Submitted by Aymenn Jawad (United Kingdom), May 20, 2009 at 07:37
Dear Dr. Pipes:
Nirosh Kamanda was detained and sent to Jeddah. He then faced a trial in a Shari'a court with the Minister of Interior deciding on a punishment based on the recommendations of a judge. However, his fate after this is unknown and will probably never be revealed. Since there is no set penalty for a non-Muslim's being in Mecca, do not rule out the possibility of a death sentence, but it is most likely that he has been sentenced to imprisonment and will (or per adventure he has been sent back) be sent back to his employer. Deportation is highly improbable since employers in Saudi Arabia routinely confiscate ex-pats' passports.
Yours faithfully,
Aymenn Jawad.
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