European Scientific Journal May 2014 edition vol.10, No.14 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 227 HUDUD PUNISHMENTS IN ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW Dr. Etim E. Okon Senior Lecturer, Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, University of Calabar Abstract Islam is more than a religion, it encompasses faith, culture, law and the social order. Islam proposes a society of righteousness and justice. Criminal behaviour is not tolerated in the Islamic order of society. Criminal behaviour is breach of God’s sovereignty, hence stiffer penalties are prescribed. This paper examines hudud punishments in Islamic penal system, and agitates for the reformation of Islamic criminal jurisprudence. While it is reasonable to punish offenders, and violators of normative principles, it is the opinion of this paper that punishments that are prescribed in municipal penal code should at least conform to international criminal jurisprudence. Keywords: Hudud, Islam, Criminal Law, Punishment, International Criminal Law Introduction The primary objective of Islamic penal system is to protect society from the dangers of crime. Society must be protected from the activities of criminals and hoodlums. Social life must be peaceful and devoid of insecurity. The severity of Islamic penal system is aimed at discouraging criminal behavior. If the criminal knows the anguish and pains he will bring to himself, he/she may abstain from committing the crime. The convicted criminal who has passed through the judicial process once may not willingly dabble into any criminality after the painful experience. Herein lies the philosophy of deterrence in Islamic penal system. While it is not reasonable to pity criminals in the hands of the law, there is a powerful and logical argument that Islamic criminal system is due for reforms to fit into the thinking of the 21 st century. While fundamentalists are collectively opposed to any reforms, the progressives are pushing their case across the world. Islam cannot operate with a medieval penal system.