I could not watch the video of the beheading of a Burmese woman that was recently posted on social media websites such as YouTube. The video was sent to me by many people. In fact, I do not like to watch painful pictures and scenes. I do not understand why some people are obsessed with filming such scenes and distributing them via social media. Whoever receives and watches this video has given himself permission to violate the privacy of this Burmese woman who was punished for what she did. Strangely enough, no one asked who had filmed the woman. Everyone wanted to enjoy seeing someone executed. Is it permissible to spread such a video? The police recently arrested the person responsible; it turned out to be a police officer. What this person did was unacceptable. The Ministry of Interior always announces beheadings through the media and reiterates that anyone who kills an innocent person will be punished according to Shariah. The ministry did the right thing when it took swift action to handle the situation, especially after the woman's relatives lodged a complaint with the authorities. In the complaint, they explained how the woman's family and children were left distressed by the clip and the sound of her screaming before she was beheaded. It seems that the officer—like a professional photographer looking for a scoop—was neglectful in his duties when he filmed the woman. Although he knew the law very well, he went ahead and disseminated the video when he should have kept it to himself. In doing so, he committed a double offense. Do we have a law forbidding anyone from taking a photo of a person without the person's permission? Are such laws effective in other countries? To begin with, let us focus on the excessive habit of people who take photos or film happenings on their cell phones. It seems that this has become an obsession for some people. These people do not respect or value the privacy of others. They are not bothered that families are harmed when their private celebrations are filmed and then distributed via the Internet. In our society, everyone seems to be busy taking pictures of others and violating their privacy. I know a lady who sent me her dying father's photo. The picture showed his face a few minutes before he passed away. What happened to the privacy and sanctity of the dead? Why do we violate it? Another family videotaped their father who was lying in hospital critically ill. Before he passed away, they asked him about his property, including land he gave to his second wife. The clip gave me goose bumps, as the family seemed very callous. Now let us talk about the penalties for those who violate the privacy of others. In most countries, they get between six months and three years in prison in addition to a fine. This applies to anyone who takes a picture or video or who records a phone call without the permission of those involved. In the United Arab Emirates, a person could be fined half a million dirhams. In Europe and the United States, a photographer who takes candid photos of a celebrity could cost the newspaper he works for millions of dollars if no settlement is reached between the newspaper and the celebrity who files a lawsuit against the newspaper in a court of law. This is how much a violation of privacy can cost. Our laws should be clear regarding the punishment for such negative and unethical practices.
