Saudi Arabia to Execute Man for Being at Protests and Funerals When He Was 15

THE GUARDIAN: Use of death penalty against people for crimes committed when they were children a ‘new low’, say rights groups

The supreme court has reportedly upheld Youssef al-Manasif’s death penalty for offences committed as a minor. Last year Saudi Arabia put to death 356 people. Photograph: Handout
A young man faces imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for attending protests and funerals when he was aged 15 to 17, say human rights groups, in the latest example of the kingdom’s surging use of the death penalty for non-violent crimes.

Youssef al-Manasif was arrested in 2017 and accused of crimes including joining demonstrations for religious freedom by the Shia minority and attending funerals that the Saudi authorities deem to be protests. He was convicted and sentenced to death by the specialised criminal court, a secretive tribunal set up for terrorism-related cases. » | Tom Levitt | Friday, October 16, 2026

This must surely be a clear demonstration of Allah’s mercy and compassion! It also shows us clearly how the ‘Religion of Peace’ deals with minors committing minor infractions.

Surely, the Saudi authorities could find a more appropriate and more compassionate way of dealing with this young man. Do the Saudi authorities really think that this young man’s infractions are grave enough to warrant the death penalty, thus robbing him of a life, and certainly ruining the lives of his parents and family? Would the Prophet really approve of such inhumane treatment of a young Muslim?

Little wonder westerners hold Islam in such low esteem! — © Mark Alexander