“Comparative Study of Stoning Punishment in the Religions of Islam and Judaism”

This article undertakes a comparative study of stoning in Islam and Judaism. It states that in Islam stoning (rajm) is a punishment - originally from Hodoud – for adultery. In Judaism, stoning was only one of four different types of penalties used in cases of adultery, sodomy, and idolatry, and the ways in which this punishment is executed are quite different in Islam and Judaism. By comparing the size of the stones and the way it is done, one can say that in Islam the aim of this punishment is to be more painful. There are no clear instructions about stoning in the Qur’an, although there are some implications in Hadiths, but it is specifically mentioned in the Torah. The author argues that stoning is a punishment that (no matter for what reasons or charges it is executed ) contradicts international agreements – e.g. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The article further discusses possible answers as to why, in Muslim contexts, stoning is still used as a punishment (sometimes in public); while in Judaism, there are only historical examples.