MURDERER PARDONED

A Moroccan family living in Riyadh has pardoned the Saudi killer of their 38-year-old son in exchange for the payment of pilgrimage expenses for nine of the family. The expenses were proposed, according to an adviser to Prince Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, as an alternative to the SR3 million in blood money offered by donors but was turned down by the family at their home in the Moroccan capital Rabat. One of the sheikhs who proposed to cover the Haj and Umra expenses expressed his relief. “We didn’t think they would agree. This shows that a Muslim’s heart is naturally disposed toward good deeds and not getting money,” the sheikh said. The convicted 33-year-old killed his victim in a dispute over the latter’s late payment of a debt.