind Saudi Arabia. Or Qatar that has just inaugurated the Shard building in London with a hefty percentage of Qatari money. There was the Prime Minister of the country rubbing shoulders with our very own Prince Andrew, second son of the monarch. The subsidy? yes, provided no outlets will be allowed that have any connection to either gambling or alcohol. Welcome to Qatar in London! Welcome to the Cable Car system that takes one from one side of the river to the other, in a state of the art cable car, for a hefty fare. And called Emiratesairlines. Emeratesairline.co.uk is where it is at. Plus at least two underground stations in East London, where development and re-development has been going on for years, plus now the Olympic Village, Stratford, and so on. Two stations with the word Emirates incorporated in them.
With rising temperatures - I successfully grow, here in London, both hibiscus and bougainvillea, very Mediterranean, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't start cultivating palm trees very soon for a more genuine-looking effect; and these alongside the many mosques already in situ. Including a magnificent one in that most British of institutions, Regent's Park. An Englishman - they can be so sweetly naive when not part of the ruling class - said to me, 'but it is inside the outer edge!'. God give me patience!


Saudi Arabia is tough on laxity of contact between men and women; and I mean normal interaction between the sexes, as in, in a park or a cafe'. The punishments are dire and so is the effect this has on healthy young men and women and their psyche. Some come to London to vent their frustrations. Others, at the other extreme, are duped into becoming terrorists. And the huge numbers in between? I do not know how they cope. A lot of hypocrisy no doubt, and child sexual abuse, violence within the family because what happens in the family remains in the family such is the fear of ANY exposure. People end up policing themselves in this atmosphere. Not a very healthy atmosphere, that is for sure.

Which brings me to the devout, in their thousands, in their super-rich ghettoes around Marble Arch and Queensway, and soon no doubt, buying up the fifty million pound apartments in the Shard that no Britisher would buy as there is no pub in the basement. These people - some of whom do drink and frequent women, no doubt, and I know this from first-hand experience - are exposed all the time to billboards the likes of which have been discussed in the ToM over the last couple of days.
How do they reconcile their strict view of women with this practically naked women in adverts, magazines, newspapers, films, television and last but not least, the local woman who go about with the flimsiest of cheap little-girl dresses from the sweat-shops, dresses that go down to here and up to here(if you see what I mean). A sight for sore eyes especially if one is not allowed to look, never mind tough. It begs the question - how do these men go through the day anywhere, deprived are they are from something as basically natural as their sexuality (and I say this as someone dead against any sexual promiscuity for its own sake), anywhere and especially in the West where we let it all hang out? Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous! And this has no effect on a man who is not allowed to 'engage' until after he is married. And then what?! Problem forever solved? I do not think so. And yet I can think of one religion that is quite akin to all this, albeit without the draconian punishments. Many Maltese reckon we'd be better off in a country like some countries in the Middle East. Why! even one MP said he's rather live in Iran than vote for divorce (last year). A bit of a slip there but his religious apologists excused him because it was only hyperbole. Which is a misuse of the figure of speech and what he said, he said. And it will stick, hyperbole or not.

Mark Brincat

Jul 17th 2012, 17:57

Kemm ghadhom lura

Charles Grixti

Jul 17th 2012, 17:54

What I do not understand is how can Democratic countries consider S. Arabia and other such Islamic run places as allies and even supply them with arms? Either the so called Democratic countries do not really believe in democracy and admire totalitarianism and they just pay lip-service to Human Rights to satisfy the cretinous or they are willing to overlook anything if there is good money to be made - my guess is that both these assumptions are correct.

Joseph Bartolo

Jul 17th 2012, 16:44

One interesting observation is that so much in this world seems to depend on the "fashion" at the time.

In a book I read recently about the Great Siege of Malta of 1565, one of the Turks (Moslems) was described as having various tattoos on his body relating to his military career. If I am not mistaken he was a Janisssary (which was a corps made up of ex-Christians who were trained to fight for Islam (after being converted of course)). So at that time (unless the author had it wrong) it seems that it was ok to be Moslem and have a tattoo - actually it added to the respect one was accorded.

Another conclusion one could perhaps draw is that there is more than one interpretation of Islam and different rules apply in different countries.