Desert Rednecks?

Now, being from Northwestern Ontario, I am very familiar with rednecks, and stories about rednecks doing stupid redneck things. I suppose one could say that this is a story of desert rednecks. It comes from the Gulf Times of Qatar .

Shepherd gets one year in jail over murder
By Nour Abuzant
Staff Reporter
A Doha court of first instance has sentenced a shepherd to a year’s imprisonment and ordered he be deported after serving the sentence for premeditated killing of a compatriot colleague, following a quarrel between them on who should ride the camel and a verbal dispute a day before the crime.
The family of the Sudanese victim had dropped their rights to blood money as well as any punishment and that can explain the “lenient” verdict that the accused got for such a serious crime, court sources told Gulf Times.
The victim was murdered on July 11, 2008 in the Shahaniya ranch where they worked. Both were in their early 20s.
According to the charge-sheet, “the accused hit the victim with an iron bar thrice in the head, back and chest.”
The court heard from witnesses that the victim cursed the defendant’s mother a day before the killing.
The defendant’s lawyer argued that his client attacked the victim ‘in a fit of rage’ and that the crime should be treated as beating to death and not premeditated murder.
However, the judge dismissed the claims, ruling that there was a time gap between the verbal dispute and the deadly assault on the next day.
The court added that the incident constituted a “classical case of premeditated murder.”
The court said that the suspect confessed to the charge during interrogations and told the police that the victim failed to apologise for his action (cursing) and that was the motivation for hitting him.
The judge ruled that the accused knew that hitting the victim with an iron bar on the sensitive parts might lead to death.
The judge said that he understood the anger of the accused on hearing someone cursing his mother, considering where he came from, “but the period between the dispute and the crime was enough to give the killer a chance to think calmly about the meaning of his action.”

Wow. Well, there you have it. I never knew that people could feel so passionate about riding a camel. I've seen plenty of camels in my time here, but haven't had an overly strong desire to ride any of them, let alone kill someone over wanting to ride one. Does that make me strange?

Murdering in the Name of God: Uganda

Wow. I don't even know what to say when I read an opinion piece like this. Here is a posting in the Nile Times from Uganda (http://www.thenltimes.com/apps/blog/show/2536769-homo-practice-is-unnatural-in-uganda). It is completely unedited.

What can be said? I cannot wrap my head around this way of thinking. This is a horrid interpretation of the bible, promoting murder in the name of god...and ignorance. And, even worse, it's sanctioned by the state who is pushing for an anti-homosexuality bill, dubbed the "Kill the Gays" bill by some. Fortunately, the outrage shown by the world may be at least helping to soften the bill.

Homo Practice is Unnatural in Uganda
Posted by niletimes at 12:45 AM on January 09, 2010

In Uganda and world over, there has been a lot of contentious deliberatations on the proposed Anti Gay Bill currently under scrutiny by Parliament of Uganda.

Biblically, Genesis 19: 4-11 naturally outlaws any carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature. In the above verses, the men who had sex with fellow men were made blind by God.

Also Genesis 2:24 is to the effect that a man will leave his father and mother and is joined to his wife. And in that way, two people become one.

From the above Biblical analysis, it is a fact beyond any reasonable doubt that naturally a man goes with a woman, a bull goes with a cow, a cock goes with a hen and that is the order of nature.

In Uganda at the moment, homosexuality is outlawed by Section 145 of the Penal Code Act, Cap.120 under Unnatural Offences. This Section provides “Any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; has carnal knowledge of an animal; or permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for life”.

Therefore, the proposed Anti Gay Bill is meant to strengthen and widen the framework for implementing the already existing legislation. This is a defining Bill for our country, for our generation and for enhancing moral integrity. The Bill is by Ugandans and for Ugandans.

To fellow Africans, the choices, actions and agreements made now will determine which future becomes a reality for the young generation. It is our role to speak on moral and unnatural issues affecting our Continent.

I applaud the authority in Malawi for arresting two men last week on charges of Public indecency after becoming the first gay couple to marry in a country where homosexuality is illegal. I am reliably informed that a court in Malawi has equally denied the two bail for their own protection.

Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwausiwa told a packed court in Malawi that he could not grant the couple a bail, saying the ruling was for their own protection. “The public out there is angry with them”. Usiwausiwa said.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Stephen Monjeza committed to marriage in a symbolic ceremony in southern Malawi last month, attracting hundreds of angry onlookers.

It is also recalled that barely two weeks ago, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said Gambia is a country of believers and that such sinful and immoral practices as homosexuality will not be tolerated in the country.

President Jammeh vowed to “cut off the head” of any homosexual found in his country and also said that a legislation will be introduced, which will be “stricker than those in Iran”, with regards to such acts.

These are examples that should be emulated by all African countries to forthwith stop this moral vice that is invading our society. I cannot imagine how a man can kiss and sleep with a fellow man. This is extremely satanic! In Genesis 1:27, the purpose of God creating mankind (male and female) was for procreation and companionship among others. Can a man have children with a fellow man? What has gone wrong with the world?

As a Ugandan legislator, I support the criminalization of homosexuality because it is unnatural, unchristian, a moral and social evil. As a Parliament, we may consider revising the proposed Bill to limit maximum penalty for offenders to life imprisonment rather than execution, because it gives room for offenders to be rehabilitated.

I call upon other Members of Parliament to support this proposed Anti Gay Bill for the moral good of our society and young Ugandans.

The writer is Youth MP - Northern Region

obuason@yahoo.com