We recently discussed the sentencing of a political dissident in Saudi Arabia to being crucified and beheaded under the Kingdom’s medieval Sharia-based legal system. Now, as if to reaffirm the Kingdom’s opposition to basic human rights and freedoms, the Kingdom has reportedly sentenced a professor and activist to to 10 years in prison and barred him from traveling abroad for another decade. Abdel-Karim al-Khadar, a professor of Islamic studies from conservative Qassim Province, has been under arrest for over two years (since April 2013) for criticizing religious extremism and fighting for women’s rights. That is enough to jail you in the Kingdom, a country that remains one of our closest allies.
Khadar was sentenced by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court on charges including disobeying the ruler, founding a human rights organization and supporting protests.
The inclusion of the crime of “founding a human rights organization” in Saudi Arabia is particularly telling.
As we denounce Islamic extremism around the world, it is easy to forget that Saudi Arabia continues to apply cruel Sharia sentences, deny basic liberty to women, bar religious freedom to non-Muslims, and brutally put down dissident. Christians cannot even build a church in the country or freely engage in religious ceremonies despite the constant demands of Saudi Arabia to guarantee the free exercise of Islam in other countries.
Oil isn’t the only thing crude in Saudi Arabia.
I dont know who “our” allies are…..but i know who they are not……they arent the sobs who infiltrate and bomb us….and chop heads tofff…..not an ally. Twarting that is ally……hence russia ia ally now. The rest of you cant get past old business.
Who says who are allies are? You always prop these miseasterners as our allies..energy .? Allies?…..seems to me russia is our natural ally…..few racial. Ethnic or religions to overcome…yet you always say mideast muslims are our allies. How come? When they chop heads off with impunity. Personally i consider caucasion christians my ally.(russians) then again….a bank doest own me. Or them …..hence the russians willl save your head. Tasaranovs were enough for me. Russia cares. Obama only cares about lockdown. Isis proves it, they really wAnt terrorism thwarted….he doesn’t. No borders….then treason is obe,,,,,i pick putin….cuz he’s god’s point gaurd at this point. Did i mentioni workrd sof in 98 and some peon told me about 911…..to the tee. Ling face kerry can say all day long who our allies are….the ppl who care
….know who they are despite a turley trying to say who they are.
.
I’ll be waiting for Hillary to criticize Saudi Arabia for this, and for the general treatment of women there. I’ll be waiting a very long time, I’m sure.
I think some are held to different standards here, or it could be that some don’t mind taking up the Professor’s time with complaints. Personally, I think that’s disrespectful, but then again it’s apparently tolerated, if not condoned.
I think there’s a general recognition that all of us participate here for different reasons and that some of us are looking for something more than to debate on the issues.
Paul C. Schulte makes good points about sovereignty and cultural respect. HOWEVER Saudis don’t respect the sovereignty and cultural rights of other nations like Syria which they have destabilized nor Iran, obviously. Nor the civilians they are killing in Yemen.
The Saudi-Israeli-USneocon alliance is old and stale and bad and it’s gotta go.
http://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Qatar-And-Saudi-Arabia-Threatening-To-Escalate-Syrian-Conflict.html
Sorry Schulte,
You’re absolutely correct, Spinnelli was the one who made the comment about religion. I should have known from the churlish tone that it wasn’t you. Sorry for the confusion.
I’m curious, are the civility rules meant for everyone?
I like tuna on rye.
A simpleton could simply Google “OPEC is dying” or “OPEC waning” and stop wasting my time and then be useful and make me a sandwich for lunch.
Featherweights here try and use “truthiness” and then whine when called on their ignorant assumptions, false equivalencies, and good ol’ dissembling. This is a heavyweight blog, I could point featherweights to some in their weight class if they so desire. They are a waste of my valuable time.
Slow death of OPEC. What, besides the view from your window, gives you that idea?
Mr. Spinneli,
Your incivility belies your error. What about the global oil market was I wrong about? See my reply to Mr. Schulte regarding religion, then go back and re read my response to Amy.
Hall –
You claim to reply to me about religion, but I never commented to you about religion.
We are seeing the slow death of the Kingdom and OPEC as controllers of the oil markets. That is one of the reasons the Middle East is on fire.
Schulte, I agree that Islamic extremists are ignorant, every bit as ignorant as the Christians who conducted the Salem witch trials. Many a victim has been murdered and tortured in the name of Jesus.
More to the point, I never said that the Amish were beheading anyone, merely that all religions encompass a range of beliefs.
Hall –
I think you have confused me with someone else. I am not in this part of the discussion.
For those who blame the religion of Islam, perhaps they can explain how billions of Muslims can manage to live peacefully? What percentage of them are radicalized?
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2015/0113/How-many-Muslim-extremists-are-there-Just-the-facts-please
“For those unclear” spoken by a muddled man who is IGNORANT of the FACTS of oil production in the 21st Century or the difference between peaceful Amish and barbaric Muslims.
Again, for those unclear on the concept, the market for oil is global in nature, and the Saudi’s are able to control the price by opening or closing the faucet.
Currently, they have increased production. Some think it’s to put economic pressure on the fracking industry, others the tar sands.
In any case, both our Middle East policies and our UN council votes are almost exclusively for the benefit of Saudi Arabia. And no, it’s not because Obama is a Muslim.
T Hall, Let me know when the Amish or Baptists start severing heads of non believers. That is an ignorant stance, almost as ignorant as extreme Muslims.