Crime and Punishment

As indicated above a truly democratic Islamic Welfare State will look after all worldly and -spiritual needs of its individuals. The social set up of such a state will be crime free. When there is no crime there is no punishment. But in practice it will not be so. Humans are prone to commit offences. Neither the individual will ever be a symbol of perfection nor will the Democratic Welfare state of our dreams be an ideal one. In view of this it will be prudent to make an assessment a crime is committed by an individual how much of its responsibility lies on the state and much on the individual. If plenty of employment opportunities exist and he is gainfully roved, yet he resorts to theft instead of going to work then he deserves prescribed punishment. Otherwise the state is at fault and the offender deserves its benefit. However, no punishment has ever proved to be wholly prohibitive. Despite the harshest possible punishment the criminal will not refrain from taking chances. A possibility always lurks in his mind the somehow he might get away with his crime.