UK pensioner Karl Andree faces 360 lashes over Saudi wine

So this news report caught my attention and it seems that this could have been happening to other unlucky people be caught in the trap of Sharia law which I thought only applied to the Islamic people of that country. Anyway I hope he get home alive and back to his family if not severely traumatized.

www.bbc.co.uk...

news.sky.com...

I really hope this guy gets home too. Sharia Law, (peacefully) coming to a city near you.

Since there's supposed to be a summary...

A UK pensioner caught with homemade wine in Saudi Arabia could receive 360 lashes - a punishment his family say would kill him.

It would seem the poor fella is suffering from three types of Cancer and the Home Office are doing everything they can to bring him home. He's already been in jail a year and his family were led to believe he wouldn't receive lashes due to his advanced years but it seems that is now in question

I think everyone should really pay attention to local laws when the go anywhere, Sharia or otherwise...

a reply to: Tindalos2013

Can you give more data in your post about what happened? I don't click on most links, so have to read or see what the thread is about from the OP and comments. He apparently did something with wine (drinked it? sold it? gave it to a woman?), got into trouble, and is going to be scourged like Jesus. Sounds like overkill-with-a-whip saudi-style.

a reply to: Tindalos2013

When in Rome and all that.

I don't know of anyone who has visited Saudi Arabia who hasn't been aware of their laws and the consequences of breaking them.

What does annoy me is that we don't apply the same maxim here in the UK and we have a tendency to pander to minorities.
There have been cases where people who have committed crimes here in the UK have been treat leniently because their cultural practices run contrary to UK law or they have even alleged that were ignorant of UK law, that is totally unacceptable.

I saw this last night and although it sounds like something horrible but the simple truth of the matter was the was caught breaking a law that he was fully aware was taken very seriously in the country he was in.

If you live in a country then you should repect and abide by the rules of that country regardless of the laws and culture of your native land, if you try to apply your rules to another country and are caught you should expect to be dealt with accordingly.

I have heard many people spouting this about the laws in the UK and USA and those from other cultures who choose to live there, is this not exactly the same?

a reply to: Aleister

He was caught transporting alcohol in Saudi arabia which is against the law.

He has been sentanced in accordance with there laws, something he would have been very aware of but I imagine asumed given that he was British and elderly he would be able to get away with.

He diddn't

Thanks. So here we have an entire country of people that must be so uptight and worried about doing anything wrong (i.e. fun). An odd bunch of despots ruling the sand.

a reply to: Aleister

It is simply there culture and law? As I said would we not expect someone from Saudi to abide by our laws if choosig to live in our country?

The gentleman in question chose to break a law knowing full well what the punishment was and got caught, he was not forced to live in a counrty were alcohol was illegal he chose to and then got caught breaking the law.

It really is that simple.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: Tindalos2013

Can you give more data in your post about what happened? I don't click on most links, so have to read or see what the thread is about from the OP and comments. He apparently did something with wine (drinked it? sold it? gave it to a woman?), got into trouble, and is going to be scourged like Jesus. Sounds like overkill-with-a-whip saudi-style.

I posted a snippet since the OP didn't include one, giving the gist of it...

Some left wing apologists here in Canada think that Steven Harper's the bad guy in trying to ban the niqab when women take the oath of citizenship or at the polling station.
Gawd, what a f@#$ed up world we live in.

a reply to: Cynic

What relavance does that have to the Op and a British citizen being arrested for breaking the law in Saudi Arabia?

a reply to: Tindalos2013

And The "west" is allied with these barbarians.
And at the same time it tries to overthrow secular governments like Libia, Syria, Egypt and so on because they do "bad things to people".

what a beautiful and diverse culture!

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse

Sad thing is, if he had consent from the parents to marry their 10 year old daughter he could be sleeping with her and not get into any trouble at all. Yet he enjoys a drink and gets whipped?

I'm all for respecting other country's laws but at what point do you stop common sense from popping its head in?

Praise Allah I guess?

Any land under Shariah Law will not be seeing any of my tourist dollars.
Call me prejudiced.

Assad= evil brutal dictator that must be removed even at the expense of power vacuums that create groups like ISIS

Saudi Arabia = Good, righteous allies and defenders of freedom in the ME


Can anyone see the hypocrisy in UK forign policy here?

Kinky old codger. He knew the law. Unfortunately he has underestimated the extent of the resulting kinky whipping he will get.

On a serious note there will be the same debate of he knows their laws and it's barbaric.

Let's keep it simple in the future. Avoid these places that are going to offend you and your culture. Be it a western who loves the wine...don't go to somewhere with sharia law. Or any extremist muslim/Christians etc don't travel to places that makes you so offended you are ready to blow your assistance up.

The fact is the world we live in is messed up. In an ideal world it wouldn't. But it is. Sad

He knew the laws and what he would receive if he didn't follow them to the letter, he lived there happily for 25 years

Mr Andree's son Simon told the BBC his father had "enjoyed living in Saudi Arabia for 25 years and has been very happy there".
He said he understood the laws and regretted what had happened.
"But he should be released," he said. "My mother has dementia and is deteriorating quite rapidly and my father really wants to come back and see her."

If you are going to go live in a barbaric country whose punishment is death, and not a nice painless death, you better keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times.

"Ministers and senior officials have raised Mr Andree's case with the Saudi government and we are actively seeking his release as soon as possible."
The Foreign Office website warns that penalties for possessing alcohol in Saudi Arabia are "severe".
It also warns of Saudi laws against women driving, adultery, homosexuality and drug smuggling - with the last punishable by death.

Good luck with that case to get an early release asap as the lashing penalty seems to be pretty tame to others of lesser degrees in western view. And people defend these people and their ideology, go figure. Why would they want to come here and practice these laws in their own communities?
Gov.UK Travel Advice

Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country in which Islamic law is strictly enforced. You should respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times and be aware of your actions to ensure that they do not offend, especially during the holy month of Ramadan or if you intend to visit religious areas. It is forbidden to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan. The law is strictly enforced.

In 2016, the holy month of Ramadan is expected to start on 6 June and finish on 5 July. See Travelling during Ramadan

The public practice of any form of religion other than Islam is illegal; as is an intention to convert others. However, the Saudi authorities accept the private practice of religions other than Islam, and you can bring a Bible into the country as long as it is for your personal use. Importing larger quantities than this can carry severe penalties.

Islamic codes of behaviour and dress are strictly enforced. Women should wear conservative, loose-fitting clothes as well as a full length cloak (abaya) and a headscarf. Men should not wear shorts in public.

It is illegal for women to drive.

Homosexual acts and adultery are illegal and can be subject to severe sanctions.

Penalties for the possession of, or trade in alcohol are severe. Both result in prison sentences. Do not arrive in Saudi Arabia under the influence of alcohol.

Barbarians, read about the Barbary Coast, that is why Thomas Jefferson probably had a Koran, to learn about his enemy, there was no CIA in intelligence back then.
Jefferson's Quran

In the course of his flattering remarks about the great contributions of Muslims to America, the President mentioned the presence at the banquet of two Muslim members of Congress: Andre Carson, Democrat from Indiana, and Keith Ellison, Democrat from Minnesota, the latter of whom took his oath on Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Quran, which has been preserved in the Library of Congress.

What the President didn’t mention is why Jefferson bought a Quran in London and why he read it. In preparing for war, he read it to find out what kind of religion the rulers of the Barbary States on the coast of North Africa believed in.

For centuries the Muslim pirates had cruised the Mediterranean Sea, capturing ships and taking prisoners, forcing Christian nations to pay tribute for freedom of passage. To avoid such confrontations, some Christian nations were willing to appease the Islamic enemy by signing treaties requiring them to pay a certain amount of tribute each year. It was a form of extortion that Muslims could impose on frightened Christians.

I am surprised that they don't want to chop off his head or his weiner or something.
They like to chop things off of people over there.