Janus
Cassini gazed at Janus (193 by 173 by 137 kilometers in diameter) from a distance of 96,000 kilometers on July 26, 2009 to capture this natural-color, global view; even the night side is faintly illuminated by light reflected from Saturn or the rings. Janus is the larger of a pair of moons that share an orbit around Saturn; its partner is Epimetheus. Credit: NASA / JPL / SSI / color composite by Gordan Ugarkovic

At your peril, it seems. The Pashtuns run a kind of democracy which on paper would appeal to many Westerners – and not just those of the KKK persuasion. “‘The jirga in the ethnic Pashtun society of north-west Pakistan, and also Afghanistan, is a traditional form of arbitrating disputes and dispensing justice. Jirgas cover everything from property disputes to murder charges. The males gather but exclude women from their meeting. Everyone from the tribal chief to the humblest labourer is allowed to stand up and have a say.”

So when a local couple indulges in some extra-marital howsyourfather, the jirga pronounces its verdict – death. Not necesarily by stoning though. Mercifully the culprits might be shot.

Is that better or worse than the American norm whereby execution can be summary (on the street) or ‘under advisement’ in some States – which can take a lifetime? ‘Aha!’ you retort, ‘that’s for murder and such, not adultery. Quite right, but what I’m gently asserting here is that although Pashtun traditions outlaw different misdemeanours from American statutes (which I think a society is justified in doing) the Pashtuns methods of dispensing justice are not to be sniffed at. So let’s not use words like ‘barbaric’ too loosely.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/couple-sentenced-pakistan