Saudis Face Soaring Blood-Money Sums

When the court of last resort finds the crime to be especially grisly, the execution can be carried out even if the victim's heirs have accepted blood money, or the offender can be sentenced to additional years in jail and lashes.

Qassim, who heads the Islamic affairs section at Okaz newspaper, said the government should establish an official cap and initiate a nationwide campaign to educate people about the blessings of forgiveness and the sin of turning a victim's death into a money-making enterprise.

"Tribes like to say, 'We got this amount of money for a member of our tribe,' " he said. "People start to think the more money you can get for a member of your family, the more valuable your tribe is."

King Abdullah, who has paid off several blood-money debts over the past few years, has been quoted as saying that the amount should not exceed $130,000. The minimum set by the government is $32,000.

Hasnani's father, Salem, a retired policeman who drives a taxi in the evenings, said he has sent more than a dozen emissaries to the victim's father, Attiyah al-Mahmoudi, a former policeman he knew from work.

After a year of insisting on going through with the execution, Mahmoudi was persuaded by a mutual acquaintance from his police force days with Salem to spare Hasnani's life for blood money.

"We're from the same neighborhood," said Salem Hasnani, 57, leaning on a floor cushion in his modest living room. "He knows my situation. He knows I can't afford that."

A mediator for the two families said the Mahmoudis did not want to discuss the case.

Salem Hasnani said he and his two brothers offered to give their homes to Mahmoudi, but he insisted on cash. They borrowed money, putting up their homes for collateral, sold several pieces of land and came up with $400,000.

A few days before Hasnani's planned execution, initially set for the beginning of July, a committee member accompanied by a delegation of tribal sheiks and clerics persuaded Mahmoudi to decrease the sum to $1.3 million.

Mahmoudi also agreed to a one-month postponement of the execution to give the family time to come up with the money.

Salem Hasnani printed up copies of the official paper provided by the committee that explains his son's case. With his brothers and his eldest son, Yasser, they have sought help from more than a dozen wealthy businessmen and businesswomen and a handful of princes in the capital of Riyadh and the coastal city of Jiddah. His young nephews have also posted appeals online asking for the money to be sent to a special account set up by the Reconciliation Committee.

In the past few weeks, they have raised $200,000, Salem Hasnani said. And this week, after a second visit by the Reconciliation Committee, Mahmoudi agreed to reduce the diyah to $1.2 million, leaving the Hasnanis $600,000 short.

Hasnani's mother, Khairiya, said that she visits her son almost every week but that they never discuss his case. "He asks about his brothers, how they're doing in school," she said. "I always tell him to study and to pray."

Salem Hasnani's relatives said they do not know the details of the fight between their son and his victim. The two were in the city of Mina during the annual hajj pilgrimage, working over the school holiday, when they ran into each other.

"It started here," said Hasnani's brother Sayyir, 16, pointing to a large sandlot where they all used to play soccer. "They were on opposite teams, and they became enemies. And ever since then, anytime they met, they fought."

The Hasnani family held a "charity tent" Friday, a weekend day here. More than 100 men came, drinking tea and coffee while Salem Hasnani appealed for help.

"Some donated $1,000, and some donated $5,000," he said. "Together we raised half the money that's left. There are many do-gooders here. We have one week left, but I am praying for the best."