The Religious Policeman

"Insultin' Sultan" assures us that our judiciary are independent, ruled only by "God and His book".

Sultan Avows Judiciary’s Independence

Well, that's good to know, especially coming from a man who takes such a close personal interest in Third World youth, if you know what I mean. But I don't suppose his activities will ever come up in court.

The first problem with our legal system is that there are no laws. You see, it was all written down in the Quraan 1400 years ago. That was the final and definitive word, no need for any updates. So it covers everything including traffic laws, the Internet, cloning, medical technology, TV and broadcasting, etc. etc. How? Don't ask me, I would need to go to the Imam University to find that out, but I would fail the "drool test" needed to get in.

The second problem is that the courts are not open to the public, and there are no published proceedings. So even if you want to find out how it works, you can't. For all the general public knows, they could decide cases by tossing coins, racing cockroaches, or reading the entrails of a baby goat.

Which is why the average Saudi citizen faces the prospect of legal action with horror.

The same meeting also produced this little aside

Earlier, addressing the seminar’s opening session, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, the grand mufti and chairman of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars, blasted Western media reports linking Islam with terrorism.

Well excuse me, but when the terrorists in question invariably shout "Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest)" before they blow up or shoot their next set of victims, this does suggest a link between their terrorism and Islam. They don't sound like Catholics to me.