 MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Mogadishu's Islamic leaders gave seven men 40 lashes each for using or selling marijuana, meting out the punishment in public Wednesday in a dramatic example of the region's new fundamentalist rule.
It was the first public lashing since a militia-backed Islamic group took control of the capital, Mogadishu, in June. Officials said that the men were arrested two weeks ago, but did not say whether they were tried.
| Why bother? Allan's already told you what to do. |
The seven were lashed at the Konis Stadium in Mogadishu in front of scores of people. The marijuana was burned before the crowd. ``This punishment is in accordance with the Islamic law. Thank God, we can implement Islamic law in parts of the country freely and we hope we shall be able to do so throughout the country,'' Sheik Farah Ali Hussein, an official of the Islamic group, told the crowd.
| Wonder if they'll lash the qat dealers? That'll go over well. |
|