In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, the ministry said the maid used a pillow to suffocate her employer Aisha Al Makhaled and then stole her jewelry in the southern province of Asir.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery are executed in public with a sword.
The maid is the second person to be executed this year in the desert kingdom, according to an Associated Press count.
Saudi Arabia beheaded 137 people last year, up sharply from the 38 in 2006.
Hmm, where to start? My main issue is really the beheading part. And, while I don't recommend murdering one's employer, I'm against the death penalty if you've happened to do so. But a death penalty by beheading? That is just a bit too much for me to take. Also, I smell a slight rat when a maid is on trial for murder.
"Hmm, how can I have a better life? I know, I'll journey from Indonesia to the human rights loving land of Saudi Arabia and get a job doing the most menial work I can find to ensure that if any trouble befalls me, I won't have any legals rights to protect myself with. Once I've managed to get into that position in the least xenophobic of nations, I'll murder my wealthy Saudi employer who may have powerful friends just motivated enough to behead me."
And, yikes, they beheaded 137 people last year? And she's the second one to be beheaded in 2008? Where have I been? I once again appreciate that in this chaotic universe my female life exists in a land where women are afforded legal protections, the right to own property and an education.
Oh human rights ... may you one day be available to all.
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