killer SAUDI WOMAN AWAITS FREEDOM OR DEATH sentence

By Sabria S. Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

ABHA - Her complexion is as white as snow. When she smiles there is innocence, but when she
talks there is self-confidence and determination.

She is called Amal, although that is not the real name of this 26-year-old Saudi convicted of the murdering of Khalid Muhammad. Although marked for execution, she is with faith and hope.

I have unlimited faith in Allah s justice and I hope that the victim s family will forgive me for what I did and consider that for the sake of God, said Amal, who agreed to an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette on the condition her real name is not used.

Amal is victimized by a society that does not forgive a woman for any mistake even in cases where she is a victim of old traditions that have nothing to do with religion.

In the days before her scheduled execution, the Saudi government delayed it in an attempt to give more time for those who want to mediate with the recipients of the blood money to show her mercy and forgiveness.

Amal now is locked behind several walls that looked for a while deserted as a haunted house and as cold as a winter night. But inside it s as warm as a house full of love. The cells are roomy and decorated with wall-hangings, colorful bedding and nice carpeting.

A police officer looked happy to see another person trying to shed light on Amal s story.

May God listen to our prayers and free her , the police officer said. She is one of the best girls, of good morals, decent and religious.

Other prisoners agree, noting their love for her and eagerness to be in her company.

Fair, tall and attractive, Amal offered her visitor a cup of Arabic coffee with candies stuffed in a decorated basket in the office of Na ila Ali Aseeri, director of the female prison in Abha.

With her big hazel eyes, Amal looked cautious trying to determine the identity of her visitor when Aseeri told her about the objective of the visit. Initially, she looked confused and reluctant to give the interview but was encouraged by Aseeri, who said, The distance you have crossed is appreciated by us.

However, she refused to give details about her story, noting that details are in the government files.

Amal was only 20 years old when a young man, who is a neighbor of her in-laws, broke into her house in the absence of her husband and attacked her. She carried her husband s hunting gun and shot him dead with three bullets to the head.

I begged him to leave me alone and get out of my house but he insisted, so I killed him to defend my home and honor, she said.

As a strong-willed woman who has been raised up on the mountains of Aseer where women share with their husbands the rigors of life, Amal cut the corpse into pieces and burned it. Then she wrapped it in a blanket and threw it in the garbage believing that the story will end at that point.

But the victim s family missed him and called the police.

On Friday 26/11/1420 H, 1999, we missed our brother at the time at which he usually comes home and informed the police. They told us that they found an unidentified body thrown in a trash can and that they are keeping it at Abha s general hospital, according to the family s statement. To our surprise, when we saw the body we found out that it was our brother s( Khalid Muhammad Qlais), may he rest in peace.

According to the statement, the medical report said the victim was struck by a sharp weapon on the head and nose. It also shows that his hands muscles were cut , his abdomen was ripped, one of his legs was cut off and his body was burned to cover the marks of torture.

Amal admitted to committing the crime in court. She claimed full responsibility. She justified the homicide by defending her honor. The victim s family refused all efforts by hundreds of chiefs of Aseer s tribes who tried to mediate and free the woman. The family said that the way their son was killed was too awful for them to forgive, adding that they believe that other male members of Amal s family were involved because a weak woman can never do that alone.

Islamic penal laws hold that a harsh punishment serves as a deterrent to serious crimes that harm individual victims, or threaten to destabilize the foundation of society.

According to Islamic law: ...If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Qur an 5:32).

In Islam only intentional murder and Fasad fil-ardh ( spreading mischief in the land ) can be punishable by death. The Qur an legislates the death penalty for murder, although forgiveness and compassion are strongly encouraged. The murder victim s family is given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss.

Amal s case has attracted strong media and public reaction with more than 3,000 visitors logging in to the website created to support her case under the name http://www.freethegirl.com/. People in the region exchange SMS s that call for saving her life as a victim of some social wrong perceptions about women and honor.

A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said according to the investigation, Amal said the man was threatening her with revealing their previous relationship before she got married as he kept photos and cassette tapes of her talking to him. He kept blackmailing her and she pretended to submit to his desire until she dragged him to her house where she killed him, the source said.

Abdullah Al-Shehri, a citizen of Aseer, said Saudi society always puts the responsibility on women for any relationship while they forget that two people are involved.

If we were a more tolerant society for such things she would have not been forced to kill him, he said. But because she knew for sure that she would have carried the shame alone if their previous relationship was revealed as he threatened her, she was pushed to stop him any way.

Major Saud Sultan Al-Otaibi, director of Abha s prison, said that he was among those who tried to mediate with the victim s family to pardon the woman, but they insisted on the death penalty.

What do people expect from a good woman to do when she finds a stranger in her home, he said. Being in someone s house during husband s absence is a crime by itself that deserves killing regardless of the circumstances of the story.

He described Amal as one of the best women in Kahmis Mushayt, the area where she lives. He said she belongs to a good family and a well-known tribe. He said that her file is clean since she entered the prison. Aseeri also confirmed the good conduct and behavior of Amal. She said Amal has become one of the prison staff as she helps them to deal with newcomers and calm them down until they integrate with the rest. She also makes Dawa (Preaching) to non- Muslim female prisoners. She memorized the Holy Qur an and most of the Prophet s sayings (Hadith).

She is loved by everyone and she takes good care of her friends not only in her cell but also in other cells, Aseeri said. I am quite sure that if she is forgiven she would be an active and good member of the society because she learned her lesson and now she is ready to help other women in the society to learn from her experience.

Amal said that the staff helped her at a difficult time as they treated her as person a who committed a mistake and was ready to learn from it.

I have never been treated as a criminal, she said. The staff contained me and gave me the family love that I miss.

Amal has nine brothers and two sisters. She got married two years before the murder when she was 18 years old. Her father died only months after her imprisonment. She said the last time she saw him was when he visited her in the prison to give her support and filled her with hope and faith.

He got tired while he was talking to me behind the prison s door and died the same day at night, she said with tears.

He wanted to see her free and as happy as her sisters. Remembering her father, Amal said, I have never imagined that I would be a killer one day and if time go back I would have called the police and reported him instead of committing a crime.

Amal s biggest dream now is to be given another chance to live like all women her age and to have children that she could raise as a Muslim mother. What happened to me has broken my dreams and I wish all girls learn from my story and fear God in both private and public, she said.

Amal s family visits her regularly and many businessmen expressed their readiness to pay the blood money to the victim s family. Some of them said they are ready to carry out all the demands of the claimants blood money no matter how much it costs.

Their aim is to help this poor girl to get a new life, said Aseeri.

Whether Amal would be pardoned or not is a matter that the coming days would reveal. Now she is serving her sixth year in prison teaching religion, leading prayers and taking care of Qaboos, a son of one of the prisoner s, the child that she has never given birth to but whom she calls Son.