By the book

Cruel, but not unusual

MUSLIMS the world over are horrified by the executions carried out by Islamic State (IS) in the name of their religion. On June 28th the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO based in Britain, said it knew of more than 3,000 in the past year. More than half were of civilians—and 74, of children. Yet the self-declared caliphate is not the only Muslim “state” keen on the death penalty and other brutal punishments. At least nine countries have stoning as a judicial sentence, and five have amputation. All are Islamic.

Why? Islam’s sacred texts are not more bloodthirsty than those of Judaism or Christianity. The Old Testament names 36 misdeeds, including using magic and striking a parent, as meriting death; the Koran just two: hiraba (“spreading mischief”) and murder. It says that the family of a murder victim may forgive and therefore spare the killer. Death, stoning, amputation and lashes are reserved for a small number of serious crimes, including theft and adultery, collectively known as hudud.

Under the Ottoman empire, just one...

from The Economist: International http://ift.tt/1R7jVu0