Realistically idealistic daydreamer, seasoned procrastinator, atheist and monarchist with a secret agenda and a slight inclination towards voodoo practices.
So what's the deal with that? Prisoners get released or get their sentences reduced if they memorise the Quran. That could mean any of the following:
1. Bad people can't memorise Quran, therefore those who do so are good and shouldn't be in prison. Release them.
2. Memorising Quran is a punishment comparable to serving a prison sentence, therefore those who memorised Quran have been punished enough. Release them.
3. There aren't enough people in the world who have the time to memorise Quran and since the world simply can't be without*, prisoners with loads of free time on their hands are encouraged to memorise Quran by means of reducing their sentence. And when they do - release them.
4. Parrots rock.
If I were law enforcement here, I would test those criminals who were released (or had their sentences reduced) on their knowledge of Quran randomly within the duration of their original sentence. If they forget a line, I'd send them back to jail for a refresher course.
If they commit a crime again, they'd be released or have their sentences reduced if they memorise Quran in a different language (diversity is key).
Death row offenders will have a choice between death and memorising both Bible and Talmud.
PS. If you don't hear from me after this post, I'm probably busy memorising Quran.
*How the world benefits from people memorising Quran is a separate issue and will not be discussed here.
LOOOOL @ parrots rock!! re: buj.. she's not saying anything about the religion, its about the requirement. As a Muslim, I agree that it is a completely ridiculous assumption that just because ppl memorize the Quran they should be allowed early release. Just cuz they can recite it, doesnt mean they can practice it (which is what I think the "smart" ppl who came up with this legislation thought would happen). Besides, Muslim or not, chances are good that if they had any sort of religion and spirituality (of ANY kind, not just Muslims), they wouldn't be criminals in the first place
which brings me to my Q... what do they do with the non-Muslim prisoners?
Why, because its dangerous to think independantly about things outside the confines of what we are told ?
Any religion that encourages me to think as an individual and is accepting of other points of view would easily convert me... oh wait, it already did ;)
First of all it's not very polite to be sarcastic about something that a lot of people respect. It's a bit like meeting my girlfriend's parents and noticing that the father likes opera.
Then asking the father if I can marry his daughter if I memorise some opera. The more I memorise the sooner the marriage.
It's about as stupid to let someone marry your daughter cause he memorised the opera as it is to release a criminal cause he/she memorised Quran.
So what exactly is it that a lot of people respect? Releasing parrots? Honestly, BuJ, not every sentence that has a word "Quran" in it is necessarily about religion.
I respect your religion, and honestly, after growing up in a multi-religion family (my Western mother is Muslim, and most of my family is Protestant Christian).. I must say that many teachings of the Quran make the most sense to me (as opposed to the Bible(s)).
However, this discussion actually has nothing to do with Islam, it has everything to do with a silly law of a nation that uses the guise of 'Quranic teachings' to rule with an iron fist, and little intelligence. This is about a silly law of that nation that pretends to be based under the guise of scripture. But honestly, the real joke we were making was at the expense of the moronic ruler that would pass such a law, not the religion that law pretends to be based on.
Good topic for discussion.. I think most prisoners need psychotherapists and need good rehabilitation afterwards; if you look deep into their past you'll find them victimized by painful experiences or misfortune.. no one decides to be a 'criminal' ( as people look at it) by choice. If I'm a prisoner and I get such an offer (Quran for my freedom) that will just re-inforce one idea in my mind " you're a bad person and Quran will transform you into a good one and thus you'll serve your society positively in a non-criminal way".. Garbage ! If I'm to learn all about our holey book then I want to do it by CHOICE (so I can explore it's beauty and wisedom with a peace of mind) and not by this kind of trading deal ! How observant you are of your religious rules and tradition (no matter what you believe in) should be a personal choice; it doesn't work this way simply.. 12-years of 'religious schooling' till we finished high-school, and what was the outcome at the end ? We're leading our lives the way we want; either by becoming 'more' religious or 'less' religious or even 'neutral' about such matters.. Ce la vie !
Hey all, As far as I can tell from my prespective the answer is number 3, makes perfect sense to me. Furthermore, such prisoners get out of jail early and join the organization for enforcing virtue and prohibiting whatever because no other job will take them and I'm sure you guys can figure out the rest :) Bandarof
As a foreigner, I can always have an opinion of my own. Equally true, I have no moral right to openly challenge the cultural and religious traditions of a country that is not my own. (Exceptions must be made for human rights violations and crimes against humanity.)
Short of that, the only acceptable line of debate I can engage in is a workshop on cultural relativism that reflects on my own country’s ways.
Compared to the United States, Ukraine’s criminal code offers heavier penalties for infractions and lighter penalties for capital crimes. Ukraine still relies on the Soviet criminal code, a code hammered out in a country that tried to drum it into every head that “religion is the opium for the people.”
Today, first degree murder in my country often carries a penalty of about 15 years. Europe, of course, has long criticized America for being a “police state,” guilty of overcrowded jails and steady application of the death penalty. But in Ukraine, relatively speaking, murderers get away with murder.
One can blame Ukraine’s overly merciful penology on the legacy of Soviet atheism and moral decay. That school of thought does not, however, examine the Bible’s conflicting ethical guidelines — “an eye for an eye” v “turn the other cheek” — an ethical divide that often breeds anomie and hypocrisy. Kyiv’s current mayor, for example, positions himself as a devout Christian while many Christians believe he’s anything but.
The more we learn, the better we communicate, and the stronger cross-cultural bridges we build.
I think having to memorize the Quran in such negative surroundings can produce either of the following: 1. Embrace the religion or 2. Become repelled by it due to the negative situation the prisoner has been placed in. IE prison.
Personally, I would LOVE to see religious tolerance of other practices in places say like Saudi. Only fair I think because Muslims ask for the same in Christian societies. Not to digress but I feel that there is a double standard against Christians in Muslim societies as per say Muslims choosing to live in a Christian based country. Would be lovely for us all to get along.
I never had much chance to study Ukrainian law, so I was surprised to find out you get 15 years for murder! And as for Christian laws - I don't think any of those are applicable, except for the very obvious and common ones (worldwide and irrespective of religion). So Ukraine has Christian leaders now?? Wow. I heard the Mayor is not really a Christian but belongs to some weird cult? Is that true?
Marianna,
If I ended up in prison here I'd embrace anything that would let me out sooner! Why do you think so many prisoners here convert to Islam? Cause they suddenly received the calling from above? Uh huh.
Bandarof,
You and I think alike ;-)
IYM,
Welcome to my blog and thanks for posting your views. I totally agree that you can't (or at least shouldn't) enforce a religion. This is one of the reasons why I am so skeptical about any belief or tradition or religion that does not tolerate deviation and is force fed down your throat whether you want it or not. I don't think I need to post examples.
Matt,
I agree with you regarding Quran, some parts of it do make more sense than the Bible because Quran is much closer related to the real life. However, I don't look at it just from that angle. I also look at how the message is delivered by the so called authorised representatives of the said wisdom. And there my vote is with Bible all the way.
Tinkerbella,
Non muslim prisoners who are locked for any considerable time convert to Islam if they know what's good for them.
Bob,
Actually that is an interesting thought. What to do with a criminal who knows Quran by heart? Is he acquitted automatically or is he given an already reduced time? Hmmm... Will have to look it up.
i dont see how that makes a difference to anyone. long as they have a good memory, they can bloody do anything they want and go to jail for a reduced sentence.
different sentence; memorize the Pi number, up to the 50,000 decimal number
Perhaps their reasoning is that it is harder to buggar your cellmate while trying to memorize script.
Obviously, prisoners proven capable of multi-tasking would require alternative methods.
What about prisoners who go in already having memorized the Quran? How about making them translate the quran into Japanese?