Writing : The Death penalty
Subject: Do you share the views of the defenders of
the death penalty or its opponents?
Introduction:
In recent
years, Morocco has witnessed a deep and fierce debate about the need to retain
or abolish the death penalty. The debate
raged on the pages of newspapers and on television channels, radio and social
networking sites between the two tributaries of this punishment as incompatible
with the right to life, and the defenders of this punishment from the logic
that it is a protection for the individual and society. Which of the two views
is more correct?
The point of view of opponents of the application of the death penalty:
The
anti-death penalty movement has been expanding and growing around the globe, as
many official and non-official organizations and bodies, such as Amnesty
International and the United Nations
World Council for Human Rights, are leading a campaign against the application
of the death penalty, seeking through awareness campaigns to attract opponents
of the death penalty, and to convince government officials and politicians of
the need to abolish the death penalty.
They proceed from the fact that this punishment is contrary to the right
to life that God has given to man. In addition, a suspect against whom the
judge pronounces a death sentence can be innocent, and if the sentence is
carried out, the judiciary and even society as a whole have committed
murder. Moreover, some criminals suffer
from psychological and mental illnesses or are induced by the influence of
drugs and alcohol, which makes them relatively irresponsible for the crimes
they commit, due to the absence of the element of conscious will. Instead of
being considered criminals, this segment of people should be placed in
psychiatric and psychiatric clinics for treatment and reintegration into
society. Even if we accept that these
people are criminals who pose a danger to society, is it not enough for them to
be imprisoned in prison? How many people have gone to prison as a serious
criminal and have obtained higher degrees in various scientific and literary
disciplines.
Those who
claim that the death penalty contributes to reducing the aggravation and spread
of crime are delusional: despite its execution, crime continues to grow and
become more heinous. Even worse, society
expresses its inability to reform delinquents and criminals and turns into a
murderer, as Victor Hugo shows in his book The Last Day of a Death Row
Person. The death penalty is an
expression of the impotence of the State with all its educational and
correctional institutions. Getting rid of the criminal by executing him is not
only subjecting the latter to psychological torment, suffering and pain while
he is on death row awaiting the execution of the sentence, but also a crime
against his family members: What is the
guilt of an innocent child who becomes an orphan because of the execution of
his father? And what is the guilt of a woman who becomes bereaved because of
this execution? And what is the fault of a mother who mourns the death of her
son? Society punishes all members of the criminal's family who have not
committed a crime, and this is unjust and unjust.
A point of view in favor of the application of the death penalty:
However,
despite all these arguments, defenders of the death penalty insist that it
should be maintained for several reasons.
To say that some criminals commit their heinous crimes under the
influence of drugs or because of mental disorders is dangerous: it is simply a
justification for such crimes, which may encourage delinquents to commit more
atrocities, exacerbate and expand crime, and thus insecurity and
instability. Indeed, some people do not
have full mental faculties, and specialists and experts should be consulted to
confirm this, taking care not to fall into the consequences of justifying all
crimes as opponents of the death penalty would like to do. Some thugs and murderers even brazenly
declared in court that they were patients in need of treatment, even though
they planned their heinous crimes with great intelligence and dazzling
precision.
The death
penalty is not a deprivation of life, as its opponents claim, but a protection
of the lives of thousands, even millions, of people from the brutality and
danger of criminals who commit crimes whose brutality exceeds that of even
deadly predators: it is a shame, even a crime, to seek excuses for the
Taroudant serial killer who raped innocent children and abused their emaciated
bodies before throwing them in the dustbins.
A criminal who rapes an innocent child as young as four years old before
strangling her deserves no mercy or pity.
Will those calling for the abolition of the death penalty continue to
fight with enthusiasm and determination if their innocent young child is
brutally raped and strangled to death?
The death
penalty does not contradict Islamic religious values, on the contrary, it is
obligatory in many cases strictly defined by the Qur'an, so religious scholars
in Muslim countries strongly reject its abolition. Those who say that it is a brutal or barbaric
punishment and whose hearts are compassionate to the suffering of the criminal
on death row forget or forget the suffering of the families and relatives of
the victims of that serial killer, and forget that the feeling of pain and
torment is part of the punishment:
should the prison be covered with flowers to receive a criminal who
brutally murdered innocent people without scruples or deterrence? The person
sentenced to death should set an example for others who might be tempted to
commit the same crimes, and this will only be possible if they feel terrified.
Conclusion:
Personally,
I believe that the real problem lies not in abolishing or maintaining the death
penalty, but in the need to fight the causes of crime represented by poverty,
illiteracy, unemployment, moral decay and family disintegration. It is absurd and illogical to talk about
punishment at length on television, radio, newspapers and social networking
sites, ignoring the factors leading to crime. We must devote our efforts and
thinking to the search for ways to reduce crime.