Religion of Peace alert! While pagans in America are fretting over cases of South Carolina license plates (let me weigh in on this – I. Don’t. Care), claiming that all religion (including their own) is “flat out batshit nuts,” and generally turning Witchcraft into a live action role playing game, a fellow man of The Arts has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for plying his trade. You won’t see this story on other Pagans’ blogs:
(ANSAmed) – A Lebanese man of 47 was sentenced to death by a court in Medina, in Saudi Arabia, for having practiced black magic, reported the paper Saudi Gazette. The man, who had already appeared on satellite television, was caught in a Medina hotel room while using herbs and talismans for one of his magic rituals. During the two years of processing the man, who is also accused of fraud, he admitted to having practiced black magic rituals and having contributed to the ending of marriages. To be definitive, the court sentence must obtain the approval of the Magistrates’ Court. In the oil kingdom the death penalty is foreseen for the crimes of murder, rape, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking. Since the beginning of the year 60 death sentences have been carried out.
Looks like he was pretty much caught red handed so this is indeed a fellow “Witch” as Wiccans call themselves, but I’m betting you won’t be hearing from Starhawk on this case. Why is that you think?
I would put forward that it’s because this man is doing what all these fat, unkempt Charmed fans who haunt the comments sections of blogs like The Wild Hunt merely pretend to do – practicing Witchcraft. Witchcraft is an art that takes years of practice to get good at, which doesn’t include sitting in the middle of the floor at a Barnes & Noble flipping through some book on “Gothic Wicca” while waiting for the 12:30 showing of Twilight. If American Pagans ever started pointing out how occultists and practitioners in other countries (especially Muslim countries) were treated, they’d have to confront the fact that American occultism has devolved into a year round comic book convention that no one takes seriously.
Needless to say, I won’t be traveling to any Muslim countries anytime soon, nor do I expect to see Knight of Pan, Patrick Kelley or P.J. Deneen doing so. Starhawk however has been welcomed with open arms in Hamas and Fatah controlled areas where Witchcraft is illegal. Makes you think doesn’t it?
I’d say its about a fifty-fifty shot as to the chances of this being picked up on pagan blogs. It all depends on the perspective. A lot of leftists disdain the Saudis for their relationship to the “Bush Dynasty”. Also, anything that would threaten our relationship with the Saudis and thus potentially drive up the price of oil can only help in the drive toward green energy.
So you never can tell. Starhawk might just jump on this bandwagon. She’s about arrogant enough to think she can influence things one way or another. She may be right. I swear, I think she might have single-handedly prevented the Israelis from bombing Arafats living quarters once, just by standing in front of it. That fat-ass is a one-woman human shield..
Rob Taylor,
I’m not a pagan, but I can pretty much guarantee I won’t be going to any Muslim country anytime soon either. You’d have to go back to even before America existed as an independent nation in order to find the state putting people to death for witchcraft on what would become US soil. Ironically from what I hear, Salem Massachusetts, the sight of colonial American’s most infamous witch hunt, is now home to a relatively large community of witches. The Puritans, like modern Jihadists, would put to death anyone who even claimed they were a witch. The story of the Salem Witch trials is well known. So most of the modern witches living in Salem should know that their craft is not always tolerated. I wonder how many of them would stand up at first sign of Islamitization of their community, or would they just be silent.
Patrick-Never underestimate the desire of leftists to kowtow to Muslims. I couldn’t find it but in the post I was going to put a picture I’d seen once of Starhawk wearing an Islamic head covering while visiting her friendly Palestinian allies.
Damien-Modern Wicca is so leftist that they’d march themselves into the pyres to placate the Muslims.
Rob Taylor,
You’d think they’d have their limits through.
Rob,
I’ve just now heard about this story, and if you really wanted the Pagan blogosphere to cover it, you could have e-mailed me with a friendly heads-up (I’m well-read, but not omniscient) instead of blanketly accusing American Pagans of being “silent” on the story. I have covered the international witch-hysteria on several occasions, and have even covered Saudi Arabia sentencing a woman to death for crimes of “witchcraft” before as well. So I don’t get the hostility you’re directing in my general direction. Is it because I’m not on the same page as you politically? As for covering the license plates, I think it’s important, even if you don’t. Sorry we disagree, but I hardly see why that makes me a target for your scorn.
I don’t see why you’re taking what is boilerplate criticism personally. We disagree on the license plate story because I think what Christians put on their cars is less important than what you put in the empty heads of the “tent women” as Israel Regarde rightly called them who frequent your site and the “Wiccan” blogs in general. You’ll see that I made no mention of you in those terms, but I maintain that the majority of your readers are, unlike the poor sap in the article, pretending to be Witches.
And as for the friendly email idea. I did send you one of more import a while ago. You and several other people. You remember? About the pedophile on Witchvox who was recruiting for a “family coven” in Arkansas? I think that was a rather more important subject than I belive plates but you don’t. Why would the “scorn” directed at you be surprising then?
You have a platform in the Wiccan community and you use it not to keep children from being molested, but to push your politics. I wouldn’t have a problem with that if you simply said that The Wild Hunt was a leftist blog first, but you don’t. There is a person passing themselves off as a Wiccan high priest in Arkansas right now who is a pedophile. There is a magician about to be murdered by Muslims. And you’re big story is South Carolina and the desire of Christians to be Jesus freaky.
Why should you not be the target of scorn again?
Sorry guy I’m of the Herman Slater school of paganism, the community needs to hear the truth, not be spoon fed their Harry Potter fantasies.
“You have a platform in the Wiccan community and you use it not to keep children from being molested, but to push your politics.”
And shortly after you e-mailed me that story I had to go out of town for nearly a week with no Internet access. But I have been e-mailing people behind-the-scenes and I have been planning to do my own research into it so I can write about the issue. Sorry that I’m not working on your time-table. I think big stories take time, research, and careful writing.
But anyway, I don’t why I bothered saying anything, since even when I do write about the things you say Pagans are paying attention to you seem to ignore it. Or accuse me of being a leftist stooge. Or enabling child molesters. So whatever man. Have a nice life.
You are enabling child molesters, Jason. That person is molesting some Wiccans kid right now. You know it, I know it and the difference between us is you’ll do nothing about it.
just thought i’d throw out there that not all pagans practice black magic or witchcraft. black magic being an intent to cause harm upon someone or affect someones will. you make it sound like pagans are a bunch of harry potter freaks. its more along the lines of energy focus, for me at least. and spells and magic is not what being pagan is about so called “spells” are more like prayers and spiritual awareness. im not going home rto sit around a culdron and play with spices, more normal than u think, so why would a “good” pagan care about a black magic pagan when in all honesty im terrified of black magic and prefer to not be accioated with it.
That’s fluffy bunny nonsense. A) I am a pagan. B) Spells and magic are essential parts of the Witches craft but… not all Witches are Pagans.
You’re basically saying that people who make a living working magic (what modern Wiccans can only pretend to do) should be killed off because you’re uncomfortable with it?
Never Again the Burning Times indeed!