Dr. Hayat Sindi is a Saudi Arabian medical scientist and a woman who has earned respect for extraordinary accomplishments in a country that denies women basic liberties. She is not only an award-winning scientist but one of the first female members of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia. Ranked by Arabian Business as the 19th most influential Arab in the world and the ninth most influential Arab woman, it is not surprising that Harvard University has brought her to the country as a visiting scholar. However, a nasty lawsuit in King County has raised deeply disturbing allegations about Sindi’s efforts against women who she accuses of hacking her emails. According to counsel for one of those women, Sindi worked to have another woman flogged for writing on Facebook that she had had an affair with her husband. On the other side is Samia El-Moslimany, a women’s activist and photographer who lives in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, who is fighting to keep Sindi from forcing the disclosure of the women, who would face medieval Sharia justice in Saudi Arabia.
All of this began when El-Moslimany posted statements on social media in 2012 alleging that Sindi had had an affair with her husband. Sindi responded with a Saudi defamation case and, according to an affidavit submitted by El-Moslimany’s lawyer, she wanted El-Moslimany flogged. The effort backfired. A Saudi judge decided last year that El-Moslimany should spend four days in jail for the public defamation while Sindi should spend two months in jail for forming an illicit relationship with El-Moslimany’s husband. Neither has served their sentences.
Sindi however has continued to try to force disclosure of the names of the women commenting on the Internet under the claim that she was hacked. A King County Superior Court judge decided Friday not to sentence a Burien woman to jail or to levy a $500 fine for each day of withholding the names in light of the danger to these women.
Judge Mariane Spearman denied Sindi’s request to hold El-Moslimany in contempt of court because Sindi’s new lawyer could not specify which Facebook comments might be a basis for investigating any of the women.
The idea of a Harvard academic fighting to have women flogged for alleged defamation is deeply troubling. The fact that Saudi Sharia law allows for medieval justice does not excuse a demand for such justice over the exercise of free speech. Even if such speech was defamatory, it should not be a criminal matter subject to flogging. Whatever the truth of the adultery, it should not be relevant to Harvard or anyone else other than those involved in these families. However, flogging for posting matters on the Internet raises significant issues of due process and free speech.
Should Harvard be involved in such dispute when one of its faculty seeks to have women flogged under Sharia law or this is simply a private matter under the laws of another country?
It’s good to be reminded of the reality of rightist ideology. They often like to dress it up ‘real purdy like’, but it’s ugly, racist and bigoted. We saw it here today in full color and a little bit of it yesterday on the thread about the Judge’s speech during the sentencing of the racist murderers in MS.
The two history teachers fail to cite any substantiation for their slurs. CITE your proof of FDR Jewish mafia thefts. .
The Japanese did lose all they possessed. Who stole all their goods? Americans – one and all. And as we all are so frequently reminded, most Americans are white Christians. Ergo…..ladies and gentlemen – those are your thieves.
Good lord. The stupidity. The hate.
Wadewilliams – for the stealing, you might want to look at the states and the feds. I am linking an article.
http://www.fear.org/RMillerJ-A.html
Seriously Wade? I know you have Bush on your mind. Just sayn’
We already know what po would do.
The only question would be if he could control his glee long enough for his heroes to complete their crimes.
Nick – I would like a cite, please. 🙂
First mention of Bush…..
Trooper at 6:58.
Trooper must be a liberal.
Nicky,
But you’ve left out the SPECIAL mafias.
I sure as hell await the details of your FDR Jewish mafia who stole all the worldly possessions of the interned Japanese. Prof. Turley’s children do, too.
WWPD? We just got our answer, Troop.
Talking to them about Lepke and Sidney Hillman is also beyond their range of knowledge. They know only two things. Islam good. America bad.
Oh yeah. Blame Bush.
And, I was called homophobic by a Muslim. They are scrambling, Trooper!! As we know, I love the gays, including you!
Trooper, The idiot thinks there’s only the Eyetalian Mafia. He doesn’t know about Jewish Mafia, Irish Mob, Russian Mob. Korean Mob and many more. LOL. We have discussed in other venues the Jewish Mob from Chicago and their link w/ Dems, including Obama. His Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, is from a family w/ ties to Meyer Lansky. Isn’t it ironic I am called anti Semitic and po gets a pass. You can’t make this stuff up!
Nick – I would I cite to Jews buying up the property of the Japanese. I have minimal problems with a Jewish mafia, although the Jews were not as organized, same with the Irish, etc. Personally, I would feel better with the term Jewish gang.
Dust Bunny Queen
Po
English is likely your second language. So here are the top two definitions of the word witness.
1.to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception:
to witness an accident.
2.to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc.:
She witnessed our wedding.
If you meant as in testify, then that would put a different spin on it and you should have said so.
verb (used with object), testified, testifying.
4. to bear witness to; affirm as fact or truth; attest.
5. to give or afford evidence of in any manner.
You need to be precise.
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I was just as precise as you were when you claimed that the witnesses were watching the porn session.
So since you offer a choice, I used witness as explained in option 1, to hear, know, see. To see is not to watch, to hear is not to watch, to know is not to watch. One can see, hear, and know without watching. Even with english being my 4th language, I still know that. What’s your excuse?
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on 1, February 16, 2015 at 6:34 pmDoody Kravitz
po:
I bet you would look good with a full beard. Do you have a checkered scarf and an AK?
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Doody, I do and I have. Matter of fact, I look good in everything, even a yarmulke.
po – DBQ is using ‘witness’ correctly, not you.
You should definitely take lessons on the Contitution from people who wants to impose Sharia law.
Trooper must’ve forgotten that the ones who are bombing ISIS now besides us, like Egypt and Jordan are MUSLIMS.
Wadewilliams
A slur from Pogo should be worn like an Honor Badge.
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No doubt, Wade, I have been wearing mine with great pride.
Inga, you are right, these guys are tripping on themselves trying to reconcile their opposite worldviews. the same people yesterday who were trying to whitewash the legacy of lynching over 4000 blacks in this country (including roasting some alive, removing teeth with pliers, hanging a pregnant woman upside down, setting her in fire and cutting her belly open so the fetus that falls be stomped to death…) are the same people crying over ISIS and wanting to restore the crusades and double down on the internment of ethnic groups.
Nick and DBQ, may you never be put into extreme situations, for you are cut of that cloth that can justify whatever harm they can set upon other people.
And by the way, Nick, there is no them and us. Muslims are just as much part of the fabric of this society that anyone else. So try as you may, you cannot excommunicate us. Coming from someone who rides on Obama’s nose any chance he gets about the imperialism of his presidency, you might need some lessons in constitutional law.
Nick can speak for himself. I know he is not an anti-Semite. I once saw him eat a bagel with schmere.
Wade, all the concern and tears by certain folks is just a show. Just like the show of being the most grieved when someone dies, it’s drama. They love a good car wreck, a ttitilating beheading, but when push comes to shove it’s these types of people that will fade into the shadows when it comes to standing on principle.
trooper york:
Attention son, that is your commander in cheif. or are you just a state trooper?
WADEWILLIAMS:
Who is Klan here? I am a Jewish black german italian polish American. I got a big nose and a small d…. My dad would say it was the Kravitz curse.
But all of us can run the 100 in under 11 seconds and bench 450 lbs so it aint too bad.
And the food, damn son, can you imagine?
I do not want Obama to get any more power because he would only use in the service of protecting and cosseting Iran. This President has shown that he is not trust worthy.
The only hope for the destruction of ISIS is if nations such as Jordan and Egypt step up to destroy them. They can fight fire with fire.
Obama is a farce.