Hudud - A Way Forward or Backward?

When I started blogging I made two promises to myself. One, never to include names if people I know personally. Two, never write about political issues. This however, trespasses the human psyche. So yes, this is a very juicy topic indeed. I am not really going to make a stand on whether they should or should not implement Hudud. Currently, I'm just interested to know what Hudud actually is. Before this, my mind understood Hudud as an equivalent to chopping something. I was reading about Hudud on Wikipedia, because that is the easiest source when you can't really get any genuine material. But Wikipedia has references at the bottom of the page, so its fine for me. From what I gathered, Hudud is one of four categories of punishment in the Islamic Penal Law. We aren't really interested in the other three categories, so I'm not going to mention it. The crimes that they are focusing on are such as theft, fornication, adultery, intoxication and apostasy (abandoning religion). The meaning of the Arabic word Hudud is 'restriction or limit'. Also, under the Hudud category, 'chopping' isn't the only punishment. There are three types of punishment, namely, Capital Punishment, Amputation, and Lashing. Most people and the media harp on the amputation, and that is why it is imprinted on most minds that by Hudud, if you steal, you will lose your hand. Well, it is, but that's not all of it. Personally speaking, and not having the intention of offending anyone, I dislike this idea. However I do not oppose the people proposing it. Is the phrase, 'it doesn't matter how you do it, what matters are the results', true? Is it different if before the act of stealing, the stealer thinks to himself, 'If I steal and get caught, I will go to jail' as opposed to 'If I steal and get caught, my hand will be amputated'?  If someone is in a desperate situation as to steal, isn't he or she ready to face the consequences? Does the punishment really make a difference? The stoning to death, amputation etc, isn't the worse one could think of. Worse punishment can be found in history, for example, crucifixion of Persian, Carthaginians, Macedonians and Romans origin. On the cross, however if the victim doesn't die fast, death is hastened by fracturing the tibia or fibula, a stab to the heart, strong blows to the chest, or a fire at the bottom of the victim's feet to asphyxiate the victim. Come to think of it, Hudud is child's play compared to the crucifixion. But that is not the point. Then and now, did any of these extreme punishment really did change mankind? The crimes then and now, are they any different? If it is really results we are focusing on, did we achieve any? Is Hudud a way forward of backward. My view to this is that, it is a roundabout. It makes no difference. Though the thought of amputation or stoning to death is horrifying and the image of it is troubling, it is actually an equivalent of any kind of punishment be it big or small. It does not change mankind. Rape existed then, still existing now. Fornication or adultery, gold bars or money, it will all exist continuously, because when the need arises, man will do whatever it takes, even if it means killing another to save your own. I am not criticizing Hudud for what it is. If you think you can step up the game with Hudud, I beg to differ. I bring forward a proposition. Earlier I mentioned that, I dislike Hudud but do not oppose the people proposing it. Think about it, if someone raped your loved one, I think you would do more than just Hudud-defy that guy. If you were in that situation, chopping of his privates as an equivalent of raping your loved one wouldn't be enough. You would want more than that. Death penalty is out of the topic. Death is easy, living is tough (House M.D). If you want to learn to revenge, learn it from the Koreans. Ain't no other race on earth can revenge better then them. If someone really raped your loved one, you might want to break his spirit and make him want to die by locking him up in a room for fifteen years, feeding him only one type of food everyday (Oldboy, 2003). Then you might want to skin him alive (Martyrs, 2008), and then just for fun, soak him on soap water after skinning (a biology lecturer). Even at that point, it wouldn't be enough. You might want to dedicate your life to being a vigilante and killing all rapists out there. Come to think of it, even if you amputate someone, I think these criminals are rich enough to go to Japan and get prosthetics. Then they can come back to their homeland and continue their serial raping. If you revenge the person who wronged you, then you are at the same level as him. Here is what I propose for criminals who have been caught. I suggest bring back the once upon a time great, 'Lobotomy'. I'm talking about Shutter Island, 2010 & Sucker Punch, 2011 lobotomy. It was originated by a Portuguese Neurologist, António Egas Moniz. The most precious thing about a human, everything you have is all about your memories and your identity. The traditional lobotomy was a procedure for psychiatric patients. My suggestion requires a tweak to the procedure. Its more of a leucotomy of the temporal lobe. Destroy the autobiographic memory of the criminal, resulting in an alteration of personality. The amputation idea is still there, but why amputate the arm when it was the brain who told the arm to do so? Once this is done, send him to one year session of cognitive reprogramming. I'm talking about A Clockwork Orange, 1971. Make him fear and hate what he loves most. If by Hudud, it is fear they want to instill, I bet you, just watching a lobotomy procedure will freak the shit out of you, and a session like portrayed in A Clockwork Orange will add a cherry on top. An additional benefit with the procedures I suggested, is that the criminal is given a new chance in life, together with experiencing hell for about six months to one year while having all his limbs intact. These aren't my ideas, all credit given to the writers and directors of movies that have so much to contribute to the society. Do watch 'A Clockwork Orange, 1971' by Stanley Kubrick, if you haven't.

“Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?”

~Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange