I certainly agree that aspects of Sha'ria applied to women are barbaric, though I would point out that in this case and argument could be made that caning a person for drinking beer - which I believe is illegal there - is not truly more barbaric than imprisoning someone for smoking grass or taking psychedelics - still not unheard of in the secular West.

But your point is taken. And for all those who decry colonialism, I recall Charles James Napier, Governor in Bombay in 1849.

(from Wikipedia)

A story for which Napier is famous involves a delegation of Hindu locals approaching him and complaining about prohibition of Sati, often referred to at the time as suttee, by British authorities. This was the custom of burning widows alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands. The exact wording of his response varies somewhat in different reports, but the following version captures its essence:

"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."


>>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8276016.stm
>>>
>>>It has emerged that an al-Qaeda bomber who died last month while trying to blow up a Saudi prince in Jeddah had hidden the explosives inside his body.
>>>
>>>So what next . Full MRI before you can get on a plane
>>
>>
>>"The bomber was a Saudi al-Qaeda fugitive who said he wanted to give himself up to the prince in person.
>>the prince took him at his word gave him safe passage to his palace.
>>But there, once he got next to his target, the bomb inside him was detonated."
>>
>>This prince isn't too bright.
>
>A bit off topic, but I have written to the government ministry of Islam in Malaysia. The Sharia law twits have decided to cane a woman for having a beer. Here's my note to them: It has come to my attention that a Sharia court has decided to impose the barbaric and outdated punishment of caning on a woman who tasted some beer. How positively disgusting! Shame on you and shame upon Islam. The free world watches carefully in disbelief as the Muslim world imposes the foolishness of Sharia law upon it's followers. Will Allah not allow you to think for yourself? I assure you that I shall never visit your country and I shall talk to others about the vile barbarism of Sharia and Islam. Allah created you to be free and to not spend your life under his thumb.