Yesterday, Saudi Arabia said the penalty would be imposed on Canadian William Sampson if he is convicted of the bombing death of a British man in November. The executions are carried out in public, using a sword. Usually they take place on Fridays, though recently the kingdom's executioners have been kept so busy other days have had to be added to the execution calendar. They take place outside mosques across Saudi Arabia, after the morning's obligatory prayers, in order to provide the maximum shaming for the victims. The atmosphere is one of spectacle, with everyone encouraged to attend.
Women are executed, so are any youths old enough to have gone through puberty.
A large proportion of those killed are foreigners. Shariah is derived from the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, and the Sunna, the teaching and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. These crimes include varying degrees of murder and assault. However, the family also has the right to waive punishment altogether or ask for diya, blood money. This is what happened in the case of Lucille McLauchlin and Deborah Parry, two British nurses convicted of murdering a colleague in 1998 and looting her bank account.