morningandneverreturned.
Themanwaslostinasurrealmaze,trappedamongthelivingdeadinhundredsofcrowdedcells.It
washerehequicklylearnedthateverybodyendsupsigningaconfession–atestamenttothetwelve-
voltlead-acidbattery–butthatamongtheinmatesthereweretwodistinctgroups.
Thefirstsurrenderedthemselvestotheirfate,orAllah,andjustscrawledtheirnameonthedamn
thing. The second group figured their only hope was to sign the document in order finally to get
beforeajudge.Theycouldthenrecanttheirconfessionandproclaimtheirinnocence.
Thiswasthestrategythezoologistadopted.TheSaudijudicialsystem,however,hasdevelopeda
wayofdealingwiththis:theprisonerissimplyreturnedtothepolicetoexplainhischangeofmind.
It’sfartoodepressingtogointothe‘enhanced’methodsusedagainstthesemenandwomen–suffice tosay,nobodyhasevergonebeforeajudgeandrecantedtheirconfessionasecondtime.Never.
Having at last admitted and been convicted of seditious statements and corruption on earth, the zoologist’sjourneythroughthesystemgroundtoasuddenhalt.
ThecausewastrafficproblemsindowntownJeddah:atleasttendays’noticewasneededtoclose
thehugecarparkoutsidethemainmosque.Onlythencouldthewhitemarbleplatformbeerectedin
itscentre.
ChapterTwo
SPECTATORSSTARTEDGATHERINGearlyinthemorning,assoonastheysawthebarricadesgoingupand
the special team of carpenters erecting the platform. Public announcements about impending executionsarerareinthekingdombut,bycellphoneandtextmessage,thewordalwaysspreads.
Withinhours,largecrowdswerestreamingintothecarparkand,bythetimeatwelve-year-oldboy
–theSaracen’sbestfriend–drovepastwithhisfather,heknewexactlywhatitmeant.ItwasaFriday
–theMuslimdayofrest–andthetrafficwasterriblesoittookthekidoveranhourtogethome.He immediatelygrabbedhisbicycleandrodeeightmilestotellhisfriendwhathehadseen.
Fearing the worst, mentioning nothing to his mother or sisters, the Saracen got on his dirt bike, piled his friend on board and headed for the Corniche, the road that runs beside the Red Sea into downtownJeddah.
Just as the two boys caught sight of the sea, noon prayers had finished at the main mosque and hundredsofmenwerespillingouttojoinmassesofspectatorswaitingintheparkinglot.Intheharsh summerlightthemenintheirstarkwhite thobes madeastunningcontrasttotheknotsofwomenin theirblack abayas andfaceveils.Onlylittlekidsinjeansandshirtsaddedasplashofcolour.
Executions are about the only form of public entertainment permitted in Saudi Arabia – movies, concerts, dancing, plays and even mixed-sex coffee shops are banned. But everybody’s welcome, womenandkidstoo,toseesomeonelosetheirlife.Eschewingsuchmoderninnovationsasmedical
injections or even the firing squad, the Saudi method seems to be a real crowd-pleaser: public beheading.
It was close to 110 degrees on the Corniche that day, the heat bouncing off the asphalt in shimmeringwaves,asthedirtbikethreadedrapidlythroughtheweekendtraffic.Upahead,chaoswas unfolding:theroadwasbeingtornupforanewoverpass,constructionmachineryblockedallbutone laneandcarsweretailedbackforblocks.
Insidehisswelteringhelmet,thezoologist’ssonwasalsoinchaos–frightenedalmosttovomiting, desperatelyhopingitwasanAfricandrugdealerbeingtakentotheplatform.Hecouldn’taffordto
thinkthat,ifhewaswrong,thelasthewouldseeofhisfatherwouldbehimkneelingonthemarble, thefliesalreadybuzzing,thesilversworddisappearinginafountainofred.
Helookedattheimpenetrabletrafficaheadandswungthedirtbikeofftheshoulderand,inawhirl ofdustanddebris,blastedintothebadlycrateredconstructionsite.
Despitethesizeofthecrowdgatheringforthedisplay,therewaslittlenoiseintheparkinglot–just themurmurofvoicesandthesoundofamullahreadingfromtheQur ’anoverthemosque’spublic
addresssystem.Graduallyeventhequietvoicesfellsilentasanofficialcarmadeitswaythroughthe cordonandstoppedattheplatform.
Apowerfullybuiltmaninanimmaculatewhitethobegotoutofthevehicleandmountedthefive
stepstotheplatform.Apolishedleatherstraprandiagonallyacrosshischestandterminatedonhis
Themanwaslostinasurrealmaze,trappedamongthelivingdeadinhundredsofcrowdedcells.It
washerehequicklylearnedthateverybodyendsupsigningaconfession–atestamenttothetwelve-
voltlead-acidbattery–butthatamongtheinmatesthereweretwodistinctgroups.
Thefirstsurrenderedthemselvestotheirfate,orAllah,andjustscrawledtheirnameonthedamn
thing. The second group figured their only hope was to sign the document in order finally to get
beforeajudge.Theycouldthenrecanttheirconfessionandproclaimtheirinnocence.
Thiswasthestrategythezoologistadopted.TheSaudijudicialsystem,however,hasdevelopeda
wayofdealingwiththis:theprisonerissimplyreturnedtothepolicetoexplainhischangeofmind.
It’sfartoodepressingtogointothe‘enhanced’methodsusedagainstthesemenandwomen–suffice tosay,nobodyhasevergonebeforeajudgeandrecantedtheirconfessionasecondtime.Never.
Having at last admitted and been convicted of seditious statements and corruption on earth, the zoologist’sjourneythroughthesystemgroundtoasuddenhalt.
ThecausewastrafficproblemsindowntownJeddah:atleasttendays’noticewasneededtoclose
thehugecarparkoutsidethemainmosque.Onlythencouldthewhitemarbleplatformbeerectedin
itscentre.
ChapterTwo
SPECTATORSSTARTEDGATHERINGearlyinthemorning,assoonastheysawthebarricadesgoingupand
the special team of carpenters erecting the platform. Public announcements about impending executionsarerareinthekingdombut,bycellphoneandtextmessage,thewordalwaysspreads.
Withinhours,largecrowdswerestreamingintothecarparkand,bythetimeatwelve-year-oldboy
–theSaracen’sbestfriend–drovepastwithhisfather,heknewexactlywhatitmeant.ItwasaFriday
–theMuslimdayofrest–andthetrafficwasterriblesoittookthekidoveranhourtogethome.He immediatelygrabbedhisbicycleandrodeeightmilestotellhisfriendwhathehadseen.
Fearing the worst, mentioning nothing to his mother or sisters, the Saracen got on his dirt bike, piled his friend on board and headed for the Corniche, the road that runs beside the Red Sea into downtownJeddah.
Just as the two boys caught sight of the sea, noon prayers had finished at the main mosque and hundredsofmenwerespillingouttojoinmassesofspectatorswaitingintheparkinglot.Intheharsh summerlightthemenintheirstarkwhite thobes madeastunningcontrasttotheknotsofwomenin theirblack abayas andfaceveils.Onlylittlekidsinjeansandshirtsaddedasplashofcolour.
Executions are about the only form of public entertainment permitted in Saudi Arabia – movies, concerts, dancing, plays and even mixed-sex coffee shops are banned. But everybody’s welcome, womenandkidstoo,toseesomeonelosetheirlife.Eschewingsuchmoderninnovationsasmedical
injections or even the firing squad, the Saudi method seems to be a real crowd-pleaser: public beheading.
It was close to 110 degrees on the Corniche that day, the heat bouncing off the asphalt in shimmeringwaves,asthedirtbikethreadedrapidlythroughtheweekendtraffic.Upahead,chaoswas unfolding:theroadwasbeingtornupforanewoverpass,constructionmachineryblockedallbutone laneandcarsweretailedbackforblocks.
Insidehisswelteringhelmet,thezoologist’ssonwasalsoinchaos–frightenedalmosttovomiting, desperatelyhopingitwasanAfricandrugdealerbeingtakentotheplatform.Hecouldn’taffordto
thinkthat,ifhewaswrong,thelasthewouldseeofhisfatherwouldbehimkneelingonthemarble, thefliesalreadybuzzing,thesilversworddisappearinginafountainofred.
Helookedattheimpenetrabletrafficaheadandswungthedirtbikeofftheshoulderand,inawhirl ofdustanddebris,blastedintothebadlycrateredconstructionsite.
Despitethesizeofthecrowdgatheringforthedisplay,therewaslittlenoiseintheparkinglot–just themurmurofvoicesandthesoundofamullahreadingfromtheQur ’anoverthemosque’spublic
addresssystem.Graduallyeventhequietvoicesfellsilentasanofficialcarmadeitswaythroughthe cordonandstoppedattheplatform.
Apowerfullybuiltmaninanimmaculatewhitethobegotoutofthevehicleandmountedthefive
stepstotheplatform.Apolishedleatherstraprandiagonallyacrosshischestandterminatedonhis
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