Somali Man Stoned To Death By Militants For Adultery (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

On Sunday, Islamic militants stoned a man to death for adultery in front of hundreds of local residents in Somalia. The man, named Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim, 48, was killed by members of the rebel group Hizbul Islam in Afgoye, 20 miles from the capital Mogadishu, according to the AFP. A second man, Ahmed Mohamoud Awale, 61, who was accused of murder, was shot to death. Hundreds of villagers were forced to watch the stoning by the militants, multiple reports said.

The girl with whom Ibrahim was accused of having an affair received 100 lashes; she escaped being put to death because she was not married at the time of the alleged sexual relations.

As multiple reports noted, this was the first time Hizbul Islam had carried out these type of executions -- such punishments are more commonly associated with the Shabaab, a hardline militant group that is said to be an al-Qaeda proxy in the African state.

Below are photos, from the AP, of Ibrahim's stoning. Please note: They are extremely graphic and do show Ibrahim after the stoning.

WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IMAGES

• • • • • Ibrahim is buried in the ground before he was stoned to death by militants in Afgoye, a district Somalia, Sunday. A local Islamist court sentenced the victim to death by stoning after he was found guilty of committing adultery while married.

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Comments

[Butterfly12]

02:23 PM on 12/21/2009

I agree this is an outrage, to have access to this kind of viewing for children is horrible. However, we are a society that has become so desensitized to killing we should be a shamed. You can watch the the Rambo movies, Die Hard movies, and yes Jamie your movie too with Arnold. High body counts sells movies to our children and teenagers. This spectacle of justice is just another form of brutality movie making. No producers, actors, or writers just the seriousness of breaking the law in Somali. But the people viewing are detached and desensitized to the heartbreak a family maybe experiencing
right now... This is our fault in our country, you either accept viewing violence or get rid of it all together!

[Godstuff]

05:36 PM on 01/28/2010

It's only the beginning of what's to come in the world theocracy.

To not show how violet religion can be is promoting the insanity.

Free thinking people be very afraid.



Allah Ackbar and Praise Jesus

[southingtonian]

06:05 AM on 12/21/2009

Another example of why, though I honor the Creator, I abhor religions.

[spectre64]

12:16 PM on 12/20/2009

Heathens. Isn't religion wonderful?

[mikefina]

04:16 PM on 12/18/2009

Please stop sending US aid to tall nations of the continent. Let Europeans and the Chinese sort out this mess.

If we insist on cleaning up unholy disasters, we could start a LOT closer to home.

[Garioch]

10:44 AM on 12/18/2009

You do realize that this death may well have been quicker and less painful than a good few of the methods employed in the civilized United States?
I think it's barbaric but then I think all state murder is barbaric and know for a fact that a good few of those posting on here about how barbaric this is are more than happy for their government to do similar acts as long as they're not televised.

[Oleg1]

11:42 AM on 12/18/2009

barbaric justification of a barbaric action.

[Garioch]

12:48 PM on 12/18/2009

That's not a justification it's an inditement, you seem to have comprehension issues, try reading the second paragraph again.

[sib]

02:50 PM on 12/18/2009

Well said! Thank you.

[Rastaman1967]

10:22 AM on 12/18/2009

barbaric & savage..this is still going on in our world today...disgusting

[Oleg1]

10:49 PM on 12/18/2009

What's is far more disgusting is how many are posting justifications for it!!!

[Garioch]

01:42 PM on 12/19/2009

Where? Can you find them for me as I've yet to actually see one.

[Paulo1]

09:28 AM on 12/18/2009

So now his wife is a widow and his kids are orphans and these people somehow think the world is a better place? For some reason I wouldn't mind a great deal if we could drum up a bit of Colonialism again. A nice invasion and rule by some civilized country seemed to work best for Somalia.

[Usama]

06:48 AM on 12/18/2009

Chapeav, dont confuse thiings with facts. Readers/lookers/voyeurs have to be made to feel, in a Pavlovian way, superior to those OTHER people. You should know that showing those OTHER people dead, dying, injured, is important to establishing American superiority over all others. Nevermine that America destroyed the only 6-8 month period of peace and stability in 18 years that Somalia has had, by supporting the Ethiopian invasion. Nevermine that there's oil in the Horn of Africa. Nevermine that America's proxy war in Somalia has led to the largest humanitarian crisis in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Nevermine that the chaos of foreign occupation brings out the most violent and ruthless nature in men of all religions and conditions. Americans are superior. Now let us get back to being excited and disgusted by the news. [BTW, that Tiger Woods adultery story, how's that doin?]

[Paulo1]

09:37 AM on 12/18/2009

Usama,

First of all the word you are mangling is" Never mind" I am not adverse to mangling the English language myself but when you are going to rant you should at least do so in a coherent manner.

I also wonder where you learned your history of the region? Somalia was not exactly an innocent baby when it came to the Ethiopian war. And as for peace and stability, I defy you to find a more peaceful time than when they were a colony. So perhaps you should just get to the core of your argument and claim that you hate America and be done with it.

And yes. I will tell you frankly. When viewing these pictures I do feel vastly superior to those barbarians who stone people to death for adultry. Just as I feel vastly superior to them when I see pictures of them acting as Pirates or when I see pictures of them looting foriegn aid trucks, or engaging in tribal warfare. They are barbarians, end of story.

ps. Love the Tiger Woods story. At least here we only drag a man through the media mud, not kill him.

[Chilito]

05:02 AM on 12/18/2009

Four questions:

1. This occurred in what century?

2. How do these folks guard their borders to keep out the hordes of people flocking to a place of such holiness and spiritual purity?

3. Where is the outrage of the international community against such barbaric crimes?

4. When can we expect an apology from the POTUS for America's role in this matter?

[Principaldad]

12:08 PM on 12/18/2009

Four Answers:

1. It is unbelievable that this is happening today. According to Al Jazeera, "Out of 52 Muslim-majority countries worldwide, stoning is legally sanctioned in varying forms in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Nigeria." It was also recently passed for a province in Indonesia.

2. This is Somalia. Their borders are "guarded" by pirates. They do not have a functioning government. This crime was committed by one of the rebel forces that are fighting for control of the country. It was not an official act, but an attempt by that group to tell the locals "we are in charge".

3. There is a great deal of international outrage over this and other similar crimes in Somalia. A quick search shows this is being covered by the major services. The AP actually took the pictures. When a similar crime happened last year to a 13 year old girl, there was outrage that even included Al Jazeera. http://www.stop-stoning.org/

4. Get real.

[Chapaev]

01:31 AM on 12/18/2009

The question might be asked why the liberal, corporate media is so eager to portray the Somalian national liberation forces in the most negative light while at the same time pretty much covering up the fact that the United States, Ethiopia, and their agents in Somalia have committed unprecedented crimes against the Somalian people ever since the conquest of Mogadishu and the overthrow of the democratic government of the Islamic Courts Union back in 2006.

For example, African Union "peacekeepers" fired dozens of rockets into a crowded market in just one particular incident, leading to the deaths of many civilians. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200910231038.html

[Oleg1]

03:01 AM on 12/19/2009

"democratic government of the Islamic Courts Union"

This is the funniest joke of the week. Thank you, I am still wiping my tears of laughter.

[MikeLawson]

06:05 AM on 12/20/2009

There is no liberal media blah blah blah to blame for these barbaric practicers of evil against their fellow humans routinely practiced such as stoner, beheadings, cutting of hands and feet, strangulation by crane hangings, and other heinous, insane, disgusting acts of violence. The followers of these practices are evil people, who would that the entire world practice their brand of evil, and its immoral, sick, twisted and perverted that anyone could come in here and defend the practice or use it as an opportunity to point fingers at others. Remove the beam from your own eye before trying to remove the spec from mine.

[Paula Ann]

12:24 AM on 12/18/2009

in the first place:

NOWHERE in the qu'ran is stoning mentioned as a punishment for ANY crime

2nd - distortion of religion is not unique in islam. were the torturers of the inquisition following christian doctrine?

3rd - in islam, one can only be found guilty of adultry if there are 4 male witnesses to the act. does anyone think that actually happened? (imo, this fellow probably ran afoul of the thugs in charge and was accused of the transgression).

4th - islam permits four wifes. the girl was single, why would he risk horrific punishment instead of marrying her?

[Oleg1]

01:01 AM on 12/18/2009

First and only--barbaric laws barbaric people.

[Garioch]

12:50 PM on 12/18/2009

Brings them into line with those who are happy to carpet bomb civilians and write off the deaths of thousands as collateral damage then... which covers many of the Western nations.

[overcat]

02:24 AM on 12/18/2009

And how does that address that the "Islamic Court" cited in the article handed down this punishment? Furthermore, how does the Taliban's reported prohibition on kite flying square with Islamic law? And while we're at it, how does the systematic and wholesale murder of Muslim bystanders by Islamic militants, all too often with the blessing and encouragement of Islamic clerics square with the qu'ran? Right, it's all a twisted version of what is already a religion based on just as many violent tenets as the other Abrahamic religions. A difference is, though, that the more violent fundamentalist elements of Islam don't just run their mouths, they act on their religiously based - incorrect or not - convictions. And they seem to have enough support from other Muslims to be able to carry out their acts at least somewhat effectively. If these folks were truly marginal, fringe elements, they would never be able to gain nearly the traction that they have, nor would they be able to recruit as many as they have obviously been able to recruit.

[mbaty]

09:42 PM on 12/17/2009

I don't like the death penalty.
Initially, these pictures are a bit shocking, but as several commenters have pointed out, it's really no different than a gas chanber or lethal injection or hanging, which we used to do in the public square, not to mention witch-burnings.
I think what we especially find appaling is that this man committed "adultery," something we frown upon nowadays but would usually not kill over, nor would we condone killing for sexual infidelity.
Just like the proposed Ugandan law to execute gays, this is terribly backwards and almost unbelievable because it is so horrible. But sometimes it takes us humans a while to get it. Let's hope it doesn't take too long. And thank god I live in America where we can argue about whether gays should get married.

[Oleg1]

10:10 PM on 12/17/2009

Thank you for a logical post.

[Garioch]

10:46 AM on 12/18/2009

And which alone among the Western nations is still barbaric enough to allow state murder.

[Oleg1]

11:43 AM on 12/18/2009

not for dating. Think before typing.

[RockyMissouri]

03:39 PM on 12/17/2009

The problem is not with religion, it is with interpretation or rather WHO, is doing the interpreting. Men have always perverted and twisted the words of any religion to suit whatever sick desires guide them!

[Oleg1]

05:37 PM on 12/17/2009

You cannot separate "religion" from "people" religious myths were written by people. People's greed, hope and lust power is hardwired In those texts ( which they naturally attributed to Higher power for close the deal). One cannot run away fro one's own (Jungian) shadow.

[sfirx]

02:31 PM on 12/17/2009

I'm arguing with someone who's never read the Quran in their life. I've read the Quran and it specifically states that the Quran is the only book, it stands by itself and it should be the only source. Now, with any religion people do what they want and if they do it for so long they start to think it's the truth.

[Oleg1]

03:02 PM on 12/17/2009

I'll try to make it as simple as possible.
A book uses words to convey a message. Words, sentences, paragraphs can be interpreted in an infinite variety of ways. No one ( NO ONE) can claim absolute understanding of words from any given book. This obviously does not stop anyone ( re-read your own post)..
Think about it sometime.

[Principaldad]

04:40 PM on 12/17/2009

So you are changing your story then. You have claimed all sorts of things, including that Islam is guided by more than just the Koran. Now you are backing off of that because you got caught claiming something that isn't true (again).

[sfirx]

05:11 PM on 12/17/2009

Even when a book says don't refer to any other book, other than this one. That's clear I would think, but I guess since I've read the Quran and basing my post of facts, that's not good enough. I don't know how you can interpret something so clear, but I guess if people have your brain, it's possible.

[Kirk Powers]

12:16 PM on 12/17/2009

From John 8
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”