Saudi Arabias leading executioner lifted the veil on...

Saudi Arabias leading executioner lifted the veil on a taboo in the kingdom, revealing the gruesome reality of the beheading of men and women in the name of God. Muhammad Saad al-Beshi, 42, told Arab News in a rare interview that he would sever as many heads as necessary. "It doesnt matter to me: two, four, 10. As long as Im doing Gods will, it doesnt matter how many people I execute." Male or female, it's all the same, added the executioner for the Red Sea city of Jeddah. "Despite the fact that I hate violence against women, when it comes to Gods will, I have to carry it out." He also shot dead women found guilty under sharia, or Islamic law, which imposes the death penalty for murder, rape, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking and repeated drug use. "It depends ... sometimes they ask me to use a sword and sometimes a gun. But most of the time I use the sword." He developed a taste for the work at a prison in Taif, handcuffing and blindfolding prisoners before execution. His first job came in 1998. "The criminal was tied and blindfolded. With one stroke of the sword I severed his head. It rolled meters away." The sword is "a gift from the government. I look after it and sharpen it once in a while, and I make sure to clean it of bloodstains." His children sometimes even help, the article stated. "Its very sharp. People are amazed how fast it can separate the head from the body."