JUSTIFICATION FOR ISLAMIC PENOLOGY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CRIME RATES BETWEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND SAUDI ARABIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53704/2skyvx34Keywords:
?ud?d, Justification, Criticism, Saudi Arabia, USAAbstract
Nowadays, crimes have become the order of the day while criminals now roam freely around. The situation seems to be that many of current legal systems have been too flexible in delivering punishments on capital offenses, and this apparently has given criminals the liberty to act as they wish as there are no stringent punishments for their offenses and the only way to address the unpleasant situation is to embrace stringent punishment for these crimes. Arguably, the application of Islamic criminal law is essential particularly in respect of social vices which pervade a number of societies while some current legal systems have not been able to arrest the situation. Unfortunately, one of the contemporary challenges facing Islamic law is the issue of compatibility between Islamic criminal law and international human rights law; on the ground that Ḥudūd, being an aspect of Islamic law, has over the years been described as barbaric, inhumane, cruel, harsh, and an act of extremism. Thus, this paper seeks to explore the justification of Islamic penology by comparing crime rates between Saudi Arabia and that of the United States of America. Using data and statistics to illustrate the differences between the two countries, the paper reveals that although each country adopts different approaches to criminal justice, the implementation of Islamic penology in Saudi Arabia has had a positive impact on crime rates. The paper concludes by suggesting that many countries can benefit from adopting Islamic penology as a way to reduce crime.
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