Behind all those beheadings you hear about in Saudi Arabia, there are people trained in the art of cutting off people’s heads writes J. Dana Stuster. Their future is looking bleak:

• Saudi Arabia is considering updating its laws to allow execution by firing squad.
• Swordsmen aren’t threatened because of a lack of demand. Indeed, the execution business in Saudi Arabia is booming. Rather, the problem is on the supply side. There aren’t enough reliable swordsmen.
• The government is having trouble recruiting more swordsmen because few people are interested in beheadings for a career.
• Overall Saudi Arabia’s current generation of swordsmen aren’t overly concerned. One has already received firearms training in preparation for the rule change.

Meet a Saudi Arabian executioner, his apprentice, and read about the religious barriers to allowing firing squads over here.

Source: Foreign Policy