In Other World News…

In the spirit of mind-boggling laws of the day, this article got me wondering, “How far is too far?” Apparently it is not enough to control how people behave or even what they think or believe; this is about controlling speech in the most precise way. This is serious micro-management! The message here is: Beware of the letters you use in public when in Turkey. It is not just the letters “q” and “w” that are problematic, but pulling out the letter “x” may also yield consequences. (Check out the Turkish alphabet)

This story is absurd and while I try to be culturally sensitive, this just seems so nuts I can’t be sure it is for real. Will the quandaries ever end for the Kurds in Turkey or elsewhere? More generally, will bizarre legal oppression end for many in the world?

Aside from the numerous laws in many cultures that illustrate women as second-class citizens or the many cruel punishments imposed in other countries that involve the mutilation or the severing of body parts for certain crimes, what is your “favorite” obscure or extreme law or punishment in the world?