Cross-amputation
Cross-amputation (Arabic: قطع من خلاف) is a form of punitive judicial limb amputation and one of the Hudud punishments prescribed under Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia law). It involves removing diagonally opposite limbs from the alleged transgressor, typically the right hand and left foot. The scriptural authority for the double amputation procedure is in the Quran (surah 5: 33 and 38), which stipulates:
"The punishment of those who protest 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: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;" (33)
As for the thief, both male and female, cut off their hands. It is the reward of their own deeds, an exemplary punishment from Allah. Allah is Mighty, Wise. (38)
— Quran, translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali., 5.33
The right hand is always amputated during the 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. The punishment is sometimes combined with crucifixion, whereby the culprit is first of all attached to a cross (either by rope or by being nailed to the cross) and then the right hand and left foot are cut off. Such a sentence usually leads to death by blood loss.