Off With Her Hands?

The handless are haunting my mind. I close my eyes and see bloody stumps, axes, tear-stained faces, and severed hands. Yesterday, I drew and painted a giant lizard for my classroom display on zoo animals, but I was tormented by the thought that if my hands were cut off, my task would be impossible.

This week, there was rumor at my school that one of the Filipino nannies (they are actually teaching and administrative assistants, but their official title is “nannies”) might have her hands cut off. She has been accused to stealing a little under $1,000 and some gold jewelry from another nanny. Sura verse 5.38 of the Qur’an states, “And (as for) the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands as a punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah; and Allah is Mighty, Wise.” Many Muslim countries no longer practice this rule of Shariah (Islamic Law) but some, including Saudi Arabia and Somalia, do.

When the nanny at my school was accused, the staff began to immediately say that hand amputation was a possible punishment. I heard about it, and felt instantly sick. When I first arrived in the UAE, I was told that cutting off the hands of thieves and stoning women was still technically allowed. I got the impression, however, that it is viewed as an antiquated practice. As the rumors have flown around school this week, I’ve tried to find out the truth by talking to people and reading what I can find online and in the library. The response has been varied. Some people have said that it’s only done on the third, serious offense. Others have said it hasn’t been practiced in the UAE in twenty years. The general consensus seems to be that this nanny is in no danger of having her hands removed.

Still, the visions of the handless persist. I am unquestionably relieved that this nanny will keep her hands, but the fact that I had to take the suggestion of the punishment seriously is disturbing. The cries of anguish, the raised axe, the severed hands in my mind’s eye are there because, despite how ultimately untrue it may be, part of me suspects that there is a possibility that I am in a country where criminals could be subjected to such inhumane treatment.

As a Western friend of mine pointed out, just because we were told that the nanny is in no danger of loosing her appendages, doesn’t mean that it’s true. For my Western friends and I, living here means being constantly aware that we may be being lied to. Corruption and deceit seem to be everywhere we look. From the hallways of our school, where loyalties shift with lightening speed and we have been lied to about pay dates and working hours and told our contracts are meaningless, to news items like Sheikh Issa Bin Zayad al-Nahyan, the there is a feeling of suspicion and distrust everywhere. Since I arrived here, everyone from my boss, to my hairdresser, to a close friend of a local Sheikh has told me to trust no one. The result is that I have no clue what to think about anything.

I wonder if this is a typical immigrant experience. I have no lofty idealizations of the US government; I know that, especially after the last administration, corruption, deceit, and inhumane treatment of prisoners has occurred. But as an educated American citizen who grew up in the country, I have a basic sense of what is and is not allowed. It is easier to distinguish rumors and urban legends from reality. For those new to the USA, though, is our air heavy with suspicious tension? Are they frequently told to believe nothing? And if they heard a rumor that our government would cut off someone’s hands as punishment for theft, would they be confused and tempted to believe it? Would they close their eyes and see severed hands?

Advertisement

Tags: crime, Culture Shock, law, religion