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RIYADH, 19 December 2005 — Time is running out for Fawaz Muhammad. With a March execution deadline approaching for the 17-year-old Saudi boy, his family is calling on generous and good-hearted people in the Kingdom to help pool the SR3.5 million in blood money that would spare his life. “It was kid stuff, the sort of fights that occur after high school between boys. Nobody expected it to reach this. But this is God’s will,” Fawaz’s brother, Owayid, told Arab News. The story began almost two years ago when Fawaz had just enrolled in the 10th grade at a local secondary school in the village of Al-Raqeeah in Al-Dawadmi Province. According to his family, Fawaz was an ordinary boy who was enjoying a healthy and prosperous life. However, a moment of rage and the determination to end a personal dispute put all that he had in jeopardy. A personal argument to settle a score with his high-school buddy — who happened to be a relative living in the same neighborhood — ended in tragedy after a heated argument turned into a fistfight. Fawaz drew a knife, which landed in his relative’s chest — a place where, he claims, he did not aim. Fawaz froze as he saw his friend bleeding. He never expected an argument to lead to this. In a moment between shock and regret, Fawaz attempted to save his friend’s life by taking him to hospital. The attempt was futile. The victim bled to death before doctors could do a thing. Guilt caused Fawaz to turn himself in to the local authorities and confess to his crime. Local police then transferred the case to a religious court. In the presence of the victim’s mother and relatives, as well as Fawaz’s family, the court laid down its sentence: Death. According to the court statement, the relatives of the deceased have agreed to spare Fawaz’s life on the condition that blood money is given by a March 2006 deadline. The other condition was that Fawaz be banished from the area should the blood money be collected. The convicted murderer is currently being held at the Dar Al-Ahdath Juvenile Center in Riyadh. Asked if he thought the huge amount of blood money was a way of seizing the opportunity for financial gain, Owayid told Arab News that he was thankful that the victim’s family even agreed to blood money for a chance to spare his brother’s life. “The original amount demanded was SR5 million. But with the intervention of good people, the deceased boy’s family agreed to lower the blood money to SR3.5 million,” he said. “I cannot say for sure what is in the mind of the deceased boy’s father, but we are thankful that he gave us a chance to spare my brother’s life.” Fawaz’s brother said that so far they have not collected a single halala from anyone in spite of having already sent petitions to several wealthy people in the community and others. Speaking to Arab News, an expert in religious affairs said, according to Islamic law, those under the age of 18 are treated as adults as long as they are over the age of puberty. All those who are willing to help by making a donation can call this mobile: 0504848480. |
