NCJ Number
87248
Date Published
1980
Length
570 pages
Annotation
A series of symposium papers examines the offenses and punishments defined under Islamic law in Saudi Arabia and the impact strict adherence to Islamic law has had upon Saudi Arabia's crime rate and fear of crime.
Abstract
The opening paper defines crime in general according to Islamic legislation, describes general categories of crime along with specific offenses and their consequences for the victims and society, and discusses the sources of Islamic criminal law. A discussion of criminal responsibility under Islamic law indicates that it is dependent upon a person's having committed the offense under the exercise of his/her free will, and punishment is tempered through consideration of the circumstances that may have influenced the offender to commit the offense. The type of evidence permitted in trying cases under Islamic law is discussed in another paper, and procedures for presenting evidence are considered as well. Another presentation develops the thesis that the Islamic Sharia (Muslim moral and religious teachings) contributes to crime prevention by imparting a sound moral education to Muslims and structuring society to reduce criminal temptations. The next paper considers that Islamic education in Saudi Arabia provides a thorough grounding in Muslim ethical behavior through role models, exhortation, and rewards and punishments by parents, teachers, and other authority figures, thus contributing to crime prevention. Various punishments for particular crimes and the means of implementing those punishments are discussed in two papers, and the final presentation presents field research that examined the status of crime and public safety before and after the reign of His Majesty King Abdul Aziz, who unified the country in 1933 under the Islamic law of Sharia. For individual entries, see NCJ 87249-56.