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?
Wade says:
He knows NOTHING about me and yet he easily recites where I live, who are my friends, what race they are. Shall we all pray that he was more reliable when testifying?
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Wade, in his former life as the best P.I. ever, he never needed leaving the house. He knew everything just by simply, and I mean simple-y being him. He can tell you what I ate for dinner. What did I have Nicky?
I haven’t eaten yet yet? How did you know? Man, he is skilled.
Remember that po is defending this so called scholar who is trying to have a woman flogged. He is defending Sharia law and “wishes” that we all be subject to it as he has a list of people he would like to she flogged. This is what the looney left Jumps to defend.
Forgot, trope, the fun is in the throwing poo, not the cleaning up.
Sorry for expecting much of you.
Paul
One book by hardly makes it history. Who are in this FDR Jewish mafia? How were they linked to FDR? Did they hold an office? How long were they associated? Were they employed by FDR? Did FDR profit from the thefts? How much did they steal? What did they steal? Did they steal the refrigerators? the stoves? the clothes? the farms? What was the value of all that was stolen from the Japanese? How much of that went to the FDR Jewish mafia?
In Nicky’s world, one only has to share the same city and have once voted for a Democrat to be part of a liberal cult or mafia. His mind-reading skills are about as good as Kreskins. We know his resume. It also is illustrative.
He knows NOTHING about me and yet he easily recites where I live, who are my friends, what race they are. Shall we all pray that he was more reliable when testifying?
Wadewilliams – I will wait until I read the book. 🙂
Why is it that rightists cannot voice a cogent argument without grossly mischaracterizing their opponents comments? What a sad state of affairs these rightists have brought RIL to.
Trooper, you finally got me to address you…and yes you owe me for humoring you.
Now, the whole world reading you is waiting: you are under oath, show me where I defended the beating of anyone, other than yourself that is.
Paul, wasn’t Nick referring to Tropper? A the “the Idiot”, I mean!
Also, isn’t the record, isn’t the posterity of this record oath enough? Doesn’t everything you say stand as your word for the rest of time? Aren’t you proud of whatever you say as representative of your truth as you say it? Isn’t your comment oath enough?
No?
Really, no?
Explains a lot.
po – the answer to your question is NO it is not an oath. Geez.
Sorry it is very difficult to post on an iphone
Paul, you used a woman’s biology to explain away her expressing herself in a ‘heated’ way. It’s not amusing. I could say that you as an elderly man lacks testosterone and perhaps that is why you express yourself in the way you often do. As a woman and a nurse I also know women of my age group are post menopausal and hot flashes occur during menopause, not typically post menopause. I don’t find your remarks humorous when you bring in a woman’s physiology as you did earlier. It’s chauvanistic and honestly dumb.
My testosterone levels are just fine according to my doctor.
It is vastly amusing to see ultra-liberal loony leftists jump in to defend the beating of woman. I guess the have overdosed on “Fifty Shades of Gray.”
Or it could be that they are just lunatics.
Yeah. I think that’s the ticket.
Trooper York – Fifty Shades of Gray was the top movie this weekend. Whipping would fit right in for liberals.
To circle back the the subject of this post……a Havard University visiting scholar is calling for a woman to be whipped under Sharia law.
Po defends this and the liberal loons jump in to defend him. All of this to support someone who wants another person whipped.
I guess she must be one of those Moderate Muslims we hear so much about. I mean at least she didn’t want to cut off her head.
So, in the last two days we have been bombarded with bigotry toward Jews, Muslims and Blacks from these rightists. Very revealing. Oh and let’s not forget the slur to women regarding their “hot flashes”, Paul’s contribution.
Do women undergoing menopause not have ‘hot flashes’? And is that derogatory? It is a fact of life. As a nurse you should know that. And I would expect at your age you have experience it.
There’s liberals here who don’t live within 20 miles of a minority. They “love” them in the abstract. If they see one they lock their doors and call 911.
Nick – here we call them ‘limousine liberals.’ There is a socialist professor at ASU who owns a 1.5 mill home in north Scottsdale. They talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk.
Paul
I am looking for the FDR Jewish mafia that your buddy specified.
Is the word Jew mentioned in the article? Are the number of Jews mentioned? Are any religious denominations mentioned? How about Chamber of Commerce? Boy, the chambers were just loaded with Jews in the 40s. Sounds like a lot of stellar white American farmers, Pauly. Not too many Jewish farmers in those days – let alone FDR Jewish mafia types.
Dusty’s story? It should be illustrative. There were damn few Americans who did the honest thing, the honorable thing, what we like to believe is ‘the American’ thing. Just a bunch of rapacious thieves.
Prove it that they were FDR Jewish mafias!
Your friend should be ashamed.
Wadewilliams – I asked for a cite, which he has since given on the Jewish mafia. I will have to track down the book. I will keep an open mind until then. Other than that I agree with your assessment of the article.
Supermob by Gus Russo. documents the irony of the Jewish Mob, connected w/ FDR, taking advantage of Japanese interred citizens, while Jews were being exterminated in Europe. For one to understand history, one must appreciate irony. The idiot will appreciate seeing how the Jewish Mafia owned Ronald Reagan as well, and were key in getting him elected Guv and prez. Another book that is edifying in this respect is When Hollywood was Right by Donald Critchlow. The idiot only reads The Nation, Democracy Now, etc. His ilk don’t read books. They don’t have the attention span for books.
Nick – you refer to ‘The idiot’ it is unclear just who ‘the idiot’ is.
Blah, blah blah, liberals… Blah… Apologists, blah blah ISIS…blah blah Sharia Law… LOL… Lunacy.
It is good to see the alliance of radical Islam and their apologists the Anti-Semitic and Anti-American left fly their ISIS flags proudly. They will excuse any depredation and scramble to change the subject from the murders happening right now.
It was very instructive to see them bare their fangs in defense of Sharia Law. This is who they are plain and simple.
Po, it’s just Paul. He can’t help it.
Nick, who called you homophobic? Did Paul do it again? I was saying you really, really seem to love :the gays”, just saying, and not that there is anything wrong with it.
Uh, when was I antisemitic?
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Paul C. Schulte says
po – DBQ is using ‘witness’ correctly, not you.
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Paul, my options are
1- Take Paul’s testimony for it, because, well, it is Paul after all
2- Not take Paul’s testimony for it, because, well, it is Paul after all.
Do you have 4 witnesses? No? You’ve earned yourself 80 lashes my friend. That’s the, ahem, global punishment for false testimony.
po – I am talking about the definition of the word. BTW, it is not the global punishment for false testimony. For testimony to be false, it has to be under oath. Besides being a beard for CAIR you are losing your grip on reality.
It was FDR and Earl Warren who were principally at fault. Two progressive icons. Those dirty thieves.