Egyptian Cleric Hazem Abu Ismail in Favor of Chopping Off Hands of Thieves: In 100 Years of Islamic Rule, There Were Only 4 Cases of Theft

Following are excerpts from a religious program featuring Egyptian islamist Hazem Abu Ismail, which aired on Al-Risala TV on September 3, 2008:

Hazem Abu Ismail: Islamist law has instated a punishment for thieves – whoever steals has his hand chopped off. Surprisingly enough, in a tiny neighborhood in a country like Egypt – or even in America, England, or anywhere in the world – there are thousands of cases of theft every year, notwithstanding modern penal codes, modern criminology, and all the correction and reform that takes place in prisons. On the other hand, due to Islamic law, during the [first] 100 years of Islam, there were only four cases of theft. Since the punishment for theft was instated, there were only 10 cases of theft. When things got bad, there was a case of theft every ten years. Excuse me, there were four cases in 100 years, and when things go bad... There was a case of theft every quarter of a century.

[...]

This goes not only for theft, but also for usury and for adultery. In America, in Europe, in countries where promiscuity prevails, and even in Africa – you've seen how AIDS has spread. I was surprised to see a map of the world, in which they painted red the regions seriously infected with AIDS, they painted green the regions that are AIDS-free, and they painted yellow the regions with a medium level of AIDS. It turns out that the entire world is ablaze with the AIDS disease, as a result of homosexuality and sexual promiscuity – all the men and women committing adultery... The only exception is the Islamic region. The Islamic region is the only safe haven, Allah be praised.