Cross-amputation

Cross-amputation (قطع من خلاف) is one of the Hudud punishments prescribed under Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia law) and involves cutting off the right hand and left foot of the alleged transgressor.

The scriptural authority for the double amputation procedure is in the Quran (surah 5: 33-34) which stipulates:

"'The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might for mischief through the land is execution or crucifixion, or cutting of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land. As for the thief, male or female, cut off their hands and feet from opposite ends in recompense for what they have committed.'"

The right hand is always amputated during administration of the punishment regardless of whether the victim is right- or left-handed. This is because the Muslim faith decrees that the right hand should be used for clean purposes such as writing or eating, while the left is reserved for unclean tasks, such as cleaning following defecation. By removing the right hand as part of the punishment, the victim is subsequently forced to use his or her ‘unclean’ left hand for tasks such as eating, and this added humiliation or indignity is regarded as part of the punishment.

Practice
The punishment, typically used for highway robbery (hirabah, qat' al-tariq) and civil disturbance against Islam, is usually carried out in a single session in public, without anaesthetic and using a sword. In some countries mentioned below doctors attend the amputations to manage blood loss and pain by administering tourniquets, analgesic medication and bandaging.

The punishment is practised in Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia; Sudan; Somalia; Mauritania, the Maldives; Iran; and Yemen.