IN the Middle East, sadism is an everlasting part of history. Followers of the Prophet’s son-in-law, Sayidina Ali bin Abi Thalib during the Umayyah dynasty (661-750), for example, had to be prepared for five kinds of sadism: crucifixion in the town square; having their throats cut and their heads paraded around the town; being given sweet poison; being locked into a press with metal spikes positioned to match the shape of the victim’s body; a