It just saddens me to see that we are stuck between the two extremes of our society - the religious bigots and the liberal *****. One is not any better than the other and bot are equally ignorant and inhuman. If i had my way i would stand them in a line and shoot their f**king brains out. The religious extremists live in their shell and think that everything about/in the West is or promotes evil while the liberal fagots have absolutely no knowledge of the religion which leaves them handicapped to even understand and see the logic behind even the littlest commandment of the religion.
Leeme clarify a couple of points here. Diya or Blood Money is applicable as long as a Muslim is involved in the conflict. Diya is not just a get outa jail card for the aggressor but a way to settle the conflict before it turns into something ugly. Diya is one of the many options that a person can use to settle a murder issue and not the only way. Diya/Blood Money can not be offered until and unless the victim demands of it from his free will. It is not elitist or stone age-ish. A member of the American embassy in Islamabad ran over a man and his family a couple of days ago in Islamabad. The man was let off the hook because the victims did not wana PRESS CHARGES. Diys is exercised when the victims do not wish to PRESS CHARGES or agree to reach an out of court settlement. Both of these practices are very common in the modern legal world and mirror the concept of Diya or Blood Money. The option of Diya can only be used pending certain criterion are met. I will quote the exact verse here which states the law in brief, if you need explanations, read the Tafseer or the scholarly commentary on the said verse.
"O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty. (Quran, 2:178)"