| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Kingdomâs Leading Executioner Says: âI Lead a Normal Lifeâ |
| 2003-06-05 |
| No hot needle in Saudi. Saudi Arabiaâs leading executioner Muhammad Saad Al-Beshi will behead up to seven people in a day. âIt doesnât matter to me: Two, four, 10 â As long as Iâm doing Godâs will, it doesnât matter how many people I execute,â he told Okaz newspaper in an interview. How's he get paid? By the hour? By the head? He started at a prison in Taif, where his job was to handcuff and blindfold the prisoners before their execution. âBecause of this background, I developed a desire to be an executioner,â he says. He applied for the job and was accepted. Civil Service? Is there a test? His first job came in 1998 in Jeddah. âThe criminal was tied and blindfolded. With one stroke of the sword I severed his head. It rolled meters away.â Of course he was nervous, then, he says, as many people were watching, but now stage fright is a thing of the past. He wasn't nearly as nervous as the blindfolded guy. And glad to hear he got over that stage fright thing. He says he is calm at work because he is doing Godâs work. âBut there are many people who faint when they witness an execution. I donât know why they come and watch if they donât have the stomach for it. Me? I sleep very well,â he adds. Does he think people are afraid of him? âIn this country we have a society that understands Godâs law,â he says. âNo one is afraid of me. I have a lot of relatives, and many friends at the mosque, and I live a normal life like everyone else. There are no drawbacks for my social life.â I'm just a normal guy who beheads people. Before an execution, nonetheless, he will go to the victimâs family to obtain forgiveness for the criminal. âI always have that hope, until the very last minute, and I pray to God to give the criminal a new lease of life. I always keep that hope alive.â But usually...it's the cold chop. Al-Beshi will not reveal how much he gets paid per execution as this is a confidential agreement with the government. But he insists that the reward is not important. âI am very proud to do Godâs work,â he reiterates. However, he does reveal that a sword will cost something in the region of SR20,000. âItâs a gift from the government. I look after it and sharpen it once in a while, and I make sure to clean it of bloodstains. Itâs very sharp. People are amazed how fast it can separate the head from the body.â Look sharp, feel sharp and cleanliness is next to godliness. The mottos of the humble executioner. By the time the victims reach the execution square they have surrendered themselves to death, he says, though they may hope to be forgiven at the last minute. âTheir hearts and minds are taken up with reciting the Shahada.â The only conversation with the prisoner is when he tells him to say the Shahada. When they get to the execution square, their strength drains away. Then I read the execution order, and at a signal I cut the prisonerâs head off.â ...Next! He has executed numerous women without hesitation, he explains. âDespite the fact that I hate violence against women, when it comes to Godâs will, I have to carry it out.â There is no great difference between executing men and women, except that the women wear hijab, and nobody is allowed near them except Al-Beshi himself when the time for execution comes. When executing women he will use either gun or sword. âIt depends what they ask me to use. Sometimes they ask me to use a sword and sometimes a gun. But most of the time I use the sword,â he adds. I don't see "lethal injection" on the list. Wonder what Muhammad would think of that option? As an experienced executioner, 42-year-old Al-Beshi is entrusted with the task of training the young. âI successfully trained my son Musaed, 22, as an executioner and he was approved and chosen,â he says proudly. Training focuses on the way to hold the sword and where to hit, and is mostly through observing the executioner at work. Damn nepotism! It's everywhere! An executionerâs life, of course, is not all killing. Sometimes it can be amputation of hands and legs. âI use a special sharp knife, not a sword,â he explains. âWhen I cut off a hand I cut it from the joint. If it is a leg the authorities specify where it is to be taken off, so I follow that.â Just another day at the office. Al-Beshi describes himself as a family man. Married before he became an executioner, his wife did not object to his chosen profession. âShe only asked me to think carefully before committing myself,â he recalls. âBut I donât think sheâs afraid of me,â he smiles. âI deal with my family with kindness and love. They arenât afraid when I come back from an execution. Sometimes they help me clean my sword.â Wanna get the hose, son? Gotta clean the sword. Busy day today at work. A father of seven, he is a proud grandfather already. âI have a married daughter who has a son. He is called Haza, and heâs my pride and joy. And then there are my sons. The oldest one is Saad, and of course there is Musaed, whoâll be the next executioner,â he adds. Seems like a nice enough guy...FOR AN EXECUTIONER! |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #6 You beat me to the punch, Mojo.....Great quote! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-06-05 14:30:33 |
| #5 "To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!" -- The Mikado |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-06-05 13:52:47 |
| #4 I heard his nickname is Lop. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-06-05 13:45:34 |
| #3 Kids, the man is a professional...don't try this at home! |
| Posted by: JDB 2003-06-05 10:50:16 |
| #2 I bet his kids pay very close attention to his moods. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-06-05 10:39:30 |
| #1 Good to see another "G&S" fan on Rantburg! The Mikado is my all-time favorite, and my favorite character is the Lord High Executioner, especially the song "I've got a little list..." |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-06-05 17:38:35 |