Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to Vladimir Putin today: “You talk so much about Trump being a humanitarian, you are a humanitarian also, sir. And I salute that. I commend you.”

In reaction to my previous post, many of you have asked the most painful, human question in all of this: where is the place of mercy? I see the comments, and I feel the weight of such questions. The reason people fiercely disagree on this is because they are viewing it from completely different legal points and moral compasses. In the secular, Western moral compass, mercy is almost a default right for any non-violent crime. The secular world believes that as long as nobody was physically hurt, the state should always rehabilitate, tolerate, or forgive. That is why watching two Bangladeshi nationals, Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, face the ultimate penalty feels so violently devoid of mercy to the global audience. Some people are arguing in the comments that they only kissed. For me, there is no substantive proof for that. The Saudi Ministry of Interior convicted them of an immoral sexual act without releasing graphic details. Unless proven by official records, the kissing claim remains a social media rumor that cannot be supported with facts. We have to deal with the legal reality of what the court ruled on. Having said that, I believe we need to understand the Islamic legal compass. In Sharia, mercy is abundant, but it is deeply tied to intent and ignorance. Mercy is for the one who does not know. It is not for the one who knows the location of the boundary and intentionally crosses it to make a mockery of the space. Let’s think of it this way. Imagine a Christian or a Jew somehow bypassed the strict highway checkpoints, entered the mosque, and committed this same act. If they were caught and could genuinely establish ignorance of the theological sacredness of the Haram, the punishment would not be this severe. They would be arrested, aggressively interrogated, likely face jail time, and be permanently deported. The Saudi legal system would treat them as ignorant trespassers who violated public decency and border laws, but not as spiritual traitors. Let’s even bring it closer to the Western moral compass. Think about Vatican City. If a tourist bypasses thousands of hotel rooms in Rome and decides to commit a sexual act right on the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica, do you think the Italian authorities will care about their feelings? They will drag them out, charge them with severe desecration, and ensure the global media ruins their lives. Europe fiercely protects the boundaries of its sacred spaces using its own legal framework, and they will not bend their rules to accommodate emotional entitlement. The fact that Nazrul and Siti were Muslims is what made their situation infinitely worse. As Muslims, they knew what Mecca represents. They knew the theological weight of the sanctuary. They knew that in the Haram, you cannot even pluck a leaf or scare a bird. So when they bypassed private rooms to bring a sexual act into the mosque, the court could not look at them and see ignorance. The court saw premeditated defiance from people who knew better. When you share the faith, you are bound by its heaviest laws. You cannot claim ignorance of a sanctuary you pray toward five times a day. The Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed they were sentenced to death under ta'zir, a discretionary punishment, specifically because of the profound seriousness of violating the sanctity of the mosque. In that strict legal framework, when intentional desecration replaces human weakness, the door for mercy closes, and the sword of deterrence takes over. Every country has its own rules and laws. This is why I tell people: always obey the rules and laws of your host country. Do not protest. Do not flout public orders. Do not test the boundaries of a foreign legal system. Do not impose your moral compass on a sovereign land. When you cross a border, your feelings no longer dictate the law.

Bangladesh says it was not informed of its citizens' execution by Saudi Arabia bbc.in/4zJmny7