Middle East Chronicles — Wonderful essays.
Letter #11 from Saudi Arabia
High noon at Chop Chop Square
R.F. Burton
Private PapersLast Friday I was invited to a beheading. Fortunately, it wasn’t my own.
“They’re going to chop one,” Mohammed whispered, calling me on his mobile phone from a mosque in Deerah, “after noon prayer.”
Renovated and remotely pleasant, Deerah resides deep in the black, clotted heart of old Riyadh. If anything approaches a tourist attraction in the Dead City, it would be Deerah…–continue reading–
Why anyone would want to see a beheading is just beyond me.
rob,
read the posts..they’re AMAZING…you obviously didn’t go further than the first bit. The guy went on to explain why he DIDN”T see it, and describes the local flavor of the beheadings, which are doing amazingly often. Most of the posts on the journal/blog are outstanding…and give some insight into a yankee in Saudi-land. Fascinating reading.
My previous comment was my initial reaction to reading that he arrived in Arabia wanting to see a beheading, before talking to his friend. I guess I should have been more descriptive.
I did read past the first bit, and I agree that it’s an amazing article, while being horrifying at the same time. I’m looking forward to reading through the other letters when I have some time.