By Andrew L. Jaffee

… “He confessed to adultery with a woman and desecrating the Koran by placing it in the bathroom…”

The man in question was executed by Saudi authorities. It is unclear as to what exactly he did to deserve such an extreme punishment. When Saudi media first reported on the case of this Egyptian “sorcerer,” it stated that he “had placed copies of the Koran in washrooms. No accusation of adultery was mentioned at the time.” From Reuters:

Saudi Arabia executed on Friday an Egyptian man convicted of “sorcery”, desecrating the Muslim holy book and adultery, the official news agency said. …

It said Ibrahim had been accused by another foreign resident of practicing magic in order to separate him from his wife and said evidence had been found in his home, including books on black magic, a candle with an incantation “to summon devils” and “foul-smelling herbs”.

“He confessed to adultery with a woman and desecrating the Koran by placing it in the bathroom,” the agency said.

Saudi media first reported the case in April, saying mosque worshippers had complained that a pharmacist in the northern desert town of Arar had placed copies of the Koran in washrooms. No accusation of adultery was mentioned at the time. …

Executions are usually carried out by public beheading with a sword for murder, rape, drug smuggling and armed robbery.

Friday’s execution takes the total number of executions this year to well over 120, compared with a record of 192 recorded by Reuters for all of 1995. …