http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/cdhrmailer/ The listserv for The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia en-us Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:00 GMT Pro Dada 3.0.4 Stable http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20130514120112/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights&nbsp;in Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, Washington DC</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>May 14, 2013</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Commentaries and Analysis of <a name="_GoBack"></a>Saudi Recent Events</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Autocracy Versus Democracy: Arabs and Israelis Compared</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>According to </span><a href="http://www.aleqt.com/2013/05/11/article_754789.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>this article and video</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> (in Arabic) the six million Israelis publish, distribute and read more books than the 21 Arab states and their more than 400 million populations combined. These predictable figures are based on recent UN statistics. While the world was transitioning from a rural and tribal existence to an urban and industrial era, the Arabs not only held into their agricultural and nomadic heritage, but established totalitarian institutions that insulated their lands and peoples from the age of enlightenment and technological advancement as correctly elucidated by Professor Bernard Lewis in his book, What went Wrong? </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>They still do as exemplified by the rulers of the birth place of Islam, Saudi Arabia, whose oligarchs reward students who </span><a href="http://www.aleqt.com/2013/04/15/article_747557.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>excel in memorizing the Quran </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'>and</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> hadith</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> and label those who call for the introduction of sciences and human rights subjects to their religiously controlled educational system as Westernized degenerates. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>It’s not accidental that the 6 million Israelis publish, distribute and read more books than all Arabs, according to the UN report. The Israelis are free people; their officials are their servants not </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/13/AR2006051300981_pf.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>their masters</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> and they reap the fruits of their labor. This is the reason Israel is the most democratic, economically vibrant, technologically advanced and most militarily powerful country in the Middle East and in the world. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The lack of writing, publishing, distributing and reading books in the Arab World is attributed to the lack of official interest and support as well as financial incentives for publishing companies. Unlike Israel where anyone has the right to write about any subject without being punished for expressing his/her opinion, in most Arab countries a person can be </span><a href="http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=58416"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>imprisoned for criticizing</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> a tyrannical ruler. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Given these facts, Arab societies will not only continue to lag behind in publishing and reading books, but will linger behind in intellectual, political, social, technological and economic development. This grim prediction can only lead to frustration, an inferiority complex and disillusionment. This state of affairs creates lethal incentives for people (especially the youth) to resort to violent revenge against those perceived to be the source of their misfortunes, domestically and globally. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Rewards for Memorizing the Quran and None for Sciences </span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>During a reception<b> </b>in honor of young Saudi student recipients of Crown Prince Salman’s prize for those who excel in memorizing the Quran (Muslim Holy Scripture) on April 14, 2013, the prince who is destined to inherit the Saudi throne “</span><a href="http://www.aleqt.com/2013/04/15/article_747557.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>expressed his elation</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> by what has been achieved due to memorization of the Quran.” Prince Salamn is not the only Saudi royal who </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/434194"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>rewards religious students</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, but not those who excel in sciences and non-traditional and religious literature. In fact, there is no royal foundation that encourages and rewards achievement in science and the humanities. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Not only does Prince Salman encourage continuation of austere religious dogma, but he believes that the Saudi brand of Islam, Wahhabism, is the </span><a href="http://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=213551"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>redeeming force</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> of the Muslim faith, an argument for which he received </span><a href="http://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=213551"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>stinging responses</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> from Muslim scholars, historians and liberals. Like </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20111101111499"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>King Abdullah</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, Prince Salman believes that Islam is the solutions for all human ills. He is likely to be the next king of Saudi Arabia, if he outlives the aging and unhealthy current king, Abdullah. If Salman were to ascend to the Saudi throne, he will likely dedicate his time and public wealth on strengthening religious extremists at home and on radicalizing Muslims throughout the world. This would be a colossal mistake because many Saudis, especially youth and women, believe that they are being repressed and marginalized by the system’s use of religion to justify its draconian policies and silence its critics at home and abroad. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Enforcing Fear and Submission through Prayers</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Saudi regime’s extraordinary dictatorial paternalism,<b> </b>as exemplified by the system’s violent prayers enforcement, is negatively affecting every aspect of people’s lives. The Saudi/Wahhabi rulers climbed to power by using methods of untold religious violence upon which they based their methods of ruling. Nowhere can one see and feel the system’s use of religion as a violent tool to control all aspects of public lives than in the enforcement of frequent prayers. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Known for its ruthlessness and instilled animosity toward the population, especially women, the government’s religious agents (police) are dispatched to </span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/delay-prayers-to-accommodate-business-saudi-columnist-1.1176551"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>close people’s business</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>es and herd their owners to mosques to perform prayers five times a day whether people like it or not. Prominent among the many legitimate questions people ask is why do the Saudi religious and political ruling elites continue to force people to pray five times a day when in fact the Quran says, “no coercion in Islam.” Additionally, people ask why the prayer rules and enforcement are not applicable to the ruling family. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The religious police dare not come close to royal lavish palaces and luxurious villas. Why then force the public to drop everything and go to mosques five times a day, a practice the rulers have physically enforced prior to and since the establishment of the state and the imposition of their austere brand of Islam, Wahhabism, on all citizens regardless of their previous religious orientations? The answer is simple. People are herded to mosques forcefully to listen to government’s paid clerics preaching fear of God and submission to the Wali Alamr (the master of destiny), the king and his family. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>One would think that the autocratic and theocratic Saudi rulers have learned that this practice has outlived its effectiveness, practicality and meaning. It worked before people became educated, politically savvy, </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/world/meast/saudi-arabia-social-media"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>social media addicted</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, worldly and heavy consumers. Continuing to employ this hypocritical and impractical tool to control the population is boomeranging. Many Saudis, especially youth and women, are beginning to question the use of religion as a tool of social control, intimidation, oppression and discrimination. Continuing on this path will only lead to public discontent not only with the system, but with religion itself. More and more Saudis do not go to mosques; instead they are glued to their social media tools debating their government’s corruption, oppression and lack of political and educational reforms.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Death Squad in Addition to the Sword</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The<span style='color:#000099'> </span>Saudi government is contemplating adding </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/world/middleeast/saudis-consider-firing-squads-for-executions.html?ref=saudiarabia&amp;_r=0"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>death squad</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> to its preferred system of punishment by beheading. Currently, the authorities use their sword-trained executioners to sever convicts’ heads in public squares after Friday mid-day prayers when they can ensure the maximum number of observers. The objective of gathering people to watch the beheadings after Friday’s fear-instilling sermons by government’s paid zealot clerics is to remind the public of the system’s wrath, power and merciless punishment for wrong doings. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The reason the Saudi regime wants to add death squad to its gruesome practice of beheadings is not because shooting people is more humane, but because there is a shortage of sword-wielding executioners according to </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/world/middleeast/saudis-consider-firing-squads-for-executions.html?ref=saudiarabia&amp;_r=0"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>this article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Regardless of the method of execution, people condemned to death in Saudi Arabia, have no right of appeal as the case in countries with independent judicial system and rule of law. In Saudi Arabia, only </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/prince-salman-moderation-answer-current-crisis"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Allah’s law</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> counts, as arbitrarily interpreted by the government’s religious zealots. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <b><span style='color:#632423'>Religious Tolerance Must be Reciprocal </span></b></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'> </span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/every-small-step-can-lead-to-a-giant-leap-1.1172849"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>As this article illustrates</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, non-Muslims reach out to Muslims and accommodate their religious needs more than Muslims ever do to reciprocate. It’s inconceivable to imagine that a Muslim Imam in any Arab or Muslim country would invite a Christian or Jewish congregation to hold their religious rituals in a mosque like </span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/every-small-step-can-lead-to-a-giant-leap-1.1172849"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Rev. Isaac Poobalan</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> of St. Johns Church in Aberdeen, Scotland did to his neighbor Muslim community. When The Reverend heard that Muslims in a small neighborhood mosque could not all fit into their religious sanctuary to conduct their prayers, he reached out to the small mosque’s Imam and invited him to conduct his services at St. Johns. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Despite pronouncements by Muslim rulers in public gatherings and at interfaith dialogues, non-Muslims, including citizens of Muslim and Arab countries, are not only denied the right to conduct their religious rituals freely, but are persecuted by their governments, Muslims’ religious establishments and compatriots as in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Not only that, but Christians may </span><a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/islam-expert-warns-christians-may-completely-disappear-from-iraq-afghanistan-egypt-95556/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>disappear from Muslim countries</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> because of religious ‘intolerance. This is evidenced by the huge </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/23/iraq-christian-exodus-christmas"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>exodus Of Iraqi Christians</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> and unbaiting violence against the large </span><a href="http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=1799&amp;cat=global"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Egyptian Coptic community</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> in Egypt. Inexplicably, Christian Europe and the Americas seem to ignore persecutions of Christians in Muslim lands, especially in the most intolerant countries in the Arab World, the Gulf States. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Europeans and the Gulf Dynasties </span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#003399'> </span><a href="http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/235021-arab-spring-enhanced-eu-gcc-ties.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>This article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#42474A'> indicates that the European Union, EU, is siding with the autocratic Gulf Arab states’ ruling dynasties at a time when the populations of that oil rich region are demanding and some are dying to obtain freedom from these ruling families’ centuries-old control over their lives. The countries of the EU failed to act on their understanding that most of the aspiring and social-media-savvy generation in the Gulf region, especially in Saudi Arabia, suffer from the same symptoms that led the majority of the Arab people to revolt against their despots. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#42474A'>The EU and the US governments’ and businesses’ continued support for the ruling oligarchs of the Gulf States is seen by many people, in and outside of the Gulf, as hypocritical and self-defeating. One would think that the West has learned a lesson from the Arab peoples’ willingness to die for ridding themselves of the claws of tyrannical regimes whose repressive policies and violent practices have not only crushed the hopes and aspirations of their populations, but posed ideological threats to the foundation of Western democracy. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#42474A'>The Arab people’s determination to win their freedom from oppression should convince the West that it’s only a matter of time before the “Arab Spring” engulfs the remaining Arab dictators, overwhelming Western policies aimed at sustaining these absolute regimes. The West would be prudent to nurture the aspirations of the new generation of freedom-seeking Gulf populations. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#632423'>What Saudi Veils Cannot Conceal</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>As soon as an advertisement calling for there to be “</span><a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/04/30/saudi-arabia-abuse-ad/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>No More Violence</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>” against Saudi women appeared in the Saudi media, it became an instant news event. Newspapers, TV and radio stations picked up the ad from social media and began an extensive discussion as if Saudi women had been emancipated from the chains of institutionalized oppression. Had an ad of this nature appeared in another country, it would not have likely made even a ripple due to laws that give equal protections against violence and abuse to both men and women. Not so in Saudi Arabia, where violence against women is government policy.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>It is not accidental that many Saudi men abuse women physically, mentally and sexually and get away with it. Such abuse is not only permissible under the Saudi judicial system, but&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30687404/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/saudi-judge-says-its-ok-men-beat-wives/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>encouraged</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;by the men who created and implement the country’s religious laws. The system grants men control over all aspects of women’s lives. The most belittling example of this is the ‘</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13932287" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>Male Guardian System</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>” which gives Saudi men all-encompassing powers over the affairs of their female counterparts. Women cannot travel, register in schools, get a job, deliver babies in a hospital or even receive life-saving medication without a male relative’s permission.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>While initiating any discussion regarding the multitude of crippling taboos imposed on most Saudi women is positive, the reality on the ground remains bleak. In a 2012 survey by the World Economic Forum, &nbsp;</span><a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Global Gender Gap Report</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>, Saudi Arabia ranked 131st out of 135 countries when it comes to opportunities for women.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>Another survey conducted by Saudi social science professor Dr. Lateefa Abdul Lateef discovered that approximately half of Saudi&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.emirates247.com/crime/region/nearly-half-saudi-women-are-beaten-at-home-2013-02-26-1.496510" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>women are</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;beaten by their fathers, husbands and brothers. Her study showed that “nearly half those covered by social security and more than a third of the female students at the university are beaten up at home.” &nbsp;The research also indicated that urban males are more abusive of women than those in traditional or rural areas. This is a slap in the face of the ruling elites and their defenders both at home and abroad, who blame tradition and religion for the system’s marginalization of women. In fact, it appears that the system’s severe social and political repression of urbanized men manifests in their acting out against women (and children.)</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>Tragically, the Saudi government has sanctioned the abuse of women and these practices rarely see criticism by American or other Western officials, nor by the mainstream media. This is unfortunate because Saudi women could serve as the West’s best allies in challenging religious extremism and terrorism in their country. Not only do politicians in the West look the other way while the Saudi rulers prey on women, but they and many of their prominent educational institutions and businesses support and praise Saudi oligarchs for being loyal allies and partners in the “War on Terrorism.” Many Saudi analysts and activists are bewildered by the West’s myopic and hypocritical attitude in this regard, as well as its lack of support for human rights and the pro-democracy movement in Saudi Arabia.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>Activists in Saudi Arabia have become disillusioned with Western democracies as a result. Pro-democracy Saudis wonder why the West not only continues to ensure the ruling family’s&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+US-Saudi+relationship+and+the+Iraq+war%3A+the+dialectics+of+a...-a0164525351" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>security</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>, but continues to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/235021-arab-spring-enhanced-eu-gcc-ties.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>strengthen</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;its ties with a system that sanctions violence against women, as well as terrorism and religious extremism that targets the foundations of Western democracy.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>Additionally, as has been intensely discussed and widely revealed in the media, the Saudi regime exports and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm" target="_blank"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>finances</span></b></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;“</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>terrorism and Sunni extremism worldwide.” For example, according to the US military and other sources, the majority of foreign<b>&nbsp;</b></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/middleeast/22fighters.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=0" target="_blank"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>suicide bombers</span></b></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>who have terrorized innocent Iraqis and killed American service men and women in Iraq<b>&nbsp;</b>hailed from Saudi Arabia, as did 15 of the 19 terrorists who attacked the US on September 11, 2001 (9/11.)</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>The Saudi ruling dynasty does not recognize or permit the secular law, which&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.al-jazirah.com/2013/20130209/ar3.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>modernity demands</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>&nbsp;to protect women and children from a male-dominated system run by the Saudi ruling family.&nbsp;The Saudi regime and its institutions justify their malevolent treatment and marginalization of women by pointing to religious tradition. They use their state-controlled media and embedded domestic&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sabria-jawhar/saudi-tribal-customs-not_b_269867.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>female defenders</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;to convince their captive population and the international community, especially the West, that Saudi society and its nomadic traditions are to blame for maltreatment of women. Not only that, but the system’s beneficiaries and apologists&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sabria-jawhar/saudi-tribal-customs-not_b_269867.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>condemn courageous advocates</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;of women’s rights. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:normal;background: white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>As long as the Saudi monarchy insists on blaming tradition and religion for its denigration and abuses of women and as long as the West continues to be complicit in its ongoing foreign policy charade, we can expect these inhumane polices to continue. But all of this prompts an important question: why does the West continue to support such a system? Would it not be prudent for the West to connect with its natural allies in Saudi society who share our democratic values?</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'> </span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Tue, 14 May 2013 18:01:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20130514120112/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20130411091702/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#632523'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, Washington DC</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>April 10, 2013</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom: 12.0pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Commentaries and Analysis of Current Saudi Affairs</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;color:#632423;mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128'>Cruelty-Relishing Saudi Judges<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>As </span><a href="http://articles.philly.com/2013-04-05/news/38281355_1_corporal-punishment-saudi-arabia-amnesty-international"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>this article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi'> reveals, barbarity under the Saudi judicial system is common practice. Presiding religious judges in Saudi courts can sentence anyone to any form of punishment they wish and justify their rulings not by logic, facts and precedence, but by Quranic versus and Islamic law or Shariah. As this </span><a href="http://articles.philly.com/2013-04-05/news/38281355_1_corporal-punishment-saudi-arabia-amnesty-international"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>repulsive case</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi'> demonstrates when two 14-year-old friends got into a fight ten years ago and one of them paralyzed the other from the waist down. The judge sentenced the 14-year-old stabber to a ten year imprisonment and $270,000 blood money or surgical paralysis if the money could not be raised. 10 years later, the money could still not be raised and the judge is looking for a butcher to paralyze the now 24 year old. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi'>Chopping heads and limbs, mutilating genitals, gouging eyes, divorcing happily married couples </span><a href="http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/couple-divorced-for-unqualified-tribal-relationship-2011-03-29-1.374312"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>by force</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi'> and castrating people are some of the punishment Saudi <span class=GramE>judges</span> practice on regular bases. As a tool of the merciless system not an instrument of justice, the religiously–based Saudi judicial is designed to terrorize people and remind them that none of them can be spared the wrath of the system. One must remember that the Saudi judges, clerics and Muftis are only tools through which the system justifies its ruthlessness.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#632423;mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128'>The Saudi Mufti: Champion of Suppression <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#100088'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#100088'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The well-funded Saudi religious establishment’s denigrating obsession with women continues despite its destructive impact on the country’s security, stability, unity, social justice and economic progress. As a front man for the system, the Saudi Mufti (the highest religious authority in the land) recently warned against the </span><a href="http://www.aleqt.com/2013/03/02/article_735705.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>luring and manipulating</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> of women by “wicked people” to create chaos in the country. The Mufti’s warning against “luring women,” whom he considers weak, irrational and easily seduced, is in response to ongoing demonstrations by female relatives of citizens incarcerated without charges or trial. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The Mufti’s fixation on women and his adamant opposition to their rights and independence is comprehensive as exemplified by his total hostility to their employment. He is against women’s rights to drive, work and worst of all </span><a href="http://www.rasid.com/artc.php?id=51085"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>mingle with men</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink'>. </span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>He considers hiring women even in exclusively </span><a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/30633/Business/Economy/Saudi-women-working-at-lingerie-stores-is-a-crime-.aspx"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>women’s shops a crime</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> because that could lead to “debauched” relationships.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>    </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>As the country’s highest religious authority, the Mufti has used his position to promote, defend and justify the absolute ruling family’s total control over the country, its people and wealth. One of the Mufti’s roles is his stand against advocates of religious freedom, civil society, </span><a href="http://www.rasid.com/artc.php?id=51085"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>freedom of expression</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> and power-sharing. He portrays peaceful public protest as </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/29/saudi-arabia-edict-banning-protests"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>un-Islamic</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> which is designed to destroy Islam, the rulers and the country’s stability. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The Mufti’s and his extremist religious establishment’s major assignment since the beginning of the Arab Spring is their relentless attacks on and condemnation of pro-political reform and on advocates of human rights and social justice. The Mufti and his henchmen printed and distributed millions of </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/29/saudi-arabia-edict-banning-protests"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>religious edict leaflets</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> on March 11, 2011 against planned peaceful protests which he and his senior clerics said &quot;</span><a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/03/07/Saudi-Day-of-Rage-protests-postponed/UPI-86891299508589/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>violates what God ordered</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>.&quot; The Mufti condescendingly labeled Saudi social media users lately as a ‘</span><a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2013/03/23/Twitter-is-a-council-of-clowns-Saudi-Arabia-s-Grand-Mufti-.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>council of clowns’</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'> when in fact most of them are highly educated, politically savvy and patriotic promoters of peaceful transition from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The Saudi Mufti and his senior clerics’ oppositions to women’s rights, intolerance of religious minorities, demonization of other beliefs and relentless attacks on reformers have very little to do with religion and more with their persistent fears of losing their unwarranted privileges which they can only maintain if religion, as they interpret it, continues to dominate every aspects of people’s lives and institutions. The clerics share this daunting nightmare with the real power wielders, their royal employers. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The repressed population is becoming increasingly aware that the religious establishment is only a tool used by the royals to deflect public attention from the monarchs’ social, political, religious and economic failures domestically. The royals are also becoming aware of the public’s awareness of the underpinnings of the system which was created and maintained by the Saudi/ Wahhabi ruling elites more than two and half centuries ago. These facts are stripping naked both the autocratic and theocratic ruling oligarchies from the excuses they have used to justify their policies internally and externally.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>When discussing relevant domestic and global policies and obligations with foreign regimes, the absolute Saudi monarchs have used the heavy influence of their religious establishment to exonerate themselves from meeting their obligations to their subjects and to the international community. <span style='color:#632423; mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#632423;mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128'>The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#632423;mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#0000CC'>CDHR’s Comment:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#0000CC'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The autocratic Saudi ruling royals and their draconian religious judicial system continue to prove that they are incapable of governing peacefully. Their severe and lengthy sentencing of two prominent democracy promoters and human rights activists </span><a href="http://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_Arabia_jails_two_prominent_rights_activists_for_10_years-TR20130309nL6N0C10M32/?lok=122407130309&amp;&amp;zawyaemailmarketing"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Mohammed Fahd al-Qahtani and Abdullah Hamad</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'> on </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>March 9, 2013 </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>is indicative of the system’s nature to oppose peaceful political reforms and social justice. Instead of responding to their repressed citizens’ demands for emancipation from political and religious totalitarianism, the Saudi ruling elites continue to silence the voices of reason. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>At a time when most Arabs are revolting against draconian ruling methods and practices of repressive and corrupt regimes, the Saudi monarchy is strengthening its grip on power. As exemplified by the system’s unnecessary, unjustified and punishing sentencing of Drs. Al-Qahtani and Al-Hamid, two enlightened patriotic founding members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, the system is determined to continue a policy that will force the population to resort to violence to obtain their political rights. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>In recent years, the Saudi people have become increasingly bold in challenging the Saudi royals’ heavy-handedness, corruption and legitimacy. Examples of people’s demands and defiance are taking place all over the country. Religious minorities in oil rich eastern Saudi Arabia are demonstrating against their government’s discriminatory policies toward them and in the process some of them </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/saudi-protest-idUSL5E8DA8O820120210"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>were killed </span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>by the State’s brutal security apparatus.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span></span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/01/world/meast/saudi-arabia-protest"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Families and supporters of prisoners</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>, including women and children, are demonstrating in Central Saudi Arabia, the bastion of the Saudi regime’s and its religious establishment’s powerbase. Instead of trying or releasing their loved ones, the ubiquitous system’s security personnel collected them and threw them in prison because all forms of peaceful expressions are banned in the Saudi Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>Female college students in Asir, the lush Southern Region, are demonstrating violently against the government’s </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120410121469"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>corruption, neglect and abuses</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'> by the educational system and its discriminatory policies against women. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'>The monarchy’s responses to people’s legitimate demands consist of violence, handouts and </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/shoura-council-have-30-women"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>window dressing steps</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#333333'> which most Saudi males and females don’t take seriously nor do they hold high hopes that things will improve peacefully. Instead of living in an incredible and indecipherable denial, the Saudi rulers, especially their educated men and women offspring, ought to look across their borders and see that it’s only a matter of time before their people resort to the only option that was available to other Arabs to obtain their rights: violence. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><a href="http://www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com/saudi-royals-above-the-law/" title="Permanent Link to Saudi Royals Above the Law?"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#632423;mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade: 128;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>Saudi Royals <span class=GramE>Above</span> the Law?</span></b></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#632423; mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#1F497D; mso-themecolor:text2'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Accustomed to doing whatever they want in their kingdom with total immunity, Saudi princes and princesses feel they can do the same in other countries and get away with it. They used to be able to either buy their way out, using their family’s influence, or to claim diplomatic immunity to escape culpability for their misdeeds.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>They still do, especially in Arab and Muslim countries, </span><a href="http://www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com/saudi-royals-above-the-law/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>but their options seem to be shrinking</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> in democratically governed societies. As </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/19/saudi-princes-immune-law" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>elucidated in this article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>, a senior Saudi Prince, Mishal, and his son, Abdul Aziz, were entangled in a business scheme and had to face their day in an open British court despite intense efforts to dismiss the case or keep it secret. The once untouchable royals were </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/19/saudi-princes-immune-law" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>denied both</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> options.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Other members of the Saudi ruling family, males and females, have been reminded that they may be absolute rulers and beyond reach in their kingdom, but they can no longer escape justice in countries where the people are the authors of their own destinies. </span><a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/les-tresors-de-la-princesse-saoudienne-bientot-saisis-06-03-2013-2621233.php" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>Princess Maha</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>, the wife of former Saudi Minister of Interior, Naif, attempted to flee Paris after accruing 6 million Euros debt in luxurious hotels, rare jewels and 24 hour limousine services in 2012. Some of the victims spotted Maha and 60 of her servants (modern slaves), bodyguards, and makeup personnel loading up the unpaid-for goods and services in the middle of the night in June 2012 and alerted the French police.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Being a former wife of the most powerful and ruthless prince, Minister of Interior Naif, Princess Maha thought she could pack up and leave France without paying her huge debt. This time, she overestimated her royal significance. Not only was she prevented from traveling, but a French court confiscated her booty to pay the trusting French business owners. In Saudi Arabia, any prince or princess can pick up the phone and call any department store and order whatever he/she wants without questions asked, let alone paying at the counter. Furthermore, it’s not unusual for Royals to borrow money from banks and </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/28/us-wiki-saudi-money-idUSTRE71R2SA20110228" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>never pay their loans</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Princess </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/05/us/us-looks-at-whether-saudi-princess-enslaved-maid.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>Buniah Al-Saud </span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>“was arrested on a felony charge of aggravated battery” after her maid, Ismiyati Memet Soryono, reported her to US authorities in Florida for enslaving and abusing her while refusing to pay her meager $200-a-month salary. Like other royals, she claimed diplomatic immunity even though she was a greenhorn English student. She was born into a totally segregated environment of ruling masters and subservient subjects where royals are not subjected to any law in their kingdom and where treating commoners with respect is considered a sign of weakness which would only encourage non-royals to think of royals as equals.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>In late 2010 Prince Saud, said to be one of King Abdullah’s nephews, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a British judge for</span><a href="http://www.katu.com/news/national/105345898.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'> murdering his male servant</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> whom the prince had repeatedly abused both sexually and physically. Appalled by the vulgarity of the prince’s cruel treatment and the subsequent murder of his defenseless servant, the judge told the prince in an open British court (courts in Saudi Arabia are closed to media, and defendants are not allowed to have legal counsel) that,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>“You killed Abdulaziz in the course of a sustained and ferocious assault… You were in a position of domination over him, as demonstrated both by the lift (elevator) incident and by the sexually explicit photographs you took of him, at some point prior to Feb. 15, which were found on your mobile phone. Abdulaziz was a vulnerable victim, entirely subjugated to your will. You were in a position of authority and trust over him which you exploited ruthlessly.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>These criminal verdicts against Saudi royals being levied in countries where no one is above the rule of law should send a clear message to the thousands of princes and princesses – their subjugated subjects are yearning for equal treatment under a codified rule of law applicable to everyone including the king and his family. Given the large number of well-informed and educated Saudi men and women </span><a href="http://www.al-jazirah.com/2013/20130209/ar3.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>advocating for non-sectarian rule of law</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>, the day for accountability is inevitable and fast approaching. The trials and convictions of members of the Saudi ruling family in other countries give moral support to Saudis who demand a just system in their country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>However, the Saudi royals’ influence has reached dangerous pinnacles; they are in a position to </span><a href="http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2011/03/14/wikileaks-reveals-how-the-british-lied-to-allies-about-bae-bribery/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>blackmail democratic governments</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> into overriding their democratic judicial systems and rule of law in surrender to Saudi ultimata. Accused of being involved in a large bribery scandal in a massive Saudi-British Arms deal (</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/dec/15/saudiarabia.armstrade" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>Al-Yamamah</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>), the former Saudi Ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar, flew to London and told former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to stop his Attorney General’s office from pursuing an investigation of the scandal or risk terror attacks against Britain. Similarly, the US </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/us/politics/30families.html?_r=1&amp;" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>Justice Department sided</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> with the Saudis in May 2009 when new evidence linking the Saudi royals to the 9/11 attack was discovered by lawyers for families of the victims.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>Prince Bandar is reported to have told Blair that if he were to let the investigation go through, Britain could face </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-514447/Saudis-told-Britain-face-7-7-BAE-arms-deal-probe-continued.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>bloody terrorist attacks</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>. “Investigators working on the fraud probe into Saudi arms deals were told they faced ‘another 7/7’ and the ‘loss of British lives on British streets’ if they continued the inquiry… </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/15/bae.armstrade" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>Saudi Arabia’s rulers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The continued Western self-defeating support for the absolute Saudi system is alienating some of the West’s most natural Saudi allies: women, religious minorities, and pro-democracy and social justice advocates. Besides being resentful of their oppressive regime’s heavy-handedness, many aspiring and freedom-seeking Saudi citizens are becoming increasingly resentful of the West’s support for their repressive system, support garnered by secure access to Saudi oil, money, and businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#632423; mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>“Obama out of sync with Arab Street”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#000099;background:white'>CDHR’s Commentary</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#000099; background:white'>: </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20130405160019"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;background:white'>This article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; background:white'> captured the essence of the current US Administration and its predecessors’ inability to understand and factor in the aspirations of the new generation of Arabs who decided, for the first time in Arab history, to focus on and rectify their homegrown misfortunes. <span style='color:#222222'>President Obama's appointment of </span></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/topics/us/john-kerry.htm"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;background:white'>John Kerry</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#222222; background:white'>, </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/video/2013/02/01/senators-grill-chuck-hagel?videoId=240883511"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;background:white'>Chuck Hagel</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#222222;background:white'> and </span><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=John+Brennan&amp;mid=141A14914CBA8D2302D3141A14914CBA8D2302D3&amp;view=detail&amp;FORM=VIRE8"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>John Brennan</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> <span style='color:#222222;background:white'>to top military, foreign and intelligence positions is designed to continue failed Western policies in the Arab World, especially in the oil rich Arabian Peninsula. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#222222;background:white'>Focusing on the </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20130405160019"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;background:white'>Arab-Israeli conflict</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#222222;background:white'>, which is not and has never been at the top of the Arab people’s list of demands for change of their existing failed systems is indicative of the US successive Administrations’ and most Western analysts’ inability to comprehend the Arab people’s yearning for freedom from religious and political totalitarianism, poverty, corruption, sexism and grinding social injustices. The US and other Western democratic regimes’ continued collaboration with absolute Arab regimes’ insistence that peace, stability and reforms in the Arab World hangs on solving the Arab-Israeli conflict is not only duplicitous, but designed to turn new generations of Arabs against America and shrink its influence in the region and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#222222;background:white'>It’s worth noting that the Arab-Israeli conflict would have been resolved in 1948 if it were not for the </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/columns/what-if-arabs-had-recognized-israel-1948"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;background:white'>Arab autocratic and theocratic rulers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#222222;background:white'> who have used the conflict for more than 60 years to deflect their repressed peoples’ attention from their domestic failures on all fronts. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#222222;background:white'>It begs the question as to why the US government continues to focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict at a time when the Arab street could care-less about anything other than ridding themselves of absolute and corrupt regimes which are running out of external excuses to blame for the economic, political, social, religious and scientific stagnation of their societies. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#222222;background:white'>Nowhere in the Arab World were staggering failures, corruption and repression can be found more than in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states whose absolute ruling monarchies are supported and protected by democratically elected Western governments. Western governments, foundations, think tanks, businesses and learning institutions can best serve their populations’ safety, national security and economic stability by supporting pro-democracy movements, groups and individuals in the Gulf Arab States’ instead of continuing to protect regimes’ whose time in power is ebbing regardless of what the West can do.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:#632423; mso-themecolor:accent2;mso-themeshade:128'>Join us: </span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>The Center for Democracy &amp; Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization based in Washington, DC. CDHR provides new and accurate information for the benefit of the public, the business community and policy makers about the current situation in Saudi Arabia. CDHR’s goal is to help bring about a peaceful democratic transition from a single-family autocratic rule to a participatory political system where the rights of all Saudi citizens are protected under the rule of civil laws.<br> <br> The Center could not undertake this important task without the active support of visionary individuals and foundations. CDHR needs the support of people who understand the importance of building a united, prosperous and tolerant society in Saudi Arabia where people are empowered to determine their destiny and the fate of their important, but unstable country. Please visit our website (</span><a href="http://www.cdhr.info" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>www.cdhr.info</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'>) to <span class=SpellE><span class=GramE>lear</span></span> n about our work and see what you might do to support the many Saudi men and women who risk their livelihood and lives to promote a just political system that rejects all forms of incitement, religious hatred and oppression at home and abroad.<br> <br> Your financial investment in democracy building in Saudi Arabia will benefit the Saudi people, the Middle East, the Muslim world, and the international community. Your </span><a href="http://www.cdhr.info/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;color:blue'>contribution</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'> will make a difference and is greatly appreciated.<br> <br> Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about our mission and what you can do to promote a non-sectarian, accountable and transparent political system in Saudi Arabia where all citizens are treated equally under the rule of civil laws.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; 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mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:17:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20130411091702/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20130219153959/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights&nbsp;in Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, Washington DC</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>February 19, 2013</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Saudi Recent Events</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Analytical Commentaries </span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:maroon'>Political Reform is Not on the Royals’ Agenda</span></b></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Analysis:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> At a time when the Saudi people, like other Arabs and other disenfranchised people around the world, are becoming more aware of their usurped rights and are demanding more political participation, accountability, transparency and eradication of corruption and government abuses, the Saudi King </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/king-stand-truth-and-justice"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>appointed and sworn</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> members of his family to ensure the continuity of a family absolute hegemony. By appointing half-brother Prince Migrin third in line to inherit the throne and Prince Saud, son of the unpopular former Interior Minister, Naif, to govern the important oil rich Eastern Saudi Arabia, and by appointing Prince Sultan, son of the current crown prince to govern the second Muslim holist city, Madina, are indicative of the royal family’s determination to cling to power until the Saudi people resort to violence to obtain their political rights and social liberties. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>These recent appointments are viewed by many Saudis negatively. Those who wanted to believe that King Abdulla is a reformer are realizing that he is more interested in his family’s continual absolute control over the country than defusing tension and allowing people to have input in the decision-making processes.  In reality, the King and his family have taken no more than misleading cosmetic steps that have done more damage than good. The King allowed for partial municipal elections in 2005 where the overwhelming majority of the people including </span><a href="http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2008/08/20/saudi-municipal-councils-and-political-reform/6cfy"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>women, public employees</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> and anyone under the age of 21 were barred from voting or running for office. Those who won had no legislative powers and no one knew what they were doing or supposed to do. Yet, many Saudis and the global media praised the event as a milestone toward better things. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Unlike his half-brother, </span><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/723d88b0-3412-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>Talal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, and a small number of men and women royals, the newly appointed second deputy, Prince Migrin, is not known for having advocated or supported even cosmetic reforms publicly. His appointment means continuity of a politically and socially malfunctioning system that is in desperate need of drastic modifications to accommodate the needs of aspiring, well-informed and impatient young Saudi men and women who are disconnected from their past and see very little hope for a brighter future. This is a formula for instability and violent confrontation between the royals and their disenfranchised subjects. Handouts, use of force and use of religion as a tool of oppression are losing to yearning for liberty. </span></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:maroon'>Modernity Demands Codified</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#984806'>,</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:maroon'> Not Arbitrary</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#984806'>,</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:maroon'> Religious Laws</span></b></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Comment: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Enraged by a brutal </span><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/02/14/saudi_women_fight_for_justice_for_5yearold_girl_allegedly_beaten_raped_by_father.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>rape and murder of a five year</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> old Saudi child by her cleric father,<b><span style='color:#000099'> </span></b>the well-known and highly respected political and human rights activist Dr<b>.</b> Fowzia Al-Bakr </span><a href="http://www.al-jazirah.com/2013/20130209/ar3.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>wrote a praiseworthy article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> in a major Saudi Arabic daily which was translated into English by the popular and widely read </span><a href="http://saudiwoman.me/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Saudiwoman’s weblog,</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>emphasizing the necessity to replace the ancient and arbitrary&nbsp;Saudi religious law with a codified non-sectarian rule of law. She aptly argues that Saudi children need protective laws to ensure family safety in a country where the fathers have total control over their households. She went on to discuss the staggering social, economic and relational changes that Saudi society has gone through in recent decades that demand new non-sectarian laws. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Due to modernity's unstoppable intrusion, the flow of uncontrollable information, globalization, the change in lifestyles and business dealings, a burgeoning population of youth, and increasing impersonalization of relationships, Saudi society has changed considerably, despite the system’s resistance to any change that might undermine its comprehensive control over the country, its people and wealth. These inescapable evolutionary changes demand transformation of the old political, social and religious structures and practices, especially in the legal system which in the Saudi case is arbitrary and archaic. &nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Current Saudi laws are based on Shariah, or Islamic law, which is interpreted, or misinterpreted as many Saudis stress, by clerics who also implement them in the sectarian Saudi judicial system. Shariah law is presumably based on the Muslim holy book, the Quran, which happens to be the state’s constitution. The Quran also is interpreted by the same clerics who interpret and implement the sectarian laws as they see fit. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The autocratic and theocratic&nbsp;Saudi rulers are unwaveringly opposed to codified rule of laws. They argue that God's laws, as they interpret them, not only supersede, but are superior to all other laws. However, the Saudi people know that the rulers’ insistence on using religious laws is not based on religious convictions as much as they are used to keep all powers and decision-making processes in the hands of the ruling family and its religious establishment. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The majority of the Saudi people know that their rulers use religion and Islamic law to conduct the state’s affairs in the name of God as long as they are the primary beneficiaries. This includes, but is not limited to siphoning public wealth, discriminating against women and religious minorities as well as against non-Muslims and even against Sunni Muslims who do not adhere to their reactionary doctrine, known as Wahhabism. </span></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Despite the System’s Obstructive Policies, Saudi Women Gain Strength</span></b></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Denying Saudi women the right to drive, the right to work, the right to</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20130103147952"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'> advanced education</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> and restricting them to cosmetic public positions are neither due to Islam nor tradition, as the evasive Saudi regime, its censored media, its domestic beneficiaries and foreign recipients of Saudi largess misleadingly argue. When Islam was established and Muslim texts were written, about 15 centuries ago, there were no cars, planes, McDonald’s, universities or any knowledge of the world outside of nomadic encampments. There was no gender segregation and the main transportation at that time was camels and the main foods (subsistence) consisted of dates, grains, camel milk<b>,</b> and dried locusts. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Abaya<b>,</b> the invented black cloak women are forced to wear now did not exist during the founding of Islam either. If it did, it would have been mentioned in the Quran like elephants, locusts, cows<b>,</b> and ants. Now, there are constellations of religiously indoctrinated self-appointed Saudi clerics who insist that it’s un-Islamic for women to drive cars, show their faces,<b><span style='color:red'> </span></b>and work or interact with men publicly. According to<b><span style='color:red'> </span></b>these clerics’ self-serving interpretation of religious texts, women must remain behind high cement walls (homes or perpetual prisons as some call them) or clad themselves in black (“moving tent”) when they are allowed to leave the house. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>These toxic practices are invented by the current ruling autocratic and theocratic men for no reason other than obsession with women sexuality and fear of interaction between the genders which could lead to sharing of ideas, experiences and united society.  </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Despite the system’s institutionalized discriminatory measures against Saudi women, they are determined to obtain their legitimate rights. They are becoming more educated, confident and gaining recognition and support, domestically and globally. Saudi Arabia can benefit immensely from integrating women into the workforce specifically<b>,</b> because<b><span style='color:red'> </span></b>most women need and want to work. They could do most of the jobs that are being done by millions of expatriate workers in the public and private sectors. Employing Saudi women is doable, desirable<b>,</b> and in the best interest of the nation. Sadly, the best interest of the Saudi people is not compatible with the profit margin many in the </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/wikileaks-saudi-royal-wel_n_829097.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>royal family make</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> from imported cheap laborers who are willing to accept meager income under harsh working conditions.</span></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>The Days of Decrees and Habitual Tokenism Are Gone</span></b></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Saudi regime has recently appointed thirty women to the nation’s Consultative Council, a move glorified by Saudi authorities as a step toward greater women’s equality in the kingdom. But a closer look at these appointments and the nature of the council itself is needed to see this maneuver for what it is: a duplicitous attempt to bury women’s rights. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>If King Abdullah and his family’s intent had been to embark upon genuine reform, they could have appointed an independent and inclusive national committee to select a list of well-known advocates of women’s rights and submitted the names to the King to choose from. The list could have included well-known advocates for women’s rights like Wajeha Al-Hwaider, Fowzia Al-Bker, Hatoon Al-Fasi, Reem Asaad, Alia Banaja, Faiza Ambah, Bidriyah Al-Bisher, Fowzia Alyouni, </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black;background: white'>Princess Reema Bint Bandar, </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Lina Almaeena, Sammar Fatani, Souad Al-Shammari, Princess Basma Bint Saud, Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, Iman Al-Nafjan, </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Ibtihal Mubarak</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, Hala Al-Dosari, Suhaila Hammad, Mody Al-Khalaf, Lubna Husain, Nadeen Al-Budair, Thuraya Al-Shiri, Simmer Al-Migrin, Ameerah Kashgari, Manal Al-Sharif, Samar Badawi, Abeer Mishkhas<span class=msoIns><ins cite="mailto:Andrew" datetime="2013-01-20T16:12">,</ins></span> and Halima Muthafer, just to name a few. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333;background:white'>Instead, the King and his advisors appointed a host of mostly unknown women who, though skilled in scientific research and other professional fields, lack the credentials and the experience to be effective advocates for women’s rights. Moreover, the Consultative Council to which these thirty women have been appointed to is an entirely powerless agency beholden to the king with no chance or intention of bringing peaceful power structure change without which stability in Saudi Arabia will continue to worsen. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The Saudi government and its supporters, both inside and outside the country, continue to underestimate the Saudi people, especially women. Through purely cosmetic moves such as these appointments, the detached regime expects that millions of well-informed Saudi women will sit still while the world around them transforms and women elsewhere are able to choose their own destinies. Not only is this expectation delusional, but it will likely convince many Saudis that inclusiveness and political participation can only be obtained by force instead of political engagement, a prospect that could hold dire consequences for the country and the international community, especially the US.&nbsp; </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>An outspoken female royal, Princess </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20111003109868" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Ameerah Altaweel</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> agrees with this conclusion. “People take their voices to the streets when they are not heard by their governments” she once said. “If we want stability in the region, we must build institutions of civil society so people can channel their demands through these institutions.” Yet building such institutions and avenues for reform is currently impossible in Saudi Arabia, as the monarchy has banned all forms of independent civil organizations and assemblies, as well as freedom of religious and political expression. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>And while the Saudi government justifies the marginalize status of women in the kingdom on Islamic grounds, another Saudi Princess, </span><a href="http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/254448/pinoyabroad/princess-wants-greater-rights-for-women-in-saudi-arabia" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Basma Bint Saud</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> has openly expressed deep resentment at the authorities’ use of religion to impede progress on women’s rights. &quot;Our religion should not be a shield behind which we hide from the world but a driving force that inspires us to innovate and contribute to our surroundings.” </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Other royals are speaking up in favor of political reform as well. In a recorded phone conversation, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjen37RL3E&amp;sns=tw" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Prince Turki bin Bandar Al-Saud</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> compared his family’s rule with that of Hitler and the Pharaohs. </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/13/AR2006051300981_pf.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Prince Talal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> has been a vocal critic of his family’s totalitarianism for more than fifty years. He has repeatedly called for a constitutional monarchy, free elections of national and local assemblies and empowerment of women. He has also accused his family of exercising </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/13/AR2006051300981_pf.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>absolute control</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> over every aspect of people’s lives, &quot;Here, the family is the master and the ruler….This style can't continue the same way. There has to be change in the nature of authority, if things are going to change in the kingdom itself.&quot;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>None of these royal critics is advocating the annihilation of the monarchy. On the contrary, they, like the rest of their large family, believe that the country is their birthright. However, they fear that their power might come to a violent end if tangible reforms are not embraced. It has become increasingly clear that some Saudi royals are realizing that the safest option available to the ruling family is tangible political inclusiveness. King Abdullah’s selection of thirty women to join the powerless advisory council may have short- lived psychological impact, but does nothing to change the nation’s power structure, and that type of change is the only real gateway to peaceful reforms and stability.&nbsp; </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The US, the Saudi monarchy’s closest superpower ally, is in a position to help facilitate political transition instead of strengthening an absolute and globally resented monarchy as myopically recommended by the Brookings’ </span><a href="http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/01/revolution-in-riyadh"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>Saban Center in a bigoted memorandum</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> to President Obama. Like the rest of the Arab masses, many of the Saudi people are inching toward a point of desperation and unless their expectancies and aspirations are addressed, they will take to the streets which the Saban Center’s memorandum speciously counseled President Obama to prevent. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Emphasizing tangible political reform instead of strengthening the autocratic Saudi monarchy will spare the US the agony of having to intervene militarily to protect a regime which rules by coercion. Saudi Arabia is too important a country to leave its fate in the hands of men who rely on sheer force, handouts and </span><a href="http://www.monies.cc/publications/saudi_finance.htm"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>religious extremism</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> to maintain absolute control over a burgeoning generation of restless young men and women who spend more time tweeting about their worldly aspirations and frustration than going to mosques and praying for divine deliverance. </span></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Grinding Poverty in the Land of Enormous Wealth<a name="_GoBack"></a></span></b></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#3B0A92'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> Despite its enormous income of </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-saudi-arabia-unemployment-and-booming-population-drive-growing-poverty/2012/12/02/458e648c-3987-11e2-a263-f0ebffed2f15_story.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>$300 billion</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'> </span></u><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>in 2011 </span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>(divided by 16 million comes to $18.75 million per citizen) and King Abdullah’s promise to </span><a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/property/article/614037-dubais-emaar-sets-sights-on-low-cost-housing-market"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>spend $130 billion on handouts</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> (social projects), up to four million (1/3) of the Saudi native population lives at or below poverty level. This dismal situation should not be happening in one of the world’s richest countries, but it does because of gross mismanagement and expropriation of public wealth in addition to a </span><a href="http://richardbrenneman.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/wikicable-on-rampant-saudi-royal-corruption/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>rampant corruption at the top</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. National revenues of which</span><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-02-23/the-saudis-need-those-high-oil-prices"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'> 80%</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> comes from oil sales are controlled by the royal family who alone decides how the money is spent and on which projects. It’s estimated that about 20% of the gross national revenues is skimmed off as royalty and goes to the pockets of a few senior princes while the rest of the revenue ostensibly goes to the national treasury which is also controlled by the royal family.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>In addition, four generations of princes and princesses and people related to them by marriages, estimated at 20 to 40 thousand, receive unearned monthly stipends from the </span><a href="http://richardbrenneman.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/wikicable-on-rampant-saudi-royal-corruption/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>“Office of Decisions and Rules”</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> which is managed by the finance ministry. “</span><a href="http://richardbrenneman.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/wikicable-on-rampant-saudi-royal-corruption/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>The stipends range from</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> US$ 270,000 a month for the more prominent members of the royal family, to $800 dollars a month for the” ‘lowliest member of the most remote branch of the family’. These amounts are based on </span><a href="http://richardbrenneman.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/wikicable-on-rampant-saudi-royal-corruption/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>leaked US Embassy’s reports</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> in 1996 before the oil prices skyrocketed of which the Saudi princes are major beneficiaries. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>It’s not due to lack of sufficient national revenues to ensure good standard of living, full employment, first class education and secure future for the Saudi population. The problem is the squandering of national wealth by the top ruling echelon in a country where there are no checks and balance, accountability, transparency, public scrutiny, civil society or free press to expose wrong doings by the people at the top. This is still going on at a time when the Saudi people are becoming fully aware of the prowling of their wealth. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The majority of the Saudi people knows and discusses the embezzlement of their wealth in ways that never have been done before, thanks to the social media and the </span><a href="http://www.rasid.com/?act=artc&amp;id=52410"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>system’s inability to control</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> the flow of information. The gap between the Saudi population’s legitimate expectations and the Saudi regime’s and its religious establishment’s resistance to democratic reforms is widening to the point where window dressing adjustments or even genuine, but slow reform may not prevent public uprising. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632423'>Discussing Role of Religion can Incur Death </span></b></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> There is no society in the world where all aspects of people’s lives are negatively impacted by religion more than Saudi society. The Saudi autocratic and theocratic rulers decided to make the Quran (the Muslim holy scripture) the state’s constitution and the Shariah (a religious-based legal system) the law of the land. When the Saudi state was established in 1932, the Saudi/Wahhabi allies imposed their austere brand of Islam, known as Wahhabism, on all citizens regardless of their previous or current religious orientation. A consortium of zealous government paid clerics are charged with the interpretation of religious texts, the issuance of Fatawi (religious edicts) to regulate people’s actions, dress code and behavior, as well as the implementation of the government’s policies of gender segregation, compliance with rules and times of worship and ensuring that critics of Saudi royals, clerics and religion are severely punished.   </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>This is what happened to the 23 year old Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari who allegedly tweeted an imaginary conversation with Prophet Mohammed where he was quoted as saying, “</span><a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/10/193811.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>On your birthday</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you.”</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'> The religious community labeled him a blasphemer and within one hour 30 thousand people demanded his execution. He fled the country, but was caught in Malaysia by the order of King Abdullah and was returned to Saudi Arabia in February 2012. Until this day no one knows about the fate of Mr. Kashgari. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Similarly, </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/22/net-us-saudi-website-apostasy-idUSBRE8BL0DA20121222"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>Raif Badawi</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, a respected liberal Saudi website editor, was accused of blasphemy by a lower Saudi religious court because he was accused of insulting Islam. However, his real crime seems to be that his “website included articles that were critical of senior religious figures” in defiance of stated laws prohibiting criticism of Islam and clerics. The idea of creating the liberal website is to provide a forum for the Saudi people to discuss the impact of religion on their lives, their relationships and their perception of and interaction with the international community, especially nom-Muslims.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>It is the height of irony that the Saudi King can convene conferences and finance Islamic centers, mosques and schools worldwide under the pretext of promoting interfaith understanding and dialogue while in his own country citizens are sentenced to death for promoting the same kind of discussions.  </span></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><a href="http://www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com/saudi-officials-blame-iraqis-for-sectarian-violence/" title="Permanent Link to Saudi Officials Blame Iraqis for Sectarian Violence"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#632423;text-decoration:none'>Saudi Officials Blame Iraqis for Sectarian Violence</span></b></a></p> <br> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In a recent </span><a href="http://arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/ksa-sectarianism-will-not-bring-peace-iraq" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>press conference</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal blamed the Iraqi government for instability in Iraq. Among other things he said that, “Peace and security will not return to Iraq as long it is ruled by sectarianism and divisive forces.” This could be interpreted to mean that the Saudi government is behind the Iraq Sunni minority’s unrest and rejection of the democratically elected Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It is the crowning of hypocrisy that the Saudi rulers accuse anyone of sectarianism, divisiveness, and religious intolerance.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Additionally, the Saudi rulers should be the last people in the world to criticize others for the use of religion to discriminate against segments of their societies. The Saudi/Wahhabi allies created their own religious dogma, known as Wahhabism, and imposed it on all of the people of their vast and tyrannically ruled kingdom with no regard for minority religious orientations. As has been amply documented by human rights groups and governments, Saudi religious minorities are among the most oppressed and marginalized people in the world. One of Saudi Arabia’s major critics regarding this issue is its closest Western ally, the US government.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>In its consecutive International Religious Freedom Report, the </span><a href="http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148843.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>State Department wrote</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, “Despite the diversity of individual views, the government continued to enforce its official interpretation of Sunni Islam. Some Muslims who did not adhere to this interpretation faced significant political, economic, legal, social, and religious discrimination, including limited employment and educational opportunities, underrepresentation in official institutions, restrictions on the practice of their faith, and on the building of places of worship and community centers. The largest group affected was the Shi’a.” Saudi Arabia is one of a few countries that is declared by the State Department a “Country of Particular Concern” because of religious intolerance in general and severe oppression of its minorities.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Saud al-Faisal is in a position to know that security and stability in Iraq and harmony among the religiously and ethnically diverse Iraqi population will be hard to achieve as long as the Saudi government and its religious establishment continue to incite hatred against Shi’a and use Iraq’s Sunni minority to ensure its influence regardless who rule that beleaguered country. Saudi clerics have called on all Sunni Muslims to </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/world/middleeast/13saudi.html?hp&amp;ex&amp;_r=0" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>kill Iraqi Shi’a</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, a call that has been heeded and carried out by </span><a href="http://www.mideastdaily.org/entry/saudi-arabia-sends-more-foreign-insurgents-to-iraq-than-syria-or-iran/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>mostly Saudi terrorists</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> who have </span><a href="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/middleeast/2013/January/middleeast_January334.xml&amp;section=middleeast" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>committed heinous crimes</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> against worshipers at Shi’a mosques, neighborhoods and markets. This is happening while senior Shi’a clerics are </span><a href="http://www.gulf-times.com/Region/216/details/339785/Iraqi-troops-kill-six-in-clashes-with-protesters" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>demanding equality for their Sunni compatriots</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. “There must be agreement with the demands… Nobody can say that the government is clean from errors.”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The Saudi/Wahhabi ruling elites’ historical animosity toward Shi’a brand of Islam has transcended its original religious root. It has become a tool for geopolitical expansion as exemplified by the Saudi regime’s invasion of Bahrain and its support for the opposition Sunni groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Kuwait, Pakistan and Afghanistan, among other places. Saudi enmity toward Shi’a is not discreet, new, casual, or cheap. The Saudi rulers paid the former </span><a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=cc005900-0c8f-4359-b278-5894ea923935" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>butcher of Baghdad</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, Saddam Hussein, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>$1 billion a month</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> to wage and sustain a prolonged, bloody war against Shi’a Iran for eight years, </span><a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/iran-iraq.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>1980-1988.</span></a></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>As has been amply documented, Shi’a minorities are oppressed and massacred in Sunni-majority Muslim countries where Saudi influence ranks high as in Pakistan which has become </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/17/world/asia/pakistan-blast/index.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>a butcher house for Shi’a</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. As unabashedly described by an </span><a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C08%5C11%5Cstory_11-8-2011_pg3_1" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>editorial in a</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> Pakistani daily “… Saudi Arabia was able to influence the Pakistani leadership due to the power of petro-dollars. By dazzling our leadership with its wealth and dangling the ‘Kadhimain-Haramain-Sharifain’ title in front of the Pakistani public, the Saudi monarchy was able to get what it wanted from Pakistan. Be it exporting terrorism to Iran, Saudi Arabia’s nemesis, by funding sectarian madrassas that are actually terror factories, fanning sectarian conflict inside Pakistan through these same madrassas, buying land in Pakistan to ensure food security in the barren kingdom, or hunting endangered animals and birds with their UAE brethren on Pakistani soil, the Arab sheikhs have lorded it in and over Pakistan.”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The editorial went on to say, “Arab influence has already turned Pakistan into a blood-soaked battlefield… Pakistani society has become intolerant over the years because of various reasons, but most importantly because of Saudi Arabia’s powerful influence in our internal matters. The growth of Wahabism and extremism in Pakistan is mostly because of funding by Arab sheikhs.”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The escalation of killing Shi’a minorities in majority Sunni Muslim countries is more likely to lead to more reprisals against Sunni minorities in Shi’a majority countries as in Iran and Iraq. Furthermore, the more atrocious attacks on and killing of Shi’a minorities escalate, the more likely that Shi’a will resort to deadly violence against the regimes that encourage religious intolerance.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>However, one can only hope that the Iraqi Shi’a majority would take the high road and treat their minority Sunni compatriots with respect and dignity. They are Iraqi citizens and their religious orientation should not matter. The Iraqis can set a noble example for other Arab and Muslim societies and regimes that subjugate segments of their citizens because of their religious rituals. To start, the Iraqis ought to vote Prime Minister Maliki out of office for discriminating against a segment of his society, if indeed the Saudi Foreign Minister claim is credible. The Iraqis, Shi’a and Sunnis </span><a href="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/middleeast/2013/January/middleeast_January374.xml&amp;section=middleeast" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>are still struggling</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> to put a just system in place through democratic process; a privilege unavailable to the Saudi people who suffer under autocratic and theocratic system.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>Given the Saudi rulers’ oppression of their citizens, Sunnis and Shi’a, it’s difficult to accept that their superseding concern is justice for Iraq’s Sunni minority or for fear of Iraq becomes an Iranian colony. Rather, the Saudi elites’ daunting nightmare is the development of a united and thriving democratic Iraq with </span><a href="http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=21851" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>huge oil reserves</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> on their border.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>The most humane and very prudent policy toward Iraq is for the Saudi religious and political rulers to leave the Iraqis alone while they are trying to find solutions for their massive political, religious, ethnic, and economic problems. </span></p> <h4>&nbsp;</h4> <p><b><span style='color:maroon'>Join us:</span></b></p> <p style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:black'>The Center for Democracy &amp; Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization based in Washington, DC. CDHR provides new and accurate information for the benefit of the public, the business community and policy makers about the current situation in Saudi Arabia. CDHR’s goal is to help bring about a peaceful democratic transition from a single-family autocratic rule to a participatory political system where the rights of all Saudi citizens are protected under the rule of civil laws.<br> <br> The Center could not undertake this important task without the active support of visionary individuals and foundations. CDHR needs the support of people who understand the importance of building a united, prosperous and tolerant society in Saudi Arabia where people are empowered to determine their destiny and the fate of their important, but unstable country. Please visit our website (www.cdhr.info) to lear n about our work and see what you might do to support the many Saudi men and women who risk their livelihood and lives to promote a just political system that rejects all forms of incitement, religious hatred and oppression at home and abroad.<br> <br> Your financial investment in democracy building in Saudi Arabia will benefit the Saudi people, the Middle East, the Muslim world, and the international community. Your <a href="http://www.cdhr.info/">contribution</a> will make a difference and is greatly appreciated.<br> <br> Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about our mission and what you can do to promote a non-sectarian, accountable and transparent political system in Saudi Arabia where all citizens are treated equally under the rule of civil laws.</span></p> <p><b><span style='color:maroon'></FOOTER><Bottom>Contact us:</span></b></p> <h5 style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:black;font-weight:normal'></Bottom>Center for Democracy &amp; Human Rights in Saudi Arabia<br> 1050 17th Street NW, Suite 1000<br> Washington, DC 20036 <br> <br> Phone: (202) 558-5552, (202) 413-0084<br> <br> Fax: (202) 536-5210<br> <br> Email: <a href="mailto:&#x63;&#x64;&#104;&#x72;&#64;&#99;&#100;&#104;&#114;&#x2E;&#105;&#x6E;&#102;&#111;">&#x63;&#x64;&#104;&#x72;&#64;&#99;&#100;&#104;&#114;&#x2E;&#105;&#x6E;&#102;&#111;</a></span></h5> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;</span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:39:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20130219153959/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20121205130355/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#632523'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights&nbsp;in Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, Washington DC</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>December 5, 2012</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Commentaries and Analyses</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Interfaith Center, State Within a State, Women, Massive Arms Deals and Blasphemous Law</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:3.75pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom: 0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:28.5pt;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>&nbsp;</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:3.75pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom: 0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:28.5pt;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Saudi Interfaith Dialogue: Genuine or Duplicitous Maneuver</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#2B0C54'>CDHR’s Commentary</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;During the opening of&nbsp;the Saudi-financed&nbsp;</span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-backed-religious-dialogue-centre-opens-in-vienna-1.1110672" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#0000CC;text-decoration:none'>King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;in Vienna on November 26, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the Saudi head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, is reported to have said that the Center “…would promote human values, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among people of different religious faiths and cultures.”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>His misleading speech was amplified by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal who said that “the sectarian differences are to be elements for understanding and not&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20121127144217" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>elements for collision</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>.” These two men are not known for spiritual reconciliation within their own religiously divided country. In fact, neither of them</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#C00000'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>has</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#C00000'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>ever condemned discrimination against their own religious minorities nor have they deplored their country’s intolerance toward non-Muslims in or out of Saudi Arabia.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>For those unacquainted with Saudi Arabia, its absolute monarchy, its oppressed population (especially women and minorities), and the state’s lethal doctrine which advocates hate and intolerance of other beliefs, the two Saudi officials’ words in Vienna may sound meritorious and honorable. However, the reality on the ground in Saudi Arabia contradicts the Saudi officials’ statements during international interfaith gatherings.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>According to scholars at&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4c9c50952.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099; text-decoration:none'>Al-Azhar University</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;in Egypt – the oldest and most prestigious Islamic institution – Saudi doctrine and its promulgators are dangerous to Muslims and non-Muslims alike and “</span><a href="http://watan.com/10/news.html/35-news-extra/21652-2010-04-26-20-24-39.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#2B0C54; text-decoration:none'>must be fought by all lawful means available</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>.” Dr. Abdulrahman Wahid, the former president of the most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, said that “</span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113590649048834335.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099; text-decoration:none'>Muslims and non-Muslims</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;must unite to defeat the Wahhabi ideology.”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>It has been abundantly&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/worst-worst-2011-worlds-most-repressive-societies" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>documented</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;that Saudi Arabia ranks at the top of any list of religious intolerance. Nothing can be more intolerant of other faiths than rejecting their validity and advocating the destruction of their religious sanctuaries in all of the vast land of the Arabian Peninsula, as called for by the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/37528/World/Region/Europe-bishops-slam-Saudi-fatwa-against-Gulf-churc.aspx" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>Saudi Mufti</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>,&nbsp;the highest religious authority and trusted friend of King Abdullah after whom the Vienna-based and Saudi financed Center is named.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>Having been misled by overt Saudi assurances on many previous occasions, the representatives of Judaism and Christianity, the other two major faiths the Center is ostensibly designed to engage, must ask why they cannot practice their beliefs in Saudi Arabia. They must also ask why neither Judaism nor Christianity is taught in Saudi schools as legitimate beliefs, as Islam is treated in the West and in Israel.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>How can there be “peaceful coexistence” and how can sectarian differences “be elements for understanding and not&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20121127144217" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>elements for collision</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>” if the Saudi state considers Christianity and Judaism&nbsp;incomplete and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20111101111499" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>unfulfilling</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>?&nbsp;Why are there no study centers for Judaism and Christianity in Saudi universities so the Saudi people and other Muslims can learn about these beliefs, their histories, philosophies and tremendous contributions to past and present civilizations?</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>While King Abdullah, Dr. Al-Sudais and Saud Al-Faisal go around the world to promote religious understanding through dialogue, at home they perpetuate&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-saudi-arabia" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>endemic discrimination</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;against their own religious minorities. Are Saudi officials and their champions in the West promoting genuine interfaith dialogue&nbsp;or&nbsp;are&nbsp;they primarily interested in spreading their lethal ideology which feeds extremism and terrorism?</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>Is the West succumbing to Saudi demands to accommodate their intolerant brand of Islam and to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/19/us-protests-religions-blasphemy-idUSBRE88I1EG20120919" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>pass international laws</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>to criminalize criticism of Islam because of Saudi economic and religious influence or is it due to the Saudi threat of terrorism, as was applied against Great Britain during the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/dec/15/saudiarabia.armstrade" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>BAE arms deal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;corruption inquiry? Did the Saudis apply similar threats to the US Department of Justice, which also&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/world/middleeast/24saudi.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>caved in to Saudi demands</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>not to pursue legal action against members of the Saudi royal family for their involvement in financing the 9/11 terrorists?&nbsp;Given this evidence, how can international religious dialogue eliminate the threat of terrorism posed by the Saudi/Wahhabi ideology?</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>The Saudi regime’s call for religious dialogue among the adherents of the major faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is&nbsp;deceitful&nbsp;at best. On the one hand, the Saudi establishment organizes interfaith conferences and finances religious centers in Europe and in the United States where religious freedom for all people&nbsp;is&nbsp;guaranteed by national and international constitutions and international declarations on human rights. On the other, the Saudis are openly exporting and financing&nbsp;</span><a href="http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/09/28/saudis-export-anti-christian-and-anti-jewish-textbooks-across-the-world-report/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>anti-Jewish and anti-Christian hate literature</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>&nbsp;as well as financing Sunni</span><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>&nbsp;</span><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>terrorists worldwide</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>. In addition,&nbsp;the Saudis finance extremist Muslims, namely the</span><a href="http://www.eurasiareview.com/27092012-saudi-arabia-and-qatar-dueling-monarchies-analysis/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>&nbsp;</span></a><a href="http://www.eurasiareview.com/27092012-saudi-arabia-and-qatar-dueling-monarchies-analysis/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>Salafis</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>, who are currently waging a war against pro-democracy and anti-religious bigotry movements throughout the Arab world.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>Worse yet, Saudi public schools and mosques promote&nbsp;</span><a href="http://kafircrusaders.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/worldwide-boom-in-building-of-mega-mosques-muslims-stealth-jihad/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>intolerance of non-Muslim beliefs</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;because they consider them irrelevant. The question that must be asked is how calls for harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims can be taken seriously when they are championed by a regime that fosters terrorism and whose highest religious authority&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/destroy-all-churches-in-gulf-says-saudi-grand-mufti-450002.html?tab=Article" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099;text-decoration:none'>demands the destruction</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>&nbsp;of non-Muslim houses of worship and considers religions of other faiths to be of the gutters?</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#444444'>Given these facts, what&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>message do the&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Saudi authorities send to the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world:&nbsp; a message of “peaceful coexistence” or preparation for “a clash of civilizations?”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 13.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Saudi King: The UN Must Draft Blasphemy Law</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>CDHR's Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Speaking from his palatial royal palace in Mecca, the Saudi King Abdullah called on the United Nations to draft legislation that would make it&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20121028141004"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099; text-decoration:none'>illegal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;for any individual, group or country to insult “divine religions and prophets”. King Abdullah also stated that it “is obligatory upon each Muslim to defend our religion and all the prophets”. The timing of King Abdullah's call on the United Nations to limit individual freedom of expression under the pretext of blasphemy legislation coincided with the celebration of Eid Al-Adha, one of Islam's holiest occasions.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>King Abdullah was addressing some three million Muslims who were in Mecca to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage) rituals, which every able Muslim must perform once in his/her lifetime. On the face of it, creating legislation to protect religious sensitivities seems harmless until one considers the full ramifications of the Saudi King's call to ban criticism of religions, specifically Islam. The intent of King’s global blasphemy initiatives is to criminalize any criticism of religion, even in democratic societies where freedom of expression is guaranteed and protected as an inalienable and natural right of every citizen. Blasphemy legislation will only serve to constrict universal human rights and enable tyrants to silence their critics at home and abroad.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>In Saudi Arabia,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/saudi-arabia"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>criticism</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>of Islam, the Saudi ruling family and religious clerics is prohibited, and non-compliance with this prohibition can result in severe punishment as exemplified by the case of Mr.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/saudi-writer-detained-after-tweets-about-muhammad/2012/02/09/gIQApsgW2Q_story.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>Hamza Kashgari</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>. Hamza Kashgari is a 23-year-old columnist and was an outspoken supporter of the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-kings-hypocrisy/2012/02/13/gIQA71wxBR_story.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>Arab Spring and for women’s rights</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;in Saudi Arabia long before his arrest by the Saudi authorities for tweeting an imaginary conversation between himself and the Prophet Muhammad. Currently Hamza Kashgari languishes in a Saudi prison and faces the prospect of the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hamza-kashgari-is-a-test-for-saudi-arabia/2012/02/20/gIQAuNL8PR_story.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>death penalty</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, the punishment for blasphemy in Saudi Arabia.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The plight of Hamza Kashgari, and that of many like him, shows the danger of the blasphemy legislation that King Abdullah and the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/19/us-protests-religions-blasphemy-idUSBRE88I1EG20120919"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>57 members</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>of the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation are advocating. In any democratic country, Kashgari's remarks or any similar action by others on Twitter or in public would have gone largely unnoticed. In the United States of America and in other true democratic societies, inflammatory and vitriolic speeches are protected under the rule of law, as enshrined in the U.S. First Amendment.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>If the United Nations adopts blasphemy regulation, freedom of expression would be prohibited and dictatorial regimes like the Saudi monarchy will continue to have free hand in accusing individuals of blasphemous acts under the pretext of defending religion; when in fact their objective is to silence critics by incarcerating and in some cases executing them. This dangerous proposal for blasphemy legislation must be rejected by Muslims who are struggling for emancipation from the yoke of religious totalitarianism and by the wider international community, especially Western democracies that are the real target of the blasphemous law the Saudis and other Muslim regimes are promoting.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#632523'>Saudi Interior Ministry: “A State within a State”</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#002060'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The appointment of&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-05/saudi-king-names-prince-mohammed-bin-nayef-interior-minister-1-.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>Prince Mohammed Ibn Naif</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;in early November 2012 as head of the most powerful and feared Saudi institution, the notorious Ministry of Interior, has greater significance than King Abdullah’s explanation that he was simply relieving Prince Ahmed from his position, as per his request. Personally, King Abdullah has been waiting for the day when he could bring the Ministries of Defense and Interior under his control since he took over the day-to-day business of running the country in 1996.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The King had never been a favorite of the late Interior and Defense Ministers, Princes Naif and Sultan, whom he had to struggle with since he was appointed Crown Prince in 1982. Their deaths in 2012 and 2011 respectively presented the King with an opportunity even he never thought would occur, given the fact that he is older than both of them and has not been in good health for a long time.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Prince Ahmed, whom Prince Mohammed recently replaced, is one of the surviving politically active brothers of the powerful “Sudairi Seven” (seven brothers from the first Saudi king’s favorite wife), which includes Princes Sultan and Naif. These Sudairi Seven have been accused of “</span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6980056.stm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>monopolizing power and blocking reform</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>,” including King Abdullah’s cosmetic initiatives. It has been reported that when Abdullah was Crown Prince, he had to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://csis.org/publication/saudi-arabia-enters-21st-century-military-and-internal-security-dimension-v-saudi-nation" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>seek the approval of Naif</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;regarding any security concerns. A former official admitted that the Ministry of Interior had become “a state within a state.”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Like his brothers, the recently deposed Prince Ahmed is said to insist on continuing his predecessor’s policies, which King Abdullah and other members in the royal family have been waiting to restructure to ensure that the ministry will focus on security and submit to the King. Saudi analysts who are familiar with Prince Mohammed say that he&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20209276" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>supports King Abdullah’s measured</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>reform initiatives while Ahmed does not.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Additionally,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/on-the-middle-east/2012/nov/06/saudiarabia-middleeast" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>Western powers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;prefer to see Prince Mohammed in charge of the Interior Ministry because he is perceived to be progressive, educated in the West, and a supporter of the King’s reforms. More importantly, Prince Mohammed,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/saudi-crown-prince-dies_647375.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>unlike his father</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, is said to cooperate with Western intelligence agencies in pursuing terrorists both inside and outside of the Kingdom.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Under its former heavy-handed and insubordinate Minister, Naif, the Saudi Ministry of Interior&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.moi.gov.sa/wps/portal/%21ut/p/b1/04_SjzS0MDUyNTYxNrfUj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOJNnQOcPS18jQ3dA0LNDYzczE28nM28LQy8TfSDU_P0c6McFQEEOzVy/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>oversaw and controlled</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>all aspects of the state’s internal security apparatus, including layers of civil defense agencies, land and sea borders, airports, drug trafficking control, all domestic intelligence and informant agencies, religious police, regular police, customs, prisons and passport agencies. The Ministry also exerted substantial influence on the sectarian Saudi judicial system and the religious establishment.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Ministry is reported to employ&nbsp;</span><a href="http://csis.org/publication/saudi-arabia-enters-21st-century-military-and-internal-security-dimension-v-saudi-nation" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>about 100 thousand</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;people, a figure which was documented prior to King Abdullah’s decision in March 2011 to authorize&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12781068" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>60 thousand</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;additional security personnel. These figures put the Interior Ministry significantly ahead of the regular armed and National Guard forces. This is unlikely to change since the monarchy’s first and foremost concern is its security and continuity.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Furthermore, it is feared, and rightly so, that after the passing of the last two of the well-recognized and traditionally respected first generation of Saudi rulers, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, the second and third generations will be vying for power based on education and achievement records as opposed to seniority, tribal loyalty and family ties.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Unlike the sons and daughters of the founding Saudi patriarch, King Abdul Aziz, the younger royals are less cohesive, more educated and many of them are from foreign mothers who raised their offspring differently than their fathers and mothers were raised. Many of the younger royals&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20209276" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>have more in common</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>with many in society than with their parents. The majority of second and third royal generations grew up and trained in non-Saudi schools including Nuns Missions. This reality can spell trouble for the country and its Western allies, particularly the US.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Saudi Interior Ministry’s central mission is to ensure the continuity of the Al-Saud family’s hegemonic rule over all aspects of the Saudi people’s lives and livelihood. Given this fact, no one should assume that King Abdullah or any monarch will attempt to undermine the Ministry’s dominance over the royal family’s security. However, Prince Mohammed has an opportunity to humanize the Ministry since he is a reformer and different from his unpopular father.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Prince Mohammed can restore the public trust in his Ministry by eliminating the role of the most hated group in his ministry, the religious police. He can put an end to arbitrary arrests of political reformers and stop throwing them in Saudi prisons&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/05/01/saudi-s-surprise-renegades.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>without charges or trial</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;for months and years. Prince Mohammed can&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2005/11/28/torture_and_survival_in_a_saudi" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>stop torture</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>in Saudi prisons and open them to Saudi and non-Saudi human rights groups to find out how prisoners are treated. He can insist on expeditious and open trials for political prisoners and ensure access of prisoners’ families at all times. These steps are humane, feasible and politically prudent, if indeed King Abdullah and his nephew Minister Mohammed are truly reformers and care for their suffering citizens as they claim.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Finally, smooth succession to the Saudi throne is likely to be disrupted once the second and third generations of Saudi princes begin to compete for power. When this occurs, as many Saudi analysts suspect it will, it could plunge the country into political turmoil and even civil strife, which would necessitate the US, as Saudi Arabia’s major super power ally, to intervene militarily to protect Saudi Arabia’s and other Gulf Arab states’ oil fields and production and shipping facilities. America is the only superpower that is capable and acceptable to producers and consumers to secure the flow of oil without which the world economies could collapse.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>However, the US is more likely to pay a very high price if it were to intervene militarily to ensure the flow of Arabian oil through the explosive Persian Gulf. Even though Arabs and Muslims will suffer immensely from major disruption of oil production and sales, the majority of them will turn against the US and accuse it of being anti-Arab and anti-Muslim.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>In order to avoid this eventuality,&nbsp;Washington is in a position now to exert pressure on the Saudis and other Gulf Arab rulers, privately and publicly, to embark on tangible political reforms that will give their populations a stake in the safety and security of their countries, as a country can only be truly secure and stable if its own citizens are its defenders.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>It’s not too late for the US to inform its oil rich Arab allies that the time for real change is overdue.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Massive Arms Deals: To Whose Benefit?</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>CDHR's Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000066'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The autocratic monarchies, Sultanate, and Emirates of the oil rich Gulf Arab states are some of the most heavily armed countries in the world. Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2034rank.html?countryName=Saudi%20Arabia&amp;countryCode=sa&amp;regionCode=mde&amp;rank=3#sa"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>allocate</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:navy'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy;text-decoration:none'>the largest percentage</span></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>of their gross domestic product for military spending. The advertised reason for procuring such large quantities of sophisticated and highly priced military hardware is to enable the rulers to defend their populations from their “Iranian enemies”. This claim by the Gulf rulers and arms sellers does not convince many of their citizens or knowledgeable regional observers and analysts.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Analysts argue that the Gulf rulers’ purchases of large quantities of modern military equipment are more likely to be used to defend themselves against their increasingly restless populations. For instance, the Saudi rulers dispatched their troops and heavy equipment to crush the pro-democracy and pro-justice revolt&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/14/saudi-troops-bahrain-shiites-war_n_835734.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>in neighboring Bahrain</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>to prevent the spread of such unrest to Saudi Arabia. Similarly, the Kuwaiti Emir has&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1235285/1/.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>mobilized his special forces</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;to ensure that the large demonstrations by&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/02/kuwait-protests-arab-spring"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>young and liberal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;Kuwaitis against his family’s rule are forcefully contained. Critics of the Saudi and other Gulf ruling families argue that since the defense of these rulers and their countries from external threats is guaranteed by their&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19661458"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy;text-decoration:none'>Western</span></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>allies, specifically&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.crethiplethi.com/letter-from-president-roosevelt-to-king-ibn-saud-april-5-1945/usa/2010/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>the US</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, they can only be buying this variety of sophisticated and expensive military hardware in order to defend themselves against their restive and oppressed citizens. Furthermore, critics maintain that Gulf rulers are pouring billions of dollars into Western economies through the purchase of expensive military equipment as an advance payment for the protection that Western Powers are expected to provide when needed. &nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Following his re-election on November 6, 2012, President Barak Obama asked the US Congress to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.zawya.com/story/Gulf_states_plan_fresh_arms_spending-20121119_3896_730/?lok=105629121119&amp;&amp;zawyaemailmarketing"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>approve a $24.2 billion arms</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;sale to Arab Gulf states including</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>25 transports and refueling aircraft for the Saudis. The autocratic Saudi monarchy has already&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129861216"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>concluded a $60 billion arms deal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;with the Obama Administration in 2010. They have made these gigantic purchases from the US in addition to larger amounts from eastern and western Europe&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/baefiles/page/0,,2095831,00.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>in recent years</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;. The Saudi people are wondering why their government is spending these huge sums on arms when they know that the US will defend their country from external threats as it did in 1990-1991, when Saddam Hussein attempted to take over Saudi oil fields. They know that as long as the Saudi ruling family has oil and uses it to maintain acceptable prices and an adequate supply, and prevents other OPEC members from causing global economic disruptions through oil supply or currency manipulation, the West will defend them at any cost. &nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Many of the politically subdued people of the Gulf States know that their autocratic regimes are more interested in defending themselves against their disenfranchised populations than they are fearful of Iran’s attacks on their desert domains. They also know that those who help to invent and exaggerate the ruling dynasties’&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/12/saudi-security-iran-idUSL6E8I12M020120712"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>scare tactics</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;regarding external threats are more interested in securing lucrative arms and other business deals than they are concerned about the protection and well-being of the millions of oppressed inhabitants of the Gulf. While many of the Gulf Arab populations understand, and some even appreciate, the West’s reasons for trying to ensure the Gulf region’s stability, they are perplexed and saddened by the West’s continued support for their despotic rulers while simultaneously&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&amp;id=31741"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>supporting other Arab populations</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;that are overthrowing their dictators, some of whom are less dangerous to Western interests, democratic systems and way of life than the Saudi monarchy, which the West is doing all it can to protect.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Arab populations of the Gulf have had mostly pleasant and beneficial contacts with Westerners for centuries. All of the land of the small Gulf States was colonized and politically divided by the British Empire. Their infrastructure was fashioned by the British and many in their populations have been educated in Europe. Compared to the Saudis, the populations and ruling families of the small Gulf States, especially Bahrain, are more socially relaxed, politically advanced and religiously tolerant. However, the last two generations of Saudis have had extensive contacts with the West, especially with Americans. This is due to the exploration, production and exportation of Saudi oil. American companies have largely built Saudi Arabia from the ground up. Hundreds of thousands of Saudis and Americans have worked side by side. They have also studied in American schools, and conducted business with US companies almost exclusively until the era of globalization and the rise of Asian powers and cheaper products. Due to this history, the Saudi people like and trust the Americans more than any other people. As accentuated&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-mega-projects-and-american-cowboys"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>in this article</span></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>,&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>the<b>&nbsp;</b>Saudi people are lamenting the decline of American involvement in their country<b>,&nbsp;</b>especially in the construction industry. &nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Given their long history and association with the West, a significant number of the people of the Gulf States are bewildered by their trusted Western allies’ continued support for tyrannical rulers at a time when prudence demands support for democratic movements, especially in Saudi Arabia, a country whose government’s institutions advocate destruction of democratic systems and whose doctrine poses a lethal threat to Western democracies. Continued unconditional Western sales of military hardware to Gulf dictators will empower extremists and alienate potential allies in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region. The long term consequences are likely to dwarf all financial benefits the West is currently reaping from arms sales to Gulf Arab dictators.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Empowering one’s sworn enemy constitutes indulgence in self-destruction and endangerment of&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/saudi-king-demanding-international-blasphemy-ban-it-is-our-duty/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>individual liberty and freedom of expression</span></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>. &nbsp;</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Why Do Saudi Shi’a Protest?</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.75pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;The Shi’a citizens of Saudi Arabia constitute 10-15% of the Saudi population.&nbsp;This large segment of Saudi society lives primarily in the oil rich eastern region of Saudi Arabia, known as the Eastern Province. The Shi’a&nbsp;of Saudi Arabia have&nbsp;been subjugated&nbsp; by the Saudi/Wahhabi&nbsp;doctrinaires, known as The Ikhwan, sine they conquered their wealthy region in 1913.&nbsp;Institutionalized religious-based discriminatory policies against the Saudi Shi'a have been widely documented by&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-saudi-arabia"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>human rights groups</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>and by the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>U.S. Department of Sate</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.75pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Among the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1068/re9.htm"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090;text-decoration: none'>multitude</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;of discriminatory and restrictive Saudi government policies against this large segment of its population are lack of religious freedom, frequent closure of Shi’a worship sanctuaries and a severe lack of economic opportunities, judicial protection, political appointments to high public positions and equal rights under the Saudi sectarian legal system.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Similar to the Saudi conquest of the Hejaz (Western region), and the other regions that comprise the current Saudi Kingdom, the conquest of the fertile oases of Qatif and Al-Hasa in the Eastern Province by the ferocious Ikhwan was motivated by desperate&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/CTC_EmbattledInArabia_ShiisAndThePoliticsOfConfrontationInSaudiArabia.pdf"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>economic</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;need. Compared to the mostly inhospitable terrains of Najd region (central Arabia) from where the Saudi/Wahhabi Ikhwan invaders hailed, the oases of Qatif and Al-Hasa offered a bounty of agricultural resources and access to maritime trade, both of which were important sources of income for the Saudis prior to the discovery of petroleum&nbsp;in the Shi’a region in the 1930s.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Contrary to the Saudi autocratic regime’s claims that many of its Shi’a citizens are protesting because they are agent of foreign government, ostensibly Iran, the protesters are calling for an end to discrimination against them because of their religious orientation. While largely peaceful, these protests have occasionally turned&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/shiite-protests-pose-major-challenge-for-saudi-arabia/2012/10/18/f6157c84-13ab-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_story_2.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>violent</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, with some 71 protestors shot by Saudi police, and 32 Saudi police officers shot in retaliation since the outbreak of protests in 2011.&nbsp; The violent confrontations in the Saudi Eastern Province are in part a response to the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_22538.pdf"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>harsh measures</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;used by the Saudi security forces, including torture, beating, the use of live ammunition to disperse demonstrators and the arbitrary arrests of prominent&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.rasid.com/english/?act=artc&amp;id=392"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>human rights activists and clerics</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.75pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;Instead of recognizing the legitimate grievances of the Shi’a and other citizens and addressing them justly, the Saudi officials have blamed the unrest and justified their crackdown on public demonstrations on interference by an&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/10/11/saudi-arabia-stop-arbitrary-arrests-shia"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC; text-decoration:none'>unnamed foreign instigator</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, Iran. It’s no secret that there is no love between the Ayatollahs of Iran and their counterparts in Riyadh.&nbsp;Tragically, the Saudi regime has used its own citizens as a scapegoat for its failures to solve its problems with Iran’s theocrats, whom some Saudi royals and controlled medias accuse of inciting unrest in eastern Saudi Arabia, a claim that has been repeatedly&nbsp;</span><a href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/9702"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>refuted</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;by the Shi’a and other Saudi and non-Saudi analysts.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.75pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;Dissent, peaceful demonstrations and all forms of civil society are prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Thus, protesters in Saudi Arabia, regardless of religion, region, gender or ethnicity are automatically labeled law violators and threat to the State’s stability. Unless this system of oppression is reformed and people’s legitimate demands to be liberated from fear and injustice are addressed in a timely manner, public anger will only lead to a violent outcome at a much larger scale.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.75pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>As Saudi Arabia’s close allies and protectors, the Western powers, especially the US, can use their substantial leverage to convince the Saudi royals to understand that time is not on their side.&nbsp; The best, safest, cheapest and only way to save the country from a violent uprising is for the Saudi regime to share real power with all of its citizens regardless of gender or religious orientation.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.75pt; margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span><b><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#632523'>Expansion of Saudi Lethal Doctrine</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;In collaboration with the incredibly weak and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/afghan-corruption-and-how-the-us-facilitates-it/2012/11/05/d7fbce5c-2520-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_story.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#0000CC;text-decoration:none'>corrupt Afghani government</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, the Saudi monarchy has recently announced that it will invest $100 million in building one of the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/29/246547.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>largest Islamic Centers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;in the world atop a mountain overlooking the Afghan’s impoverished capital, Kabul.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Center will be managed jointly by the Saudi religious establishment and the Afghani Ministry for Hajj and Religious Affairs. The proposed King Abdullah’s Center will accommodate 15,000 worshipers at a time and provide an education for 5,000 religious students. The Center will be named after King Abdullah, which is not surprising since there are already three massive Islamic centers and mosques named after Saudi monarchs: King Fahd’s Centers in&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.kingfahadmosque.org/AboutUs.shtm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>Culver City, California</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;and London, England, and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.tourisminpakistan.com/islamabad/faisal-mosque/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>King Faisal’s</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, which is considered Pakistan’s national mosque.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Afghanistan is the poorest country in&nbsp;Central Asia, coming in nearly at the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/103106.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>bottom</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;of the human development index, with abysmal literacy and education rates, an almost complete lack of&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/05/07/the_us_is_abandoning_afghanistan_s_women?page=0,3" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:navy;text-decoration:none'>women's rights</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, a low life expectancy, and wrenchingly high&nbsp;</span><a href="http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/AFG.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:navy; text-decoration:none'>mortality rates</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;for children, with nearly a fifth of all Afghan children dying before the age of five. The 100 million dollars the Saudis will invest in the Kabul Islamic Center could be better used for programs to improve literacy, infrastructure, or healthcare for the impoverished Afghan people; instead the Saudi King has decided to spend this huge sum of money to propagate Wahhabism in a country where most of the citizens are already religious zealots.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Outside interference by foreign powers has long plagued Afghanistan, but nothing can top the Saudi “Wahhabization” of the country; the establishment of King Abdullah’s Center in Kabul is yet another example of this. The Saudi government hopes to socialize and indoctrinate a new generation of religious students for political aims, just as they have in the past by means of the infamous&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11451718" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC; text-decoration:none'>Saudi funded</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;<i>madrassas&nbsp;</i>in Pakistan’s tribal areas, which continue to be the primary source of recruitment for the Sunni Taliban extremist groups operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates were the only countries in the world to give diplomatic recognition to the extreme Taliban regime during its draconian rule over Afghanistan.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>The construction of such a monumental religious institution in Afghanistan's capital is a maneuver by the Saudi rulers to ensure that their doctrinal hegemony remains not only over Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of the majority of foreign forces in 2014, but over all of the Sunni Muslims in Central and South East Asia, especially in the oil and other resource-rich former Soviet colonies.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#632523'>Saudi Women: The March is Irreversible</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>In September 2011, King Abdullah decreed that women would be appointed to the Shura Council for the 2013 term, and based on this royal decree, the Shura Council has&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&amp;id=31446"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>begun to prepare</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;itself and the chamber for the arrival of the would-be appointed female members if the King’s decree is upheld.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Membership in the Shura Council is an important step for Saudi women, who have long been marginalized by the male-dominated Saudi system. Women lack a voice in government and in society, as they are often seen as less than full citizens. This is due to severe institutionalized discriminatory restrictions on women, known&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2011/saudi-arabia"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>as the male guardian system</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>. However, women are increasingly and unabashedly standing up for their rights and demanding equality as full citizens, including the right to vote, full employment, and mobility, such as the right to drive.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Despite the measured psychological and social significance of appointing women to the Saudi national Consultative Council, Majlis Al-Shura, a closer look at the powerless council raises the question of whether the inclusion of women in the council will make a difference or will legitimize the regime’s deception by appearing in favor of women’s rights, while in reality enforcing social injustice. The council’s current 150 male members are appointed and paid by the King based on their loyalty to the ruling family, answering only to the King and not to the Saudi people. The would-be appointed women members will similarly be appointed and paid by the King based on their loyalty to him and his family; therefore, they will not be representing the interests of the overwhelming majority of Saudi women.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Shura Council has no legislative power. The council cannot initiate, pass or enforce laws and while the council advises the King, he is not required to accept any of its suggestions (and he rarely does, if ever). For example, all decisions, including budg<a name="_GoBack"></a>ets, are initiated and determined before they are sent to the council for review and suggestions. Appointing women to the council is not likely to make</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>&nbsp;</span><a href="http://world.time.com/2011/09/26/saudi-women-get-the-vote-but-real-power-is-elusive/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC; text-decoration:none'>one bit of difference</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>in terms of changing the powerless council’s authority or the Saudi system’s continued discriminatory policies and practices against women. However, the fact that women will be appointed to the council is a positive step for women in achieving their usurped legitimate rights.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>After being denied their basic rights for decades, small steps, albeit cosmetic, are important for women in Saudi Arabia. No one has any illusion that appointing women to the Shura Council will result in quick and easy progress for them, but it is a step in the right direction because the more they gain recognition as full citizens, the stronger their demands will be and the less their enemies in society and institutions, especially the “religious” establishment, will be able to stop them from participating in and contributing to the political, social, economic, and educational well-being of Saudi society.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#632523'>State-Imposed Social Taboos Result in Tragedies</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#993300'>&nbsp;</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Due to the Saudi government’s harsh and unnatural policy against all forms of public musical and theatrical entertainment, Saudis resort to dangerous and illegal activities such as the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/celebratory-gunfire-saudi-arabia-prison-445396" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090;text-decoration:none'>outlawed nomadic tradition</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;of live ammunitions to celebrate their “victories” or happy occasions.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/31/us-saudi-wedding-electrocuted-idUSBRE89U0FJ20121031"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext; text-decoration:none'>Recently</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, such celebratory gunfire led to the deaths of more than twenty people due to the bullets damaging electric wires during recent wedding festivities. &nbsp;Live public music and dancing are prohibited because they are considered un-Islamic, and therefore must be banned.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Joyous activities are considered diversionary behaviors that interfere with people’s focus on prayers, God, and the goodwill of the rulers in Saudi Arabia. In other words,&nbsp;happy indulgences are considered evil or “the West’s decadent inventions,” designed to corrupt Saudi moral values and destroy Muslim cultures. The Saudi government and the Wahhabi religious establishment fear a population that is not always somber and concentrating on their devotion to Islam, as interpreted by the religious extremists and sanctioned by the Saudi rulers. They consider entertainment debauched, they strictly ban movie theaters and severely&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510079,00.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090; text-decoration:none'>censor television shows</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;and they&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/women-music-banned-from-saudi-talent-show-461690.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>prohibit women</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;from participating in sports, publically and privately.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>Many Saudis spend their holiday breaks and annual vacations in Gulf countries in order to experience entertainment denied to them in their country. The majority of&nbsp;</span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/youth-strive-to-overcome-cinema-ban-1.226502" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>movie theater goers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;in neighboring Bahrain during weekends and holiday periods are Saudi citizens. It is estimated that one million&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20121028141008" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>Saudis crossed the</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;borders&nbsp;to celebrate their most important religious holiday, Eid Adha, in Dubai to get away from their country’s stifling taboos and indulge in social activities not allowed in Saudi Arabia. Others resort to secret or banned activities such as playing in&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585779,00.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>underground bands</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;knowing that they could be arrested and punished by the system’s omnipresent spying agents, specifically the state’s religious police who enforce their interpretation of religious laws on all citizens and expatriates regardless of religious beliefs and orientations.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>The tragic deaths and injuries during the recent Abqaiq wedding celebration in eastern Saudi Arabia, as well as many other unreported incidents, could have been avoided had normal entertainment such as musical bands been allowed to entertain the families and invited guests, instead of forcing the celebrators to fire their guns in the air to show their joyous passion during weddings and other occasions and in the process cause the deaths of innocent people. &nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:1.4pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#600000'>Recruiting Female Religious Police: Progression or Regression? &nbsp;</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The head of the notorious Saudi religious police (<i>Mutaween</i>, or domesticators), Mr. Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, a descendant of the founder of Wahhabism, Abdul Wahhab, feels a need&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/9618870/Saudi-Arabia-to-recruit-women-to-religious-police-force.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>to recruit female religious police</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;to join his agency. It is assumed that he wants to recruit women because they will be more empathetic than the stick-touting bearded men who comb all public places to make sure that women are covered, shops are closed five times a day for prayers, and people are herded to mosques to pray whether they like it or not. Another assumption is that by hiring women, religious police will be in accordance with King Abdullah’s measured reform initiative. While there might be some merits to these assumptions, the system’s agenda is always different from its stated pronouncements.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>One has to understand that the religious police have only one assignment, to spy on and terrorize people. The ruthlessness of the religious police intensified when King Faisal ascended to the Saudi throne in 1964 after he collaborated with the Ulama, the religious clerics, to overthrow his brother, King Saud, in a palace coup. In addition to enforcing the dress code, forcing people to pray five times a day, and making sure that women are invisible (covered in black), the religious police concentrate on surveillance of pro-reform and social justice activists whom they can easily accuse of religious failings or other social stigmas.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Recruitment of female religious police will not be based on kindness, open-mindedness, empathy, or better education than their male counterparts. Having female religious police spying on and controlling women’s activities and movements will make it more acceptable to the Saudi male population and make the system look more sensitive to local norms and as an equal opportunity employer. It is unlikely that female women religious police will be any gentler or kinder than men because they will be appointed from ultraconservative families and religious extremist backgrounds. Female religious police are more likely have internalized and accepted their status as inferior and subservient to men.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The idea of recruiting female religious police is to expand the system’s surveillance and hunt women who are known for their advocacy of change in society.&nbsp;&nbsp;Additionally, having women harassing women will create another layer of division among the already severely divided and segregated society along religious, tribal, gender and regional lines. &nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>What the ruling elites fail to understand or acknowledge is that the Saudi people, like their counterparts in the region and the world, are becoming more aware of their regime’s duplicitous maneuvers and of their usurped rights. What the people want and deserve is emancipation from the yoke of religious, social, and political totalitarianism as opposed to handouts and the use of religion as a tool to control, silence and exploit the population.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Women are&nbsp;Excelling&nbsp;in Overcoming Hurdles</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;Despite the many hurdles and restrictions imposed on Saudi women by their government and male-dominated society, they are making their voices heard and demanding their rights as equal citizens known to their government, media, male compatriots and the international community. Due to the Saudi gender apartheid system, women have long been relegated to a second class citizens’ status and consequently denied their most basic rights such as freedom of movement, mobility and even access to lifesaving medication without their male relatives’ approval.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>However, Saudi women are becoming increasingly more creative, bold and defiant as exemplified by the art exhibit of three Saudi women that opened recently in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The exhibit focuses on “</span><a href="http://www.albawaba.com/entertainment/saudi-riyadh-female-artists-exhibition-447855"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>questions of identity and freedom</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>” and addresses women’s issues and by extension the crippling attitude, discriminatory policies and practices of the Saudi system toward half of its society, women. Fittingly, the exhibit is called “Soft Power,” which testifies to the courage of these Saudi women who defy severe constraints and challenge their number one foe, the religious establishment, in a peaceful, yet extraordinarily effective manner.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Not only are these three imaginative and creative women artists using their talents to express their feelings and point of view, they are also chipping away at the austere religious establishment’s severe opposition to images that depict anything they consider un-Islamic. Saudi artists, women and men, are beginning to use art frequently&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21543582"><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>as a form of protest</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;against the multitude of social, political, economic and other societal illnesses. Women are making measured progress in all aspects of Saudi society, from art to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/women-lawyers-full-of-hope-over-licence-to-practice-in-saudi-arabia-1.1092431"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'>law</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>,</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;albeit at a snail’s speed, but they are determined to break all the taboos that have been placed on them for no reason other than their gender.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'> </span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:03:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20121205130355/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20121019133257/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:maroon'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights&nbsp;in Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, Washington DC</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>October 19, 2012</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Commentaries and Analyses </span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom: .0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Women, the Prophet, Denial of Worship, and Who is the Enemy</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:maroon'>&nbsp;</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:maroon'>Educated, Unemployed and No Longer Invisible, Despite Black Covering</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#3333CC'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Ninety percent (90%) of unemployed Saudis are women. They are </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>educated, able and eager to earn an honest living<span style='color:black'>, but </span>are denied the right to work. This is happening in a country that employs an estimated </span><a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-foreign-worker-curbs-will-hit-economy-says-citi-403055.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>8 million foreign nationals</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> in its public and private sectors. However, after being marginalized by their government and society since the inception of the Saudi state in 1932, women are silent no more. They are not only speaking up against their repression; they are advocating <span style='color:black'>for a </span>reorientation of Saudi society and of the government’s political and economically driven discriminatory policies, dressed in religious and tradition excuses no one buys anymore, if they ever did. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Saudi women are not only demanding to work, but to drive themselves to their places of employment <span style='color:black'>in order </span>to emancipate themselves from financial and mobile dependence on their male relatives and the government’s handouts. Despite <span style='color:black'>the resistance of </span>the state’s autocratic and theocratic rulers and traditionalist males to women’s call for equality, women are slowly making their voices heard and some of their demands are being realized, albeit in a very limited way. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>One of the major achievements Saudi women have accomplished in recent years is <span style='color:black'>an increase </span>in employment at stores that sell women’s lingerie. A number of years ago, a few courageous women, led by Jeddah-based economics professor Reem Asaad, </span><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/27/in_saudi_arabia_an_undercover_revolution?page=0,1"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>organized a campaign</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> to implement a shelved royal decree that called on businesses that sell women’s lingerie to hire <span style='color:black'>Saudi </span>saleswomen to replace the mostly foreign, <span style='color:black'>male </span>workers. The campaign gained domestic and global attention and propelled the Saudi King to support the women’s movement, or “Bra Revolution,” as described by </span><a href="http://m.indianexpress.com/news/the-bra-revolution/906276/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>some media outlets</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Despite Saudi King Abdullah’s support for the lingerie and make-up shops’ <span style='color:black'>requirement </span>to employ only Saudi saleswomen, </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20121008138878" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>it is evident</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> that the government is doing very little to enforce this <span style='color:black'>Royal </span>decree. Foreign workers continue to dominate industries in which Saudi women are supposed to be operating. In addition, the regime seems hesitant to increase employment opportunities for women in other fields. Instead, the regime is </span><a href="http://arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/shoura-oks-bill-saudization-maintenance-jobs" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>focusing on the “Saudization”</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> of jobs (requiring employers to hire Saudis to replace foreign workers) in fields that are off limits to women.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>A conference held on October 3^rd in Riyadh, entitled “</span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/employers-urged-create-sound-work-environment-women-0" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Maximizing the Employment of Saudi Women,”</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <span style='color:black'>discussed issues that lead to the exclusion of women from the public and private Saudi workforce such as the strict gender-regulation rules as well as how employers can create work environments for women that remain in line with the religious guidelines and cultural traditions that severely restrict women’s freedom. </span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Continuing to <span style='color:black'>prevent </span>Saudi women from using their full potentials to help build a better and more prosperous country is hurting Saudi Arabia financially, politically and socially. A </span><a href="http://www.ameinfo.com/saudi-employers-easily-employ-thousands-saudi-313346" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>recent report</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> by the <span style='color:black'>British-based </span>Oxford Strategic Consulting, <span style='color:black'>which was presented at the Riyadh conference, </span>found that increasing the number of Saudi women in the workforce would significantly increase Saudi Arabia’s GNP as well as boost productivity and innovation in the Kingdom. The report even gives suggestions on how to increase women’s participation in the workforce despite the numerous destructive limitations imposed on them by their institutions.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Despite the Saudi regime’s unstated reasoning for restricting women’s full employment, women are a force to be reckoned with and continuing to repress them can only lead to instability and a violent outcome. Like their counterparts in <span style='color:black'>other </span>Arab countries, Saudi women are leading the way in transforming their country’s pre-modern institutions, <span style='color:black'>male-dominated </span>perceptions and treatment of women. The Saudi oligarchs are pursuing a failed policy toward women. It is hard to understand the Saudi ruling family’s state of mind. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpLast style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How<span style='color:black'> can </span>the ruling princes not understand that millions of educated Saudi women see the world differently than their nomadic mothers and grandmothers who could not read or write? How can the ruling princes not understand that modern, educated Saudi women spend much of <span style='color:black'>their</span> time on social media debating their dissatisfaction with the status quo? Saudi women and men did not spend the recently celebrated national day dancing and singing in the streets (<span style='color:black'>as it is </span>not allowed), </span><a href="http://news.alternativefuse.com/phprssreader/news/saudis-use-social-media-to-laud-slam-national-day"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>but instead decried</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> their government’s failure to realize that the Saudi people, especially the younger generations, are part of the fast changing world in their region and globally.</span></p> <p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='color:#222222'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpFirst style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#943634'>The Saudi Grand Mufti: Insulting The Prophet Boosts His Glory </span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0000CC'> </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In what seemed to be a Saudi government dictated statement, the Saudi Grand Mufti (top religious authority), Abdul Aziz Al-Alshaikh, asked Muslims not to react violently against those who defame Islam and depict Prophet Mohammed negatively. He said that belittling Prophet Mohammed ‘… only helps in spreading the glory of the Prophet (pbuh) </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arabnews.com%2Fsaudi-arabia%2Fgrand-mufti-denounces-violence-against-embassies&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNHXqlE_o_7pGrRxiKDwCR0iRyla2A" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>with greater vigor</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.” At the same time, the cleric cautioned “…that </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arabnews.com%2Fsaudi-arabia%2Fgrand-mufti-denounces-violence-against-embassies&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNHXqlE_o_7pGrRxiKDwCR0iRyla2A" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>all Muslims</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> are willing to sacrifice their lives and properties for the cause of their dear Prophet (pbuh).”</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>While advising the infuriated Muslim protesters to refrain from violence, the Saudi Mufti asked ‘the international community to take steps </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arabnews.com%2Fsaudi-arabia%2Fgrand-mufti-denounces-violence-against-embassies&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNHXqlE_o_7pGrRxiKDwCR0iRyla2A" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>to criminalize</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> any act of abusing great prophets and messengers such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them).’ It is ironic that the head of the Saudi religious establishment, the Mufti, included the names of the Christian and Jewish Prophets, Moses and Jesus, in the list of Prophets that must be glorified. This is the same Mufti who called for the </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fblogs%2Fguest-voices%2Fpost%2Fsaudis-top-sheikh-necessary-to-destroy-all-churches%2F2012%2F03%2F21%2FgIQAFQIiTS_blog.html&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNEkjFQDMU4JMrvkSwBkEILChFYP2Q" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>destruction of Christian churches in the Arabian Peninsula</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>.</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> Jews are not even allowed to visit Saudi Arabia. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Under the Mufti’s watchful eyes and as per his commands, non-Muslims are not only forbidden from practicing their religious rituals publicly in Saudi Arabia, but if caught doing so privately, they can be punished and deported. The Saudi Mufti’s advice to the mobs of trigger-happy Muslim extremists has to be taken with a grain of salt. His overriding objective, which he shares with the 56 Muslim countries that form the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is to abolish freedom of the press and all forms of expression worldwide. He considers all forms of assemblage (except praying in mosques) </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.guardian.co.uk%2Fworld%2F2011%2Fmar%2F29%2Fsaudi-arabia-edict-banning-protests&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGcE7E7ya9S4bs4WMiIOzKShAHlPg" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>antithesis to the content and teachings</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> of the Muslim faith. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The good news is that the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia and around the Muslim World is </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fopinions%2Fnext-up-in-the-middle-east-mess-saudi-arabias-succession-fight%2F2012%2F09%2F14%2Fb316e7ec-fd44-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_story_1.html&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNG8aBypg9HMuDgz8XAHWujkb_Tgsw" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>losing its credential</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:blue'>s</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. This is due to the fact that young and educated Muslim women and men are becoming increasingly aware of the Muslim clerics’ duplicitous actions and behavior. These clerics use religion to justify repressive and backward state policies from which they benefit handsomely. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpLast style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The social media, YouTube and satellite channels (the inventions of the “infidels”) are to be thanked for exposing the Muslim clerics’ repressive and double-dealing practices. </span></p> <p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>&nbsp;</p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpFirst style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#943634'>Saudi Authorities Denied Nigerian Muslim Women the Right to Worship Unless…</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> As portrayed in </span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-deports-150-female-nigerian-pilgrims-1.1081657" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>this article</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, the&nbsp;Saudi male-dominated cultural and political mores and practices, especially as they relate to women, are overstepping all borders of man-made and divine laws, including denying women their God given right to fulfill their religious obligations. One of Islam’s five pillars is the pilgrimage to Mecca by all “able bodies”&nbsp;at least once in one’s lifetime, known as the Hajj. A group of Nigerian women embarked on an expensive and long pilgrimage journey to Saudi Arabia to perform one of their religiously commanded pillars, but were </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/sep/29/nigerian-pilgrims-female-saudi-hajj" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>held hostage</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> at the port of their arrival in Saudi Arabia and deported back to Nigeria because they were not chaperoned by male relatives as the Saudi system demands of all women, regardless of their status within the Kingdom. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Saudi Arabia is the only country on earth where women’s movement, education, work, marriage and health are controlled by men under the denigrating system of institutionalized male </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19729897" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>guardianship</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. This system is designed to render women as perpetual minors, regardless of how educated, achieving, intelligent, old or rich they may be. Even though this system is attributed to tradition and religion, it is purely crafted and put in place by the Saudi authorities for political and economic reasons. Now the Saudi autocratic and theocratic rulers are imposing their contempt for women on citizens of other countries. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpLast style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The impact of the Saudi regime’s bigoted policies against women on Saudi society is multifaceted. It creates frustration, idleness, family frictions, societal divisiveness, inequality, disunity and male sense of false superiority. Despite these deeply rooted social clashes, millions of educated and aspiring Saudi women are challenging the Saudi regime and its zealous religious establishment’s primordial policies and practices against gender equality. Women are demanding full citizenship including full employment, equality in the state’s segregated educational system, voting in municipal elections, the right to drive and the removal of the denigrating male guardian system, which the Saudi authorities used to deny the Nigerian Muslim women their right to perform Hajj.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>&nbsp;</p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpFirst style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:maroon'>Israel Is Not the Enemy, Arab Dictators Are<br><br> </span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Arab dictators have long blamed external powers for their enormous failures at home. More than any country or historical event, Israel has been the scapegoat for the lack of scientific advancement, human development,&nbsp;political and social reforms, and respect for human rights in the Arab world. <br> <span style='color:#222222'>Since Israel declared itself a state in 1948, Arab autocracies, their state-run media and echoing intellectuals have focused on blaming Israel and its small, but incredib</span>ly industrious, <span style='color:#222222'>Jewish population for the Arab world’s own political, social and economic failures. While Arabs have long been mired in wars, poverty and intolerance, the Israelis have been busy building one of the most vibrant democratic nations in the world.<br><br> As&nbsp;</span></span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/arab-spring-and-israeli-enemy" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>this courageous former Saudi naval officer correctly stated</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>, “The Arab world has many enemies and Israel should have been at the bottom of the list. The real enemies of the Arab world are corruption, lack of good education, lack of good health care, lack of freedom, lack of respect for the human lives and finally, the Arab world had many dictators who used the Arab-Israeli conflict to suppress their own people.”&nbsp;The sentiments expressed by this Saudi analyst are held by many, but not enough</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:red'>,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'> Arabs, especially among Palestinians, whose interests can best be served not through warfare, but by striking deals and allying themselves with the Israelis and obtaining the liberties Israeli Arabs currently enjoy.<br><br> Using the Arab-Israeli conflict to divert their subjugated populations’ attention from their enormous failures, the Arab regimes have created societies that can easily be baited into mob violence directed at religious minorities or foreign embassies. Examples of this have been dangerously evident in recent years due to several highly </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/16/us-protests-idUSBRE88F03J20120916" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>publicized incidents of cartoonists</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'> and other critics portraying Islam and the Prophet Muhammed in a negative light.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>The volatile nature of Arab dictators and societies, as illustrated during recent uprisings in Syria, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere, provides yet another example of these failures and the dangers these autocrats pose for the Arab public. The broader consequences of those failures - war and political instability - should be of significant concern to the international community and action must be taken before they cause the world further pain.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpLast style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>The Israelis, the US and the European Union ought to reach out and support those Arabs who believe in true democratic values, like the Saudi author noted above, and who are willing to pay the price to be free.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>&nbsp;</p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpFirst style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:maroon'>Saudi Women: Challenging Impediments to Progress</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000090'>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>Due to a multitude of institutionalized discriminatory policies against women in employment, millions of educated and qualified Saudi women are unemployed. The Saudi private and public sectors imports&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2004/07/14/saudi-arabia-foreign-workers-abused" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>over 8 million</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'> underpaid and overworked laborers to do jobs most of which can be done by Saudi women, but for better salaries, benefits </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>and a healthy <span style='color:#222222'>work environment. Millions of the imported expatriate laborers are maltreated housemaids and family drivers or “</span></span><a href="http://mideastposts.com/2012/03/saudis-modern-day-slavery-the-solution/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>Saudi Modern Day slaves</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'>” as described by Saudi and non-Saudi individuals and groups. Tragically, some of the maids are taking revenge&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20120928137719" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>in brutal manners</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>Working Saudi women are using these tragic instances to&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/daycare-centers-%E2%80%98must%E2%80%99-say-saudi-career-women" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>demand daycare centers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:red'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>where their children would be protected while they work. Presently the very small number of Saudi working women has no choice but to leave their children with angry maids. Building private and public daycare centers by employers would allow women to work without having to worry about the well-being of their children. In addition, more women would seek employment to feed their families </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>if they knew their children were cared <span style='color:#222222'>for in safe environment.&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>In addition to having daycare centers for children of working mothers, other institutionalized impediments that prevent women from working have to be eliminated. The women’s right to drive tops the list.&nbsp;Currently&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13809684" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>women are not allowed to drive</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>&nbsp;and are rarely allowed to take public transportation alone. In order for them to commute to work they must either get a ride from a male relative or hire a driver which most Saudi women cannot afford. Male relatives often have their own jobs and are not able or willing to regularly drive a woman to her job. As long as the Saudi system continues to forbid women from controlling their own means of transportation, the majority of women will be unable to find and maintain employment.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>Increasing employment opportunities for Saudi women and men</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> is <span style='color:#222222'>unlikely to happen soon. This is due to the fact that foreign laborers work for very meager wages, live in unhealthy and cheap camps and have no benefits. Furthermore, companies that tend to hire Saudis prefer men because hiring women requires employers to&nbsp;accommodate gender segregation </span>requirements,&nbsp;including separate work facilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Preventing women from working and earning an honest living forces them to seek <span style='color:#222222'>government handouts. 85% of Saudi applicants for government unemployment benefits were women in 2011, according to the Ministry of Labor.</span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>Establishing daycare centers by public and private employers will prevent </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>the </span><a href="http://www.riyadhconnect.com/saudi-tragedy-4-year-old-child-killed-by-maid-accident-victims-also-die/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>killing of innocent children</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#222222'> by maltreated maids and enable mothers that need to </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>earn a living <span style='color:#222222'>to work without having to worry about losing their children. This is a step that can help, </span>but it is only <span style='color:#222222'>one small step in the scheme of what must be done to remove the unnatural impediments imposed on women by the Saudi state institutions.</span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:maroon'>&nbsp;</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:maroon'>Reining in Saudi Arabia’s Religious Police?</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#500050'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'>The government of Saudi Arabia has recently taken small steps to curb the actions of the Kingdom’s most notorious agency, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and its zealot religious police known as the <i>Mutaween (</i>or<i> domesticators </i>in Arabic<i>)</i>. It should be noted that these reforms have been measured in nature and that although the Committee has been partially restrained from its flagrant excesses, it still employs thousands of indoctrinated men tasked with the enforcement of the extreme Saudi version of the </span><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Sharia law, which <span style='color:black'>forbids codified social contracts (non-religious rule of law), all forms of free expression, women’s rights and religious freedom.</span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>In January 2012, King Abdullah appointed a trusted ally, </span><a href="http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&amp;id=28131"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>,</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> as the new head of the fanatical Committee. Despite being descended from the founder of the Wahhabi doctrine, Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, Al-Sheikh has taken some steps to restrain some of the unrestricted violent behavior of the religious police; </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>many of whom are <span style='color:black'>said to be </span></span><a href="http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/08/26/164186.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>drug addicts and former convicted criminals</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>. This organization is what the government uses to spy on people, monitor their movement, </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>and <span style='color:black'>enforce dress codes and appearances. </span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Recently it was announced that the powers of the Committee would be further </span><a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/saudi-arabia-s-religious-police-reforms_654065.html?page=1"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>reduced</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>, barring them from making arrests, conducting interrogations, or carrying out searches without the consent of the local governor. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Some <span style='color:black'>duties of the Committee will be handed over to other institutions, such as the ability to make arrests, which is being transferred to the regular Saudi police force. In addition, the Committee will also be more limited in its ability to enforce the strict social codes of conduct; in particular they would be prevented from scouring </span></span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/9585080/Saudi-Arabia-to-limit-power-of-religious-police.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'>public locations</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black'> such as malls and harassing women who fail to meet their dress codes.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>However, these reforms are quite limited and strict rules of public conduct are still in place in Saudi Arabia. Women are still prevented from driving, dress codes must still be abided by, public entertainment is banned, beheadings and flogging are routine and political rights are practically non-existent for those outside of the Royal Family. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:maroon'>When Trust Leads to&nbsp;Heinous&nbsp;Crimes:</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#000099'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#500050'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The<span style='color:#500050'> </span><span style='color:#222222'>institutionalized destructive gender segregation (Gender Apartheid system)</span> in Saudi Arabia has resulted in&nbsp;a multitude of <span style='color:#222222'>social, political, educational and economic impediments to national unity, productivity, constructive competitiveness, religious tolerance and human development. However, Saudi women are the </span>main <span style='color:#222222'>targets of the brutal politically and economically instigated gender segregation system. &nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'>In instances such as this </span><a href="http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20121004138436" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>tragic crime</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>,</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'> similar to </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>the heart-wrenching case <span style='color:#222222'>of the gang-raped </span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/world/01saudi.html?_r=4&amp;ex=1197090000&amp;en=796feb5a6fe5708b&amp;ei=5070&amp;" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:#1155CC'>Bint Al-Qatif</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#1155CC'>, (</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>daughter of Qatif), Saudi women <span style='color:#222222'>can be punished for being raped </span>after sitting <span style='color:#222222'>in public negotiating the return of photos they gave to men they trust but who, in turn, threaten to use the photos given to them out of love to blackmail the givers</span>. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>Saudi women are an easy target for men’s heinous aggression because of the Saudi male dominated institutions, especially the arbitrary Saudi religious courts which are staffed by men who consider women less than full human beings and responsible for luring men to assault them.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <span style='color:#222222'>However, women are not only rejecting the imposition of men’s control over their lives and livelihood; </span>they <span style='color:#222222'>have </span>also<span style='color:#222222'> become the most outspoken citizens against social injustices, discriminatory policies, intolerance, inequality and </span>the <span style='color:#222222'>government’s inconsistent domestic and foreign policies regarding human rights. </span></span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:#222222'>What the international community, especially in the West, does not seem to understand and appreciate is the fact that Saudi women’s rights cannot be achieved without defeating the forces of darkness in Saudi society, namely the religious extremists. </span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormalCxSpLast style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>&nbsp;</span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Fri, 19 Oct 2012 19:32:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20121019133257/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120921215002/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632523'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, Washington DC</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>September 22, 2012</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>A Commentary and Analysis of Recent Saudi Developments</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#632523'>Saudi Leadership: A Continual Failure</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0000CC'>CDHR Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#17365D'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>In light of recent revolts across the Arab world, one might think the Saudi ruling family would realize that their increasingly restless population is suffering from the same injustices that led Egyptians, Yemenis, Libyans, and others to rebel. Instead, </span><a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE76C0RI20110713" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Saudi rulers</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> have done everything they can to crush the hopes of their people and to strengthen the regime's grip on power.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The Saudi people want freedom and an end to oppression. However, they are becoming increasingly convinced that violent action might be the only avenue available for securing their basic human rights. Given the upheavals in the region and the Saudi people's collective yearning for political reform, King Abdullah should have taken some important steps to bring change to the country. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>His first step should have been to direct the Royal </span><a href="http://www.saudiembassy.net/archive/2006/transcript/Page4.aspx" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Allegiance Committee</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>, which he created in 2006, to select a qualified crown prince after the deaths of Crown Prince Sultan in 2011 and Crown Prince Naif in 2012. This would have shown that a mechanism, albeit royal, is in place to select qualified individuals to lead the country instead of the old methods of choosing individuals based on seniority and positions in government and family.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Secondly, he should have convened a conference of reform-minded royals along with pro-democracy and human rights advocates to form a transitional council capable of restructuring the country's political system. The king could have asked such a council to draft a constitution in which the rights of all citizens and non-citizens are protected. This move would have created a history-making process through which an inclusive political structure that </span><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/723d88b0-3412-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>royal</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> and non-royal members of society have been demanding for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>In lieu of heading off domestic challenges through reform, the king chose to appoint three prominent opponents of political change to key positions in the government. Prince </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-saudi-crownprince-idUSBRE85H0R120120618" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Salman</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>, former governor of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and a </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=2010031766585" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>staunch supporter</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> of ultra-conservative Wahhabi Islam, became the nation's new crown prince. Prince </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/prince-ahmed-takes-oath" target="_blank"><span class=GramE><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Ahmed</span></span></a><span class=GramE><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>, who is expected to continue Prince Naif's</span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> feared and detested security policies, became interior minister. Meanwhile, Prince </span><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/07/20/uk-saudi-princebandar-idUKBRE86J12T20120720" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Bandar</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> became the country's new intelligence chief. These three princes have been among the royal architects of the Saudi state's schizophrenic, repressive government policies for the last several decades.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The king's appointments did not give pro-reform Saudis much hope for a peaceful transition. None of these appointees has shown any interest in human rights or political change in Saudi Arabia. Not only that, but Saudis fear an increase in the already rampant corruption in the public sector. Prince Bandar, for instance, has been involved in </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554076/We-did-it-their-way.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>scandalous backroom deals</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>. In addition, many Saudis know that Bandar's singular concern is preserving his family's rule at any cost, and this obsession means that he will likely continue his predecessors' harsh practices.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Since the 1960s, Salman, the newly designated heir to the throne, and his brothers, known as the Sudairi Seven, have had almost an exclusive monopoly on the country's domestic and foreign policies, as well as its security apparatuses. Salman is often praised for his service to Islam because of his generous support for several Muslim charitable organizations, including the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, and the Al-Haramain Charitable Foundation. Some of these foundations have been banned from operating in the U.S. and elsewhere because of their ties to extremist and terrorist groups.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>In addition to being frustrated by the lack of reform, the Saudi people are now wondering who is really managing their country's day-to-day affairs. The unpopular leadership of princes like Bandar and Salman, coupled with </span><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21557327?frsc=dg%7Ca" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:blue'>King Abdullah's poor health</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>, has left them in a state of perpetual limbo, uncertain of what the future holds. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>King Abdullah had a rare opportunity to appoint reform-oriented replacements for Princes Sultan and Naif. Rather, he opted to continue policies and practices that will likely drive the Saudi people to follow the example of their Arab counterparts.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632523'>Saudi Women: A Force to Be Reckoned With</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'>CDHR Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games,<b> </b>Saudi women are being allowed by their ultra-conservative government to compete. As the Saudi athletes marched in the opening ceremonies in London, </span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/these-photos-are-of-the-first-female-saudi-arabian-olympians-in-history/260456/%3E%20http:/www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/these-photos-are-of-the-first-female-saudi-arabian-olympians-in-history/260456/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>the women's faces and open arms</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> showed a joyful sense of emancipation from the yoke of political, religious, and traditional marginalization. By the standards of free and advanced societies, the advance is small, but by Saudi standards it is a gigantic step forward, with far-reaching implications for Saudi Arabia and the international community.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Saudi women's evolving willingness to assert their rights has been a game-changing development of recent years. Known for their resilience and ability to cope with institutional repression, Saudi women are saying enough is enough. Rising levels of education and access to communication tools like the Internet have made them better informed than ever before. They are organizing and unabashedly pursuing their rights despite the attendant risks of harassment by the morals police, arrest, and interrogation. A few have been briefly imprisoned for asking for their basic rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Women’s rights to drive cars and to be treated equally in employment are among the most hotly contested issues in Saudi Arabia today. Women are also pressing for improved educational facilities, a modern curriculum that respects the contributions of women, and the removal of </span><a href="http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/woman-who-dares-to-fight-for-her-fair-share-in-saudi" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>the male guardian system</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>, which requires them to have the accompaniment or written approval of a male relative for travel, schooling, employment, and some medical treatment. One recent success is the requirement that department stores selling lingerie replace salesmen with female sales staff, an advance in respect for women and a new source of jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Yet resistance to change remains fierce. In September 2009, for instance, King Abdullah announced that, after consultation with senior clerics, </span><a href="http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/09/25/168602.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:blue'>he was <span class=SpellE>allowing</span></span></a><span class=SpellE><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>women</span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> to vote in municipal elections and become eligible for appointment to the national Shura Council in 2015. This symbolic step -- the elections are largely cosmetic and the Shura Council lacks substantive power -- deeply divided the country's political and religious authorities. One senior cleric, Sheikh Saleh al-Lohaidan, in a rare </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/01/us-saudi-cleric-discontent-idUSTRE7901HS20111001" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>public display</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> of dissent, accused the king of lying: he denied the clerics had been consulted.<b> </b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The House of Saud and the tightly controlled religious institutions it represents remain at odds over to how to deal with women in the 21st century, with the religious establishment adamantly opposed to change. In an attempt to maintain support among their indoctrinated followers, Saudi religious institutions continue to use arcane religious textbooks to advance the notion that women are inferior to men.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Yet all indications point to the ultimate triumph of modernity over Saudi men’s gender paranoia, as women steadily gain strength, support, and recognition, at home and abroad. Their success seems to be the only hope for positive change in Saudi Arabia, and it will benefit the international community as well, by undermining the religious establishment and the lethal doctrines it propagates around the world. Inexplicably, the international community -- notably Western democracies that have been targeted by Muslim extremist and terrorist groups -- takes little notice of Saudi women's struggle. </span><a href="http://www.alhariq.com/forum/showthread.php?p=337155" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:blue'>Strong Western support</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> for Saudi women -- like those spirited athletes in London -- is another development that is long overdue.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632523'>Killing a Staunch Ally</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'>CDHR Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Members of the “<span class=SpellE>Ansar</span> al-<span class=SpellE>Shariah</span>” (Promoters of the Shariah Law) killed one of Libya's and the larger Maghreb region's best allies, </span><a href="http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/death-of-a-diplomat-1.1076053" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Ambassador Christopher Stevens</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>. He worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in North Africa and was filled with love for the region and its people. He succeeded in promoting democratic reforms and just systems in Libya but instead of being revered, he was murdered along with three of his dedicated American colleagues. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Ambassador Stevens was murdered by people who are immersed in self-defeating prophecies. They are mad at each other and at their social, political, economic and religious conditions. Instead of finding solutions to their homegrown wretchedness, they blame and kill those who have the best to offer: democracy, rule of law, accountability, transparency, scientific advancement and accountability.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The killers of Ambassador Stevens and his fallen comrades share the same values of the 9/11 attackers and killers of religious minorities in the Arab and Muslim states. They embrace the venomous teachings that indoctrinate young men and women to hate others for no reason other than their beliefs, way of life, superior technological advancements and democratic values. These assassins would rather die than accept the individual’s right to choose. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The rage that sweeps the Muslim World anytime a deranged or fame-seeking individual insults Islam must be taken dead seriously by Western Democracies. Why? Because the angry <span class=SpellE>throngs’objective</span> is to silence free people from speaking freely regardless how offensive the topic might be. This is not only the objective of the roaming murders, but that of their indoctrinators and financiers as declared by the </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/grand-mufti-denounces-violence-against-embassies" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>Saudi Grand Mufti</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> whose establishment considers democracy un-Islamic. The choice is clear and the time to send an unambiguous message by Western democracies is now. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632523'>The Religious Establishment's Fears of Marginalization </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'>CDHR Commentary</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>: Facing unprecedented challenges from all segments and ages in Saudi society, especially the youth and more so women, the Saudi Mufti (the highest religious authority in the land) is re-energizing his followers and reminding the Saudi royals that adherence to his radical establishment's interpretation of Islam must not only be adhered to, but its well-known ferocious police must be </span><a href="http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Local/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=112314&amp;CategoryID=5" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>obeyed and appreciated</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>. Abdul Aziz Al-Alshaikh, the Mufti, is witnessing a steady erosion of the religious establishment's authority and its unaltered primordial use of religion as a tool of intimidation and justification for the system’s repressive policies, such as oppression of women, religious minorities and intolerance of other beliefs. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Given the large number of Saudi youth who are more interested in facebook and twitter than going to mosques, the Saudi religious establishment is scared of being rendered irrelevant. In addition, the Saudi royals are inching toward realizing that unless they accommodate the needs of their burgeoning and increasingly restless population, they could face the same fate as other Arab dictators in recent months and years. This divergence of approach between the religious and political wings of the Saudi ruling dynasties will eventually lead to the disintegration of their centuries-old contract. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632423'>Saudi King Asked Population to Donate </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:blue'>CDHR Commentary</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:blue'>:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#17365D'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia </span><a href="http://www.assafir.com/MulhakArticle.aspx?EditionId=2182&amp;MulhakArticleId=466571&amp;MulhakId=3785" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>was infuriated</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> when he learned that some of his top clerics were encouraging their followers to donate money to aid their Sunni brethren in Syria to overthrow President Assad’s Alawites Regime whom they Saudis consider heretics. The King summoned the clerics to his palace and </span><a href="http://www.assafir.com/MulhakArticle.aspx?EditionId=2182&amp;MulhakArticleId=466571&amp;MulhakId=3785" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>forced them</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> to sign a pledge not to raise money for the Syrian revolutionaries, specifically, but to forewarn them to constrict their foreign adventures in general. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Ironically, in late July 2012, the Saudi King asked his attentive population to donate money to help their Sunni Muslim brethren in Syria, the same people he forbid the clerics from aiding. As expected the response the king's call was “<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19077622" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>overwhelming</span></a>.”By the end of the fourth and last day of the fundraising marathon, it's reported that Saudis contributed SR 246 million ($66 million) in cash alone. The questions the Saudi media and people should be asking are: how much of this huge amount will reach the needy Syrians, how much will go to induce the pro-Saudi regime's Syrians to overthrow President Assad? And how much will go to religious extremists which the King prevented his clerics from abetting? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>However, the most important question the Saudi donors, some of them can barely make the ends meet, should be able or allowed to ask is: how much of the solicited donations will go to the bank accounts of Saudi officials? It’s safe to assume none of these questions will be asked or debated in the Saudi controlled media. Freedom of speech and assemblage, except in mosques, are considered un-Islamic in Saudi Arabia. There is no accountability and transparency system, especially when the royals are involved. Accusing Saudi officials, especially royals, of bribery and corruption is forbidden.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632523'>The Insistence of Saudi Courts’ Enslavement of Women Must End</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'>CDHR Commentaries: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Known for its discriminatory practices against women, the Saudi judicial system gives men total control over every aspect of women’s lives and livelihood. Women are forced to stay unmarried if their fathers do not approve of those who propose to marry them. This is the way the system has been functioning for centuries. The Saudi judicial system needs total transformation because the current demands for democratic reforms are not only unstoppable, but irreversible. The Saudis suffer from the same symptoms that are causing revolutions across the Arab World. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The Saudi judicial system not only continues its flagrant discrimination against women, but reinforces their oppression at the hands of their male relatives. A young woman filed a complaint against her father’s rejection of all the men who had asked to marry her at a Shariah court in Riyadh </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20120911135736" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>a long time ago</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>, but was ignored by the system. The question that people keep asking is, what benefit <span class=GramE>does the Saudi judicial system find</span> in forcing a young woman to remain single other than satisfying their unending desire to continue their marginalization of women. If a Saudi woman is caught having an intimate relationship with a man she is not married to, she could lose her head in an honor killing. Transformation of the Saudi judicial system is long overdue, because the world is not flat anymore; in fact it has never been. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#632523'>The Poverty Stricken Afghanis Don’t Need Loud Sound Systems</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'>CDHR Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#0000CC'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The mayor of Afghanistan's Helmand Province </span><a href="http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Local/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=112320&amp;CategoryID=5" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue'>thanked King Abdullah</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> of Saudi Arabia for his divine gift of call-to-prayers, Ithan, sound system. Ironically, the residents of the Helmand Province hardly need prayer reminder; they are already among the most zealots in South Asia. It would have been more appropriate to modernize the Afghanis' schools, provide them with modern farming equipment to feed their children, modernize their healthcare facilities, drinking water and access to electricity? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Radicalizing the poverty stricken Afghans should not come as a surprise. The former head of the Saudi intelligence and later ambassador to the UK and US Prince Turki, who is going to be teaching about Saudi Arabia at </span><a href="http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/12562" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:blue'>Georgetown this fall</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>, is reported to have </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turki_bin_Faisal_Al_Saud" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:blue'>created and financed</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'> Bin Laden and his Mujahedeen cult in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 90s ostensibly to fight the Russian invaders of that violent ridden country. One cannot help, but wonder as to why the Saudi regime continues to encourage reinforcement of radical Islam in places like Afghanistan while calling on the international community to fight Muslim extremists who are the source of terrorism and suicide bombers. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a name="_GoBack"></a><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Sat, 22 Sep 2012 03:50:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120921215002/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120717195943/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:1'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:maroon;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights&nbsp;in Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, Washington DC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:maroon;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>July 17<a name="_GoBack"></a>, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>A Commentary and Analysis of the Current Saudi Scene<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:13.6pt;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight: normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Recent Developments in Saudi Arabia Require Coherent and Democratically Inclined Leadership<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-outline-level:2'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:maroon'>Saudi Leadership <span class=GramE>In</span> Turmoil</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:maroon'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#002060'>CDHR’s Analysis:&nbsp;</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#222222'>There has not been a time<b>&nbsp;</b>in the history of the Saudi kingdom where the absence of a coherent leadership has been as conspicuous as it is today.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>This is largely due to the recent deaths of the two most powerful and experienced princes of the old guard, former </span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-22/crown-prince-sultan-death-sets-in-motion-saudi-succession-plans.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>Defense Minister Sultan</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#222222'> and </span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/06/2012616103457470447.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>Interior Minister Naif</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#222222'>, who died within 8 months of each other.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>King Abdullah is very frail due to his age and a severe back ailment, while some even maintain that he is incoherent.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>In addition, the Foreign Minister, Saud Al-Faisal, has been in poor health for years and Prince Salman, the newly selected Crown Prince and most likely the next king, is aging and has had both heart problems and back issues for years.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>Accordingly, there is a huge leadership vacuum in Saudi Arabia, a country whose stability is of major importance to the international community because it sits atop large quantities of oil reserves and is able to refine and export more petroleum than any country with the exception of Russia.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Given these facts, it is difficult to say who is actually running the state’s affairs in Saudi Arabia because of the ruling family’s secretive behind-the-scenes power struggle.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>However, one can postulate as to what might be going on behind the fortified gold-plated palace doors.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>With the exception of Saudi Intelligence minders, Prince Migrin and Prince Ahmed, who inherited Prince Naif’s Interior Ministry position in June, the end of the first generation of Saudi ruling princes is all but over.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>However, they have groomed and placed their male offspring in position to inherit powers from their parents.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>King Abdullah’s son, Mitib, is State Minister and director of the fierce National Guard, estimated at sixty to eighty thousand well-armed and religiously indoctrinated loyal soldiers.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, son of former Defense Minister and Crown Prince Sultan, is second in command of the armed forces.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Prince Mohammed Bin Naif, son of former Interior Minister and Crown Prince Naif, is second in command of his father’s ministry, the backbone of the family and state domestic security.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>These sons are likely to assume powerful positions in any future government.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Yet there are others who may be in line for the thrown.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>For example, the former Director of the Intelligence and ambassador to great Britain and the US, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, is a grouchy, aggressive, and experienced man and the son of former King Faisal, one of the family’s most decisive and temperamental kings (King Faisal was assassinated by a nephew in March 1975).<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Given his experience, character and toughness, it is more likely that Prince Al-Faisal will play a major role in any future government, and it will not be surprising if he were to become the first king of the second generation.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>His brother Khalid, governor of Mecca, is a force to reckon with as well.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Khalid is an educated, poetic, and experienced anti-religious zealot in favor of upgrading and moving the education system away from the control of the religious establishment.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Khalid also owns the most liberal Arabic daily, Al-Watan.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>Regardless of <span class=GramE>who</span> rises to power, tangible reforms and inclusion are inevitable if the ruling family wishes to survive the waging Arab Revolt.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The Saudi people are mostly young, disconnected from the past, and more interested in modernity than in religion, tradition and studying the Quran.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Like their counterparts both in Arab and non-Arab societies, the younger generation strives for greater freedom from authorities.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>They want better paying jobs, respect, a relaxed social life, and equality, especially for women and religious minorities.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>As the Saudi ruling family’s most trusted ally, the U.S. can play a positive role in helping the Saudi ruling princes include the restless population in the decision-making processes and governing of the state.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>For example, all governors should be non-royals as is the case now.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Free municipal and national elections to choose local and national male and female representatives can go a long way in power sharing,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21557330" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1155CC'>avoiding violent revolt</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>&nbsp;and stabilizing the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:maroon'>The Olympics: Saudi Women Have <span class=GramE>Done</span> it</span></b><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:maroon'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#000099'>CDHR's Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#222222'> At long last, the ruling Saudi monarchy has realized that Saudi women’s demands for their rights cannot be ignored.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>For this reason, the Saudi regime has decided to let women participate in the Olympic Games in London, July 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>However, hanging over what should be a momentous occasion for the Saudi kingdom is a cloud of doubt.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The Olympics are less than two weeks away and Saudi women are hardly prepared to compete in most sports, let alone the most competitive athletics event in the world.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>While Saudi women would likely excel in any competition, they are prevented from practicing sports in their country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>In addition,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304458604577490770796969662.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>it has been revealed</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#222222'> that the most likely female competitor in this year's games, 20-year-old equestrian Dalma Rushdi Malhas, has been disqualified due to late registration.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Deviously, the Saudi government was already aware that Ms. Malhas, the only Saudi woman prepared for the games, had been disqualified when it made its announcement.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>With the games just weeks away and little to no chance that another Saudi woman will be able to take the field in London, one cannot help but wonder about the timing of the government's decision.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Is it conceivable that the ruling Saudi elites want to ensure women's failure at the Olympics so they can justify their discriminatory policies against them?<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The rulers have long considered women physically, emotionally and mentally incapable of doing more than providing pleasure for males, giving birth and raising&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.okaz.com.sa/okaz/osf/20090512/Con20090512277054.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1155CC'>“good men.”</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>Saudi Arabia has participated in nine Olympic Games since 1972 but has repeatedly violated the standards of the games by barring women from its national team.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Officials with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have long said the Kingdom's policy of gender discrimination contradicts the Olympics’ charter, which states &quot;any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on the grounds of race, religion, politics, sex or otherwise is incompatible with ... the Olympic Movement.&quot;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>However, the IOC has failed to implement its charter and ban Saudi Arabia from participating in the Olympics as it did with South Africa in 1964 over its refusal to condemn apartheid and include blacks on its Olympic team.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>After years of watching women from all over the world, including Arab and Muslim women, participate in the Olympics, Saudi women are making their voices heard and demands felt in Saudi Arabia and beyond.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>It must be said that the decision made by the Saudi regime to let women participate in the Olympics in London is not an altruistic one.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>To the contrary, it is the result of Saudi women's irrepressible demands for their legitimate rights and the global pressure mounting onto the Saudi autocratic and theocratic rulers.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>Though being allowed to participate in the Olympics is a small victory for the resilient Saudi women, there is a greater victory to be had in the subsequent discourse regarding Saudi women's athletic participation, which will likely take place inside Saudi Arabia.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:maroon'>Saudi King Calls for Global Unity <span class=GramE>Against</span> Terrorism</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:maroon'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:maroon'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#002060'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; color:#002060'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Faced by growing threats from its own source of legitimacy (the hard core elements in its religious establishment) and increasing demands for real power-sharing from a burgeoning generation of impatient women and men, the Saudi regime continues to rely on trickery to protect <span class=GramE>itself</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>In a speech read on his behalf by his nephew, Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120604125857" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria'>is reported to have said,</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'> &quot;combating terrorism was a common international responsibility requiring the highest degree of coordination and cooperation.”<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>On the surface, King Abdullah’s call to fight terrorism is appealing because terrorism poses lethal threats to the international community, especially to democratic societies whose empowering values are considered a mortal threat to the Saudis and their autocratic system.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>By using the catch phrase “fighting terrorism,” the Saudi regime is misleading the international community into waging a fight on its behalf.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>In July 2011, the draft of a law was leaked to Amnesty International that allegedly aims to combat terrorism in Saudi Arabia when in reality its intent is to punish Saudis who advocate peaceful political reforms.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/07/201172295845529521.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria'>The draft Penal Law for Terrorism</span></a><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span></u><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'>Crimes and Financing Terrorism</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'>&nbsp;was initiated under which the Saudi authorities could detain people “potentially indefinitely” without charge or trial.&nbsp; This legislation would also “give the authorities power to imprison for at least ten years anybody who questions the integrity of&nbsp;the king&nbsp;or his Crown Prince.”<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The Saudi regime defines a terrorist as anyone whom it perceives to pose a threat to its authoritarian system, including peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>In stark contrast, the international community defines terrorism as ideological violent acts committed by individuals and/or groups whose intended objectives are to impose their value system upon others.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>While the Saudi regime appeals for international unity in fighting terrorism, the truth is that they hope to mobilize the world community to protect them on two fronts.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>First, the Saudi rulers are defending themselves from their own religious zealots, some of whom the </span><a href="http://www.mideastdaily.org/entry/saudi-arabia-sends-more-foreign-insurgents-to-iraq-than-syria-or-iran/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria'>Saudis have used to terrorize</span></a><u><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; color:blue'> others</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>, as in Iraq.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Second, they need protection from Saudi men and women who advocate democratic reforms.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The question must be asked: how can the international community accept the Saudi regime’s contention that these two groups are the same when one is trying to destroy the regime by force and the other is trying to peacefully reform the system so that a majority rules instead of the existing absolute monarchy?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>It is ironic that the Saudi regime is asking the international community to unite against terrorism when Saudi Arabia is widely considered the largest exporter and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria'>financier of religious extremists and terrorist groups</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'> in the world.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Indeed, fifteen of the nineteen September 11^th terrorists were of Saudi origin.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Given this fact and assuming that King Abdullah’s appeal is heeded, Saudi Arabia is the place where those fighting terrorism should focus.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:maroon'>The Saudi Effort to Combat Money Laundering and Terror Funding<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#002060'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#002060'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#222222'>In a&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentid=20120429122960" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1155CC'>recent speech</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#222222'>, Dr. Fahd Al-Mubarak,&nbsp;the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA),&nbsp;and the Chairman of the Standing Committee for Combating Money Laundering is reported to have said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported all international efforts to combat money laundering and terror funding.”<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Because there is no finance accountability, transparency or checks and balances in Saudi Arabia, we do not know the true extent of their effort to combat terror funding.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Moreover, Saudi Arabia has the Hawallah (transfer) system where anyone in Saudi Arabia can send money through the bank without much paper trail or knowledge of the final recipient.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>There are about 10 million expatriate laborers in Saudi Arabia.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The majority of them are Muslims from countries with strong religious extremist ties and terrorist bases like Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>Equally important, the root causes of terrorism remain unchanged in Saudi Arabia.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Extremist values and incitements against non-Muslims are still being </span><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/04/23/teaching_intolerance"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>taught in Saudi schools</span></a><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#222222'> and in mosques.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>It is no secret that the Saudi government and religious establishment are&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wahhabism-a-deadly-scripture-398516.html" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1155CC'>promoting and financing</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>&nbsp;their austere brand of Islam worldwide.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Furthermore, the Saudi king promotes and describes the Saudi brand of Islam as&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20111101111499" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1155CC'>the only religion</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#222222'>&nbsp;that can save humanity.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Determined and dangerously indoctrinated young minds will not be deterred by a lack of money.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>These young radical Saudis will find allies willing to raise the funds necessary to enable them to carry out their terrorist acts.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>The Saudis could do much more to eradicate the root causes of terrorism.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>They can start by replacing all religious based textbooks in their schools with scientific based books and removing all religiously indoctrinated teachers and replacing them with worldly and human rights trained teachers.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The Saudis can form a high caliber Muslim scholars’ council comprised of all Muslim communities to revisit the Muslim textbooks and objectively not literally review the material.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>This will not only eliminate the root causes of extremism, but will guarantee all Muslims,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.usip.org/publications/ijtihad-reinterpreting-islamic-principles-twenty-first-century-0" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1155CC'>especially women and religious minorities</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'>&nbsp;their equal rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:maroon'>Receding Fear <span class=GramE>Amongst</span> Saudi Women</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:maroon'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#1F497D'>CDHR’s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; color:#222222'> After generations of being marginalized and having their basic human rights abrogated, Saudi women are taking charge in promoting various types of change in their economically, religiously and strategically influential country.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>As they become more educated and informed of regional and global developments and trends, many Saudi women are becoming increasingly disenchanted with their social conditions and impatient with their government’s institutionalized discriminatory policies.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Despite women’s efforts in the past, the last decade has witnessed more women’s activities that are slowly changing the extraordinary state resistance to reforms in Saudi Arabia.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Until recently, most Saudi women activists rarely appeared in the media until they began to access modern technologies to mobilize and express their views on issues that could have merited heavy punishment by autocratic and theocratic Saudi authorities if discussed publicly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Most of what the international community hears about or seems to be interested in is the Saudi women’s campaign for their right to drive.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>While this is an essential first step toward women’s mobility and emancipation from forced reliance on male relatives and hired hands, it is not the only objective Saudi women are striving to achieve.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>They are working on other milestone initiatives that are beginning to change their society for the better.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Prominent amongst these initiatives are&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120106115058" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#1155CC'>equality in economic opportunities</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>, education, health care, sports and removal of impeding business laws, as well as de-legitimization of the denigrating male guardian system and child marriage.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The dividends of achieving these basic citizenship objectives will have sweeping implications not only for Saudi women and society, but for the international community as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Saudi women’s oppression is attributed to Islam as&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?feature=player_embedded&amp;q=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;usg=AFQjCNFzWek-PAdq8JQc5-FQZ7qpxz0YkQ" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#1155CC'>interpreted and practiced</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'>&nbsp;in Saudi Arabia. Given this reality, Saudi women’s gains can only be achieved by weakening the disproportionate power bestowed on the notoriously known Saudi religious establishment, an oppressive front for and tool of the Saudi ruling family.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>This is the same religious establishment whose chief architect and authority, the Saudi Mufti, issues Fatawi (religious edicts) condemning peaceful demonstrations as anti-Islamic teaching and promoting&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2012/03/16/saudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#1155CC'>destruction of Christian churches</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>&nbsp;in the Arabian Peninsula.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Through challenging the strictures of the oppressive Saudi religious establishment and its overseers in the Saudi government, women are likely to bring about transformation of the intolerant, anti-democratic Saudi institutions that export and&nbsp;</span><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#1155CC'>finance extremism and terrorism worldwide</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The Saudi women’s struggle to achieve their rights benefits Western democracy.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>For this reason, it makes sense that the West supports Saudi women in their efforts to rid themselves of religious and cultural oppression.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:maroon'>Saudi Censorship Perforated Again</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:maroon'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#000066'>CDHR’s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; color:#222222'>Since the formation of the Saudi state in 1932, Saudi society has suffered from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_Saudi_Arabia" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#1155CC'>severe censorship</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; color:#222222'>, due to the fact that the Saudi government is an absolute tribal monarchy, authoritarian in nature.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>With the help of Western technologies and expertise coupled with its total control over its domestic media, the Saudi government was able to isolate its population from the rest of the world for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>The Saudi government used to jam many uncensored radio stations like the BBC, Arab Voice and Israel Arabic radio programs.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Newspapers and magazines that printed uncomplimentary stories about the Saudi government, its policies and institutions used to be confiscated by government censors and dumped into the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf (this is prior to the Saudi discovery of shredding machines).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Some Saudis discovered that high tide washed ashore the remains of newspapers and magazines that Saudi customs personnel had confiscated and thrown into the sea.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The news of this discovery spread and many curious people (hungry for information) flooded the beaches to hunt for damp reminders of the outside world.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Others rented dinghies and started to look for news in the deep water.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>As more Saudis became educated, their curiosity prompted them to seek information about their government, the Arab World and the international community. Since information entering the country was and still is censored, Saudis&nbsp;became creative, traveling to neighboring countries to read about world news including that of their own society.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>The contrast between what&nbsp;Saudis learnt outside the country and what their government’s news outlets reported made many Saudis not only cynical about their government, but also made them feel powerless, alienated, isolated and utterly distrustful.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Fortunately, these feelings have changed with the arrival of borderless modern technologies.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Driven by continued censorship and lack of all forms of entertainment, the Saudis are reportedly&nbsp;frequent users of modern technologies,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/350422/20120609/takki-saudi-arabia-youtube-mohamed-makki.htm" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#1155CC'>especially YouTube</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;color:#222222'>, but the Internet in general. By monitoring Internet exchanges among Saudis from all parts of the country, it is obvious that a dramatic change of attitude, sense of empowerment and questioning of autocratic and theocratic authorities are taking hold in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;color:#222222'>Of supreme significance, the Internet has enabled Saudis from different ethnic, gender, regional and religious groups to communicate with each other and to realize that they have more in common than the government has led them to believe.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span>Moreover, the people are beginning to realize that the system is the source of their divisions, oppression and disunity.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:59:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120717195943/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120602103534/ <div class=WordSection1> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, Washington DC</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>June 2, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>Commentaries and Analysis of the Saudi Current Scene<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Saudi Women: Their Gains Are Victory For Righteousness and Prosperity<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>King Abdullah: Believing and Delivering Are Not the Same<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#000099;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#000099;background: white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>In October 2005, just two months after he formally inherited the Saudi throne, King Abdullah was interviewed by </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Barbara Walters of </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;background:white;mso-shading: white;mso-pattern:solid white'>the American Broad Casting Company (ABC). Asked a pointed question about the status of Saudi women, his </span><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/empowering-women-kingdom-leads-way"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>response</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> was more personal than official, &#8220;</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#111111; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>I believe strongly in the rights of women. My mother is a woman. My sister is a woman. My daughter is a woman. My wife is a woman.&#8221;</span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#000099;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>While the king may very well believe in the rights of women, he has failed to deliver. The overwhelming majority of Saudi women are unemployed, not allowed to drive, and need permission from their male guardians to even get life-saving medication or deliver a baby in a hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Furthermore, King Abdullah continues to empower Saudi women&#8217;s number one nemesis, the religious establishment, by making it illegal to criticize or question their pervasive powers. Because of the king&#8217;s failure to translate his words into actions, Saudi women have refused to sit idle. They are organizing, appearing on global media, and chipping away at the pillar from which the system draws its legitimacy and power, religious extremism.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>In May 2012, two Saudi women reminded the world on separate occasions of the denigrating conditions imposed on them by the autocratic and theocratic elites who compose the Saudi political structure in their country. Manal Al Sharif, a well-known women&#8217;s rights activist, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>delivered</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>a</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>powerful</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>speech</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>in</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>Oslo</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>, Norway, about her experiences as a woman who has no rights in Saudi Arabia. A few days later, a previously unknown woman </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>stood</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>up</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>to</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>the</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>notorious</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>Saudi</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>religious</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>police</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> who chastised her for having makeup and showing portion of her hair while shopping. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#111111;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Saudi Arabia will best be served if King Abdullah and his senior brothers instruct their obedient Mufti to issue a fatwa declaring that all forms of discrimination against women and segregation of genders are un-Islamic and harmful to the country&#8217;s stability, prosperity, and security. This is one step that will place Saudi Arabia in the amphitheater of modern nations. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Receding Fear Among Women<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#000073;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#000073;background: white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>: </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>After generations of marginalization and abrogation of their basic human rights, Saudi women are taking the lead in promoting religious, political, social, economic and educational change in their economically, religiously and strategically influential country. As they become more educated and well-informed of regional and global developments and trends, many Saudi women are becoming more disenchanted with their social conditions and impatient with their government&#8217;s institutionalized discriminatory policies against them.</span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#000073;background:white; mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Despite women&#8217;s efforts in the past, the last decade, especially since 2008, has witnessed more women&#8217;s activities that are slowly changing the extraordinary state resistance to reforms in Saudi Arabia. Most of the Saudi women activists rarely appeared in domestic or global media until they began to access modern technologies to mobilize and express their views on issues that could have merited heavy punishment by autocratic and theocratic Saudi authorities if discussed publicly.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Most of what the international community hears about or seems to be interested in is the Saudi women&#8217;s campaign for the right to drive. While this is an essential first step toward women&#8217;s mobility and emancipation from forced reliance on male relatives and hired hands, it&#8217;s not the only objective Saudi women are striving to achieve. They are working on other milestone initiatives that are beginning to change things for the better for them and for their society.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span>Prominent among these initiatives are </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>equality</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>in</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>economic</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saudigazette.com.sa%2Findex.cfm%3Fmethod%3Dhome.regcon%26contentID%3D20120106115058&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNB7nvtVdureO1Pk3Xj2KlkjGeFw"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>opportunities</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>, education, health care, sports and removal of impeding business laws, as well as de-legitimization of the denigrating male guardian system and child marriage. The dividends of achieving these basic citizenship objectives have sweeping implications not only for Saudi women and society, but for the international community.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Saudi women&#8217;s oppression is attributed to Islam as </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>interpreted</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>and</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULU0waNOU0"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>practiced</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> in Saudi Arabia. Given this reality, Saudi women&#8217;s gains can only be achieved by weakening the disproportionate power bestowed on the notoriously known Saudi religious establishment, which is an oppressive front for and tool of the Saudi ruling family. This is the same religious establishment whose chief architect and authority, the Saudi Mufti, issues Fatawi (religious edicts) condemning peaceful demonstrations as anti-Islamic teaching and promoting </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>destruction</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>of</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>Christian</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicherald.co.uk%2Fcommentandblogs%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fsaudi-grand-mufti-calls-for-churches-to-be-destroyed-will-david-cameron-mention-this-next-time-hes-in-riyadh%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGjlKPjTkorgpV9ROsGK0Xmkwan9Q"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>churches</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> in the Arabian Peninsula.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>By challenging the strictures of the oppressive Saudi religious establishment and its overseers in the Saudi government, women are likely to bring about transformation of the intolerant, anti-democratic Saudi institutions that export and </span><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>finance</span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>extremism</span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>and</span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>terrorism</span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://middleeast.about.com/od/saudiarabia/qt/saudi-terrorism-financing.htm"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>worldwide</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>. The Saudi women&#8217;s struggle to achieve their rights benefits Western democracy; it makes sense that the West supports Saudi women in their efforts to rid themselves of religious and cultural oppression.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Saudi Reactions to an Activist&#8217;s Speech<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#000099'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary: </span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>No sooner had a video of<b> </b>a Saudi woman activist </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>giving</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>an</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>award</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>acceptance</span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PXXNK-3zQ4&amp;feature=player_embedded"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>speech</span></a><span style='font-size: 10.0pt'> in Oslo, Norway, hit the media than the customary Saudi zealots and their followers </span><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>began</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>massive</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>condemning</span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsaudiwoman.me%2F2012%2F05%2F18%2Fsaudi-reaction-to-manal-al-sharifs-oslo-speech%2F&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGb_wC44_W9jmXpIWPi8W6J6-F5KA"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>attacks</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt'> on Manal Al Sharif, a well-known women&#8217;s rights activist. They accused her of defaming Islam, of aiding the enemies of Islam and Muslim cultures, and that she is only interested in her own selfish advancement. Her attackers did not question the truth of what she said because she related her personal experiences which are shared by millions of other Saudi women.</span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#000099'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>The question that should be asked is, &#8220;Why are most Saudis and other Muslim and Arab respondents to Ms. Al Sharif&#8217;s eloquent and factual presentation negative and defensive?&#8221; Any objective listener of her speech would discover that she did not insult Islam, Muslims, or their democratically and scientifically stagnant cultures. She did not fabricate facts either. So what did she say or do to merit all the unkind, uncivilized, and unjustified attacks against her?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>One may not like the message, but that does not make the messenger a less credible, intelligent, and caring person. The truth can be a bitter pill to swallow for all of us. A question to those who are quick to attack and act defensively is: What did Ms. Al Sharif say that was not true or cannot be substantiated?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Wouldn&#8217;t she be better off under the existing oppressive system if she, like her attackers, accepted and defended the status quo regardless of its brutality and discriminatory policies against women?<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span>It would have been easier had she shut her mouth, married a rich Saudi, made lots of money, bought an expensive home and imported cheap, poverty-stricken Asian maids and drivers to serve her.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Wouldn&#8217;t she have been better off keeping her prestigious and lucrative employment with Aramco, forgetting those whose basic rights are denied and grossly violated? Fame-and power-seekers do not risk their status to promote equality, dignity and justice; rather, they use wealth, influence and deception to buy loyalty and submission.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>It is in the best interest of all Saudis, rulers and ruled (not governors and governed), to change the course of their society and embrace tolerance and freedom of expression regardless of how uncomfortable or offensive the ideas expressed may be.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Those who continue to oppose progress and individual liberty are on the wrong side of history, and at the end, they will lose. History is replete with vivid examples.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>10 Brave Saudi Women defy all odds<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#943634;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333399'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#002060'> On </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>May 7, 2012, </span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>ten</span></a><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>brave</span></a><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>Saudi</span></a><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'> </span></a><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120502123205"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC'>women</span></a><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;color:#333333'> embarked upon a journey to climb Mount Everest to draw attention to Saudi women&#8217;s number one killer, cancer. This noble event attests to what determined people can do regardless of gender. In other countries, this event would have been seen for what it is: a humane undertaking to mobilize people to fight a deadly disease that has no borders.</span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#333399'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>However, the fact that this journey was planned and carried out by Saudi women made it more than a magnanimous mission. The fact that this challenging undertaking was achieved by Saudi women speaks volumes. In their homeland, Saudi women face more institutionalized discrimination than women anywhere else in the world. Prominent among the many restrictions and discriminatory polices is the male guardian system. Saudi women, regardless of status, cannot travel without a family member (male) or written permission from a male relative.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>Saudi women are the only people in the world who are prevented from driving, practicing sports in their schools, participating in international activities, or marrying whom they want. These are only a few examples of the forbidding and denigrating male-made policies imposed on Saudi women.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>Despite the Saudi regime&#8217;s social, political, economic, and religious policies directed against Saudi women, many women are slowly taking charge of their lives and livelihoods. They are rebelling against the Saudi male-controlled institutions, demanding their full citizenship and all it entails.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>Before the establishment of Islam and in its early stages in the 6th and 7th centuries, women played major roles in Arab societies and sometimes held tribal leadership positions. Even in the 1940s, &#8216;50s and &#8216;60s, women worked in fields, herded livestock, and took on traditionally male responsibilities if they became single parents.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>Most Saudi women have been living under debilitating, cancerous social conditions for many centuries. They are not only surviving but are determined to win. With symbolic actions such as the climbing of Mount Everest, Saudi women have demonstrated that they are capable, intelligent, and resolute, able to break the chains of oppression, defy neglect, and reject relegation to non-citizens status.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>While these ten brave Saudi women are in a position to plan and carry out a noble mission, the overwhelming majority of Saudi women are underprivileged, oppressed, and financially dependent. However, no one, especially the theocratic and autocratic sword brandishing men, should continue to assume that the Saudi women of today are going to accept anything less than their full rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>After these brave Saudi women return safely and triumphantly, they can organize a <b><i>One Million Women&#8217;s March</i></b> to draw attention to a deadlier man-made disease, the relegation of Saudi women to non-citizen (non-human) status. The march&#8217;s main banner should read something like this: &#8220;MOVE OVER, WE ARE HERE.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'>Some of the princesses like Adela Bint Abdullah, Ameerah Al-Taweel, Lolo Al-Faisal, Basma Bint Saud, and the others who travel the world seeking pleasures and appearances in Western media to depict their royal family as saviors can easily squeeze $50 million from their substantial royal incomes to get the march started.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#953735;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>The International Olympic Committee Supports Apartheid<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#953735;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#000099;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;background:white; mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> Despite a global outcry against the Saudi government&#8217;s persistent, discriminatory policy which bars Saudi women from taking part in the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#404040;background:white; mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>(</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>IOC</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>) </span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>executive</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>board</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>has</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>failed</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>to</span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'> </span></a><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9289022/London-2012-IOC-fails-to-take-sanctions-against-Saudi-Arabia-as-desert-state-looks-set-to-send-team-with-no-women.html"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1155CC;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'>enforce</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#404040;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>its rule which unequivocally states that, &#8220;Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, sex, or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.&#8221; In reality, the IOC&#8217;s failure to enforce its anti-discrimination mandate demonstrates its tacit approval of the Saudi government&#8217;s apartheid system.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#000099;background:white;mso-shading:white; mso-pattern:solid white'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>The Saudi government&#8217;s policy of denying Saudi women the right to participate in the Olympic Games is antithetical to the intent of this supposedly inclusive sporting event. Why is the IOC unwilling to bar the Saudi delegation from participating in the Games if women are not included?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a global outcast because of its subjugation of women. In addition to being the only country in the world where women are banned from driving, it is now the only country where women are banned from participating in Olympic sports. The Saudi government can be convinced to reconsider its pre-modern thinking, policies, and condescending perception of women and their abilities to compete in any sport domestic or global sports. The committee has the power to give the Saudi government an ultimatum: include women in the Saudi delegation or be disqualified for violating Olympic rules.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; background:white;mso-shading:white;mso-pattern:solid white'>South Africa was barred from the Olympic Games because of its Apartheid System which denied South African blacks their rights because of their color. Saudi women are denied their rights because of their gender. The question that must be asked is: &#8220;Why did the IOC admirably reject the South African Apartheid System and is shamefully supporting the Saudi gender apartheid?&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:#333333'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Sat, 02 Jun 2012 16:35:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120602103534/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120406152824/ <div class=WordSection1> <h2 align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; color:maroon'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">DC</st1:State></st1:place></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></h2> <h4 align=center style='text-align:center'>April 6, 2012</h4> <h4 align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='color:maroon'>Commentaries and Analysis of the Saudi Current Scene </span></h4> <h2 align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; color:black'>Public Demands Versus Regime&#8217;s Resistance</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><b><span style='color:#943634'>Defamation of Whose Religion?</span></b></span><b><span style='color:#943634'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#03098B'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary: </span></b>While King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is being lavishly praised for organizing international interfaith dialogues, he, his controlled media, the Saudi- based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the highest Saudi religious authority continue to show utter intolerance of other faiths, especially Christianity. In a recent offensive response to a question by a Kuwaiti parliamentarian regarding building churches in the Arabian Peninsula, the Saudi Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, was reported to have said that it was not only forbidden to build churches in the Arabian Peninsula, but<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span>the ones in existence <a href="http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=51374">must be destroyed</a>.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>While it is reported that the Saudi Mufti said there too many churches in the region, in fact, none exist in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region> which occupies 70% of the <st1:place w:st="on">Arabian Peninsula</st1:place>.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span>It&#8217;s estimated that there are about 3.5 million Christians, mostly Catholics from the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, among other nationalities working in the Gulf Arab countries. The Mufti ought to know that there are fewer churches in all of the Arab World than there are mosques in <st1:State w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State> and <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>, let alone <st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Paris</st1:City> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Amsterdam</st1:City></st1:place>, where Muslims practice their religious rituals openly and freely. They are also protected by the same laws that protect the overwhelming non-Muslim majority in those places. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal>The Saudi Mufti&#8217;s entrenched animosity toward Christianity and other faiths is not surprising. Based on his religious teachings, he believes Islam is supreme and other beliefs are blasphemous. Tragically, he reflects the overall sentiment in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place>, especially among senior government&#8217;s official like Crown Prince <span class=SpellE>Naif</span> and Defense Minister Prince <span class=SpellE>Salman</span>. This is evidenced by the Saudi policy of the death sentence meted out to any citizen who chooses to convert to other religions. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>What&#8217;s most disconcerting about the Mufti&#8217;s pejorative remark is King Abdullah&#8217;s total silence. As the ultimate authority in the country and the self-appointed reconciler among different beliefs, the King could have at least distanced himself from the inflammatory and violence-instigating comment by his country&#8217;s top religious representative. The reason the Saudi King did not do or say anything about the senior Saudi cleric&#8217;s dangerous remark is because he, like his religious establishment, feels Islam is <a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20111101111499">superior and the only hope for humanity</a>. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634'>21^st Century <span class=GramE>Versus</span> the Age of Darkness ^{<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span>}</span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='color:#365F91'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary: </span></b><a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/16/west-must-relearn-lesson-of-durand-line">This interpretive article</a> shows what exists and has been in existence for centuries. Can the undeniable <span class=SpellE>civilizational</span> and cultural divides between authoritarianism in the East and individual liberty in the West be narrowed to the point where most Arabs change their perceptions of themselves, embrace freedom of choice and&nbsp;question the ultimate man's and religions' peculiar dictates (habits)? </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>I say yes. The process, albeit embryonic, has begun in the East. The West can supplement the unprecedented process by letting go of its unchanged images of Arabs, letting go of tyrannical Arab dynasties and allying itself with the new generation of aspiring Arab and Muslim women and men who crave freedom and die to liberate themselves from cultural and religious totalitarianism. </p> <p class=MsoNormal>The Arab people&#8217;s Revolt of 2011 is a manifest example of what marginalized people are willing to do to change things for the better for themselves and by extension for the international community, especially democratic societies. Letting the Arab people's Revolt of 2011 expire in vain, derailed by political landlords or taken over by religious extremists would be a tragedy of disproportionate consequences.</p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='color:maroon'>15 Centuries Overdue, but Better Late Than Never&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:&nbsp;</span></b><span style='color:black'>After centuries of vilification of women as inferior and unworthy of respect, the desert men of Saudi Arabia are slowly inching toward recognizing that&nbsp;</span><a href="http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article598292.ece" target="_blank"><span style='color:#1F497D'>men&#8217;s fear of women</span></a><span style='color:#1F497D'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'>(gynophobia) is an incapacitating ailment that has deprived Saudi Arabia of half of its citizens&#8217; best brains and desperately needed contributions. The male Saudi&#8217;s fear of losing control over female women&#8217;s sexuality plays&nbsp;a detrimental role in male perceptions of and attitudes toward women. This tragic yet widespread national mindset explains why male relatives slash women&#8217;s throats if they indulge in sexual activities outside of marriage.&nbsp;Men are not subjected to this malevolence.&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>In some cases, women are&nbsp;</span><a href="http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=124361&d=8&m=7&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom" target="_blank"><span style='color:#0000CC'>gunned down</span></a><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;if a male relative is informed that they have been seen talking to non-related males. They can be&nbsp;</span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1874471.stm" target="_blank"><span style='color:#0000CC'>prevented from fleeing for their lives from burning schools</span></a><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;if they are not covered in disfiguring black from head to toe. For the Saudi government&#8217;s paid religious police, the lives of schoolgirls are not worth saving if they might also expose their faces to strangers.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:#500050'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>While this cruel punishment is practiced by individuals in other Arab and Muslim countries and is justified as defense of family honor (honor killing)<span class=GramE>,</span> autocratic and theocratic Saudi institutions encourage sadism against women from cradle to grave.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:#500050'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>The institutionalized male guardian system&nbsp;(total male control over every aspect of female lives and livelihood), concealing women in black from head to toe, financial dependence on males, poor education, and denying women the right to drive, travel, or practice law in Saudi courts are some of the state's severe discriminatory policies and practices against women. These denigrating policies and practices translate into sanctioned male possession of women.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>However, things are changing. Many women are taking charge of their lives and livelihoods. This transition from male domination to gradual but irreversible women&#8217;s liberation is due to the&nbsp;increasing number of educated women and the last ten years&#8217; unprecedented&nbsp;exposure of the true nature of the Saudi ruling elites and their domestic policies against women. The global media&#8217;s extraordinary focus on the Saudi government and its institution can largely be attributed to the terrorist attack on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> by mostly Saudi nationals on September 11, 2001 (9/11).&nbsp;This has shown the Saudi people a side of their government, religion, and traditions they have never before had an opportunity to explore, debate, or even question. Moreover, the arrival of social media and the Saudi women&#8217;s optimization of this new, safe communication tool <span class=GramE>has</span> changed their perceptions of themselves, their country, and male domination.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>The flow of information (via social media) in gargantuan volumes among Saudi women (and men) has amplified their awareness of the false use of religion and tradition by the Saudi authorities to marginalize them and exonerate the system from meeting its obligations to all citizens&#8217; needs. Furthermore, global human rights groups have intensified their efforts to expose oppression of Saudi women.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>Saudi fathers, brothers, and husbands&nbsp;have come&nbsp;under unremitting pressure from their educated female friends and relatives to support their legitimate rights and demands for equality. No one&nbsp;has been&nbsp;excluded from these demands, including the king.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634'>&#8220;Slavery is an immoral act&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#03098B'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span></b><span style='color:#03098B'> </span>Many major and smaller human rights groups, including this organization, as well as some Saudi citizens and even a few unofficial royals have deplored the maltreatment of the millions of mostly expatriate Asian workers in Saudi Arabia, especially maids. <a href="http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120321120103">The conditions</a> under which most Asian laborers work and live have been described as &#8220;modern slavery&#8221; and that is not an exaggeration.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>The misfortune of expatriate Asian workers in Saudi Arabia commences in the lands from which they hail. They are recruited by agencies that charge them exorbitant fees and place them in the hands of Saudi laborers&#8217; agencies who assigned them to Saudi employers, known as sponsors. Upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia, their passports are confiscated and handed to their future employers. They literally become hostages. They cannot seek other employment, communicate with their families when they need to or <span class=SpellE>form</span> social groups to support each other and evoke the social, political and religious freedom they enjoyed in their homelands. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>In addition, the Asian laborers receive no help from their homelands&#8217; representatives in Saudi Arabia. This is mostly due to their governments&#8217; fear of Saudi economic and religious reprisals. Many Asian states benefit from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab oil rich states&#8217; aid and businesses, including the billions of dollars sent back home by abused laborers. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>The abuses and exploitation of poverty stricken Asian laborers in Saudi Arabia bear testimony to what many Saudi citizens, activists, reporters and non-Saudi groups have been saying about the rampant injustices and corruption committed against defenseless workers by the Saudi system, businesspeople and thousands of households. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'>Saudi Arabia is a member of the World Trade Organization, WTO, and must be held accountable to the WTO&#8217;s charter and other Immigrant Workers&#8217; International Declarations. The Saudi people will be served well by holding their autocratic and theocratic institutions accountable and by treating their guest workers with dignity and paying them their meager hard-earned wages. The UN Human Rights and Migrant Labor agencies as well as the International Labor Unions should not be selective and must speak up against the Saudis&#8217; maltreatment of the estimated 10 million expatriate laborers in Saudi Arabia. <span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>Royals&#8217; &#8220;Gifts&#8221; to Their Subjects <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#943634;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>CDHR&#8217;s Comment: </span></b><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>When people in Norway, England, Sweden or Spain read an article </span><a href="http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article588570.ece"><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>like this</span></a><span style='color:blue; mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>:</span><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'> <span class=SpellE><i>Jazan</i></span><i> housing project: A gift from King Abdullah for the displaced</i> many think the Saudi King is paying for projects from his legislatively allotted income. What people in democratic societies where monarchs are only figure heads may not know is that the King of Saudi Arabia and his large family (between 10 and 40 thousand) control the national income, the state&#8217;s treasury and the banking system. In fact, the Saudi royals treat the country as if it were their private property. <b><span style='color:#943634'><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-outline-level:1'><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>Until recently, the majority of the Saudi population (especially those 50 years old and above) has been made to believe that their country belongs to the Saudi ruling family after whom the country is named. Historically and culturally, countries in the Arab World that were established by nomadic dynasties (with the help of colonial powers) or taken over by military elites are treated as their private dominion by those who rule. This is evidenced by Arab dictators&#8217; responses to their marginalized populations who are revolting to reclaim ownership of their countries, wealth and dignity.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-outline-level:1'><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>Assuming the Saudi people cannot see, hear or understand, many non-Saudis and Saudis who benefit from the scheming system praise the king and his family for handouts (bribery), building projects and for providing &#8220;free&#8221; education and other public services. This is a dangerous hypothesis because most Saudis are cognizant of how their country&#8217;s wealth is being <span class=SpellE>syphoned</span> off and the regime is taking notice. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-outline-level:1'><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>The overwhelming majority of the population, especially the younger generation, is not buying into the old handout system or &#8220;take what I give you and be grateful.&#8221; This is evidenced by the fact that the second (the first being women&#8217;s demands for equality) most frequently discussed issue in the social media and even the government&#8217;s controlled news outlets in the country is corruption, embezzlement of public wealth and lack of accountability in the public and private sectors. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-outline-level:1'><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>The Saudi royals, men and women in and out of government, and their business partners ought to reconsider their erroneous assumptions that the people can be bribed and silenced forever. The Saudi people, like their counterparts in the Arab World and elsewhere, have changed irreversibly. They understand that their wealth is being stolen by a few self-appointed people who are vulnerable now more than ever. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><b><span style='color:#943634'>Princess <span class=SpellE>Ameerah</span> Al-<span class=SpellE>Taweel&#8217;s</span> Heartwarming Speech<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#232779'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span></b>During her &#8220;Woman Personality of the Year 2012&#8221; <a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20120311119411">award acceptance speech</a>, the wife of one of the richest men in the world, Prince Al-<span class=SpellE>Waleed</span> <span class=SpellE>Ibn</span> <span class=SpellE>Talal</span>, Princess (by marriage) <span class=SpellE>Ameerah</span> Al-<span class=SpellE>Taweel</span> gave a moving speech where she correctly praised the hardworking Saudi women who fight for their basic citizenship rights and the mothers who struggle to feed their hungry children: &#8220;&#8230;those women who strive to earn their rights, to the hardworking teacher who travels far distances each morning, giving all that she has to educate students so her own children are fed at night, to the divorced woman fighting in court to secure a safe home for her children, to those women who crossed all the barriers and are saving people&#8217;s lives through their medical research. To all of the women achievers who were not given the attention or appreciation, each and every one of you deserves to be the woman of the year&#8230;&#8221;</p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>We salute Princess <span class=SpellE>Ameerah</span> for her recognition of and support for all suffering and marginalized Saudi women. Her speech described some of the unbearable and avoidable obstacles Saudi women face every day from cradle to grave. Yet they never let their government&#8217;s institutionalized discriminatory policies, crippling religious <span class=SpellE>fatawi</span> and men&#8217;s traditional chauvinism stop them from fighting for their natural, divine and human rights. And they are winning.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>Encouraging speeches are good for moral support, but without deeds, they are nothing but empty words that help their composers and deliverers more than those the speakers praise. The Princess and her liberal wealthy husband, Prince Al-<span class=SpellE>Waleed</span>, can easily afford to spend $5 billion to establish Co-Op jobs for 30 thousand Saudi women in the neglected Southern region. Modern and non-religious day care centers can be built for the children of working mothers. The centers can be maintained by mothers who can bring their children to play at and benefit from what modern centers can offer to the development of children.</p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'>Princess <span class=SpellE>Ameerah</span> and other princesses can prove to their oppressed subjects that they do care for the disenfranchised, instead of praising their ruling family in Western media. Actions speak louder than words, even those as powerful as Princess <span class=SpellE>Ameerah&#8217;s</span> speech on March 8, 2012 in Dubai. </p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:150%'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:150%'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:150%'><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:28:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120406152824/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120312044629/ <div class=WordSection1> <h2 align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt; color:maroon'>Center for Democracy and Human Rights in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">DC</st1:State></st1:place></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></h2> <h4 align=center style='text-align:center'>March 12, 2012 </h4> <h4 align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='color:maroon'>Saudi Current News &amp; Developments <br> <span class=il>CDHR</span>'s Commentary and Analysis <o:p></o:p></span></h4> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><b><span style='color:maroon'>Saudi Women Have Had It&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary: </span></b>Saudi women are gradually and irreversibly taking charge of their lives and livelihood. Having been denied their citizenship rights as equal members of Saudi society since&nbsp;long before the establishment of the Saudi state in 1932, Saudi women are saying &quot;no&quot; to institutionalized and severely enforced marginalization, oppression and neglect. They are the most vocal advocates for justice, equality, tolerance and inclusion. From demanding release of their loved ones from Saudi dungeons, to campaigning to hire women to sell lingerie in department stores, to removing of business <em>wakil</em>, to voting in cosmetic municipal elections and to the&nbsp;beating and (in some cases killing) of abusive husbands, Saudi women are revolting against an autocratic and theocratic chauvinist system and male domination.</p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>One of the most brilliant and courageous actions taken by a large number of women to make their legitimate grievances <a href="http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Local/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=90151&amp;CategoryID=5">heard took place on March 7, 2012</a><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'></span>, in Abha, the capital of the picturesque Asir region. In what seemed to be a&nbsp;well-planned and organized show of defiance, &#8220;the students of Abha girls&#8217; college&#8221; carried out a major demonstration against disrespect by their teacher and dilapidated and unhealthy conditions of their college.&#8221; As usual a massing of the&nbsp;government&#8217;s security agencies, including the detested religious police descended on the college campus and tried to quell the &#8220;uprising&#8221; to no avail, at least for a while. <span class=GramE>&#8220;Fifty three (53) students were injured and transported to different hospitals in the region&#8221;, according to Saudi media reports.</span> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>&nbsp;Events like this Saudi women students&#8217; demonstration would be a normal practice in most countries, but in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> this is a major, if not an earth shaking, undertaking, especially by women. As has been documented and condemned by the international media and&nbsp;human rights groups, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> is the only country where discriminatory policies against women are institutionalized and enforced by government agencies. Among the most well-known harmful government&#8217;s policies against women are denying them the right to drive, denying them freedom of movement without male permission (the denigrating male guardian system) and denying them economic opportunities, employment competitiveness and financial equality.</p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>&nbsp;The Abha girls&#8217; school is not the only women&#8217;s educational institution that lacks modern equipment, and a&nbsp;safe and healthy environment. Most Saudi girl&#8217;s schools are located in rented, neglected and unsafe structures. One would think the Saudi authorities would spend the people&#8217;s money on modern schools, hospitals, water treatment and better healthcare systems for all. Instead, the Saudi rulers and business people are investing in building infrastructure such as the proposed rail system to connect the Saudi state with Jordan and the rest of the&nbsp;autocratic Gulf monarchies as well as the proposed bridge to connect <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region> with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region></st1:place>. </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>&nbsp;The current Saudi government&#8217;s actions and policies in general, as well as Saudi males&#8217; choking domination over women will only expedite what the regime is imprudently trying to avoid, a people uprising against their common oppressor as others in the region have done.</p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='color:maroon'>The Saudi Doctrine: A Lethal Threat to Freedom of Expression</span></b><span style='color:maroon'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>Championed by the Saudi regime, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation&#8217;s UN Resolution 16/18 calls for any criticism of Islam to be criminalized internationally; harmless tweets are now grounds for torture and possible execution as evidenced by the arrest and deportation of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/us-saudi-blogger-idUSTRE81C13720120213" target="_blank"><span style='color:#0000CC'>Mr. Hamza Kashgari</span></a><span class=apple-converted-space>&nbsp;</span>from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region> to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> to face charges of apostasy and blasphemy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span></b><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;The minute a harmless expression concerning the Prophet Mohammed was tweeted by a Saudi columnist and blogger, 23-year-old Hamza Kashgari (Hamza), thousands of angry responses called for his blood for the &quot;crime&quot; of &quot;blasphemy and apostasy&quot; which are punishable by death in Muslim Countries. Hamza's misfortune started when he tweeted a few<span class=apple-converted-space>&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/feb/17/twitter-blasphemy-hamza-kashgari-islam?newsfeed=true" target="_blank"><span style='color:#0000CC'>messages</span></a>&nbsp;explaining an&nbsp;imaginary conversation he had with Prophet Mohammed<u>&nbsp;</u>in which he told the Prophet, &quot;On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you've always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you.&quot;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>In non-Muslim countries, this would be considered personal opinion at best, or who cares, he is entitled to his personal opinion. Not in Muslim countries, especially in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place><span class=apple-converted-space>&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&amp;contentID=20111101111499" target="_blank">whose king</a><span class=apple-converted-space>&nbsp;</span>and many of its population insist that Islam is the religion of peace, forgiveness and the only faith that can save humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>Within a few hours after Hamza&#8217;s tweets hit the social media, more than 30 thousand angry responses flooded internet chat rooms, websites and videos. Some Saudi clerics called for Hamza's execution and put bounty money on his head. Ironically, the very same clerics who demanded Hamza&#8217;s torture and execution for offending the Prophet Mohammed consider celebrating the Prophet&#8217;s birthday a sacrilege.&nbsp;They want people to celebrate and glorify the Prophet all the time, not only once a year. In addition, any celebration of occasions other than the two major Muslim Eids (Al-Fiter and Eldha,&nbsp;marking the end of Ramadan fasting and completion of the Hajj&#8217;s annual rituals) are considered Bid&#8217;ah, a&nbsp;novelty, or infidel&#8217;s tradition.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>Realizing that his life was threatened, Hamza took the first flight out of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region> to seek asylum in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:country-region></st1:place>, a non-Muslim state in which freedom of expression and individual liberty are enshrined in a non-sectarian constitution. Unluckily for Hamza, he had to change flights in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region></st1:place>, a country the West gullibly praises as a moderate Muslim state.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>What Hamza did not know was that the Saudi authorities had called their counterparts in the Malaysian regime in Kuala Lumpur and instructed them to arrest and return Hamza to Saudi Arabia, where he will most likely be tortured, executed, or deposited for decades in a Saudi dungeon&#8212;much like Hadi Al-Mutaif of Najran, who at the age of 18 was sentenced to death for saying &#8220;pray on --&quot; (one of the Prophet&#8217;s private parts). He was spared the death sentence because of global pressure, but incarcerated for 18 years, from 1994 to 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>It&#8217;s not a surprise that the Saudi clerics reacted with vengeance, that&#8217;s what they are paid to do. However, one would think by now that the Saudi people would have taken advantage of Hamza&#8217;s controversial tweets and engaged in constructive discussions about taboos imposed on them by their autocratic and theocratic rulers, who use religion to divide, oppress, segregate, control and exploit them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;What concerns us at the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) is not what Hamza said, but his right to express his personal views freely. &nbsp;However, freedom of unfavorable religious expressions under the Saudi ruling family&#8217;s system is considered an insult to the state and its rulers. According to a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article377672.ece" target="_blank"><span style='color:#0000CC'>royal decree issued by King Abdullah in April 2011</span></a><a name="135b19cbe5a06e00_135b117fd0e430c7_135ab6"></a>, criticism of the royals and their clerical front men is forbidden -- which puts these exclusive rulers on the same footing as the Prophet.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>The saga of Hamza and Malaysia&#8217;s decision to arrest a transient passenger and deport him to be tortured</span><span style='color:#943634'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'>in Saudi Arabia must be taken gravely by Muslims and non-Muslims alike,</span><span style='color:#943634'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'>as correctly noted by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2012/feb/15/saudi-journalist-hamza-kashgari-tweets" target="_blank"><span style='color:#0000CC'>British blogger/columnist</span></a><span class=apple-converted-space>&nbsp;</span>Andrew Brown: &#8220;The case of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/us-saudi-blogger-idUSTRE81C13720120213" target="_blank"><span style='background:white'>Hamza Kashgari</span></a>, a young Saudi journalist who has just been deported from Malaysia to face trial on charges of blasphemy, is one that should frighten and disgust anyone who cares about freedom of speech or religion.&#8221;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>As barbaric as it may be, torture and execution are common practices under the Saudi state&#8217;s Shariah law as evidenced by 79 executions in 2011 and 8 in Jan. and Feb. 2012--the year just started.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>The repercussions of Hamza&#8217;s misfortune are dangerously multifaceted. The Saudi regime wants to remind its already subjugated citizenry that although they may run, they will have no place to hide, especially in Muslim countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='color:black'>The regime also wants to convince Muslims worldwide that the Saudi rulers are the only true defenders of Islam, especially at a time when Muslim parties are ascending to power in countries like <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Tunisia</st1:country-region></st1:place>. The Saudi autocracies fear that these parties will overshadow them because they are elected by and accountable to the masses whose revolutions put them in power.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='color:black'>In addition, the Saudi autocracies want to remind the beneficiaries of their largess and nepotism, especially the 56 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), headquartered in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region>, that far-reaching financial and religious measures will be applied if Saudi demands are not readily heeded as in the example of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='color:black'>However, the real target of Saudi religious and economic intimidation and blackmail are Western democracies, their institutionalized religious freedoms, and freedom of all forms of expression. This is what the OIC&#8217;s sponsored United Nations (UN) Resolution 16/18 is designed to accomplish: silence freedom of expression. It must be rejected by &#8220;anyone who cares about freedom of expression and religion.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>Contrary to its misleading tone and the disingenuous argument of its promoters, defenders, appeasers and apologists in the West, UN Resolution 16/18 (&#8220;anti-religion defamation&#8221;) is&nbsp;intended to criminalize freedom of speech and individual liberty, globally.&nbsp; The question that Secretary Clinton and her European counterpart (s) must ask when they meet with representatives of the OIC to discuss 16/18 is why criticism or defamation of religion leads to violence only by Muslims in and out of their lands of origins. If any more discussions of this anti-freedom-of-expression resolution are necessary, they must be held publicly so Muslims and non-Muslims can see and hear the damage 16/18 would do to them. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='color:black'>Finally, UN Resolution 16/18 is predicated on the August 5, 1990 Arab Declaration on Human Rights which unequivocally states that Shariah law supersedes all civilizational norms and universally accepted declarations on human rights: &#8220;Every man shall have the right,&nbsp;<b>within the framework of Shari&#8217;ah,</b>&nbsp;to free movement and to select his place of residence whether inside or outside his country and, if persecuted, is entitled to seek asylum in another country&#8221; (Article12.) This is proof that if it were not for Shariah law, Saudi writer Hamza would not have been arrested by the Malaysian bandits and sent to be tortured in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:maroon'>Saudi Government&#8220;&#8230;Promote the Values of Freedom, Justice and Equality?</span><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary: </span></b>In a recent speech to a large gathering of Muslim representatives in Latin America and the Caribbean in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Buenos Aires</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Argentina</st1:country-region></st1:place>, Saudi <strong><span style='font-weight:normal'><a href="http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article582746.ece">Deputy Islamic Affairs Minister Abdul Aziz Al-Ammar</a> <span class=GramE>emphasized<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span>&#8220;</span>&#8230; <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class=GramE>Saudi Arabia</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class=GramE>&#8217;s efforts to support Muslim minority communities in different parts of the world without interfering in the internal affairs of their countries.&#8221;</span> What help the Saudi regime could possibly offer to Muslim communities in the <st1:place w:st="on">Western Hemisphere</st1:place> that could improve their lives?<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span>Muslims in the West are doing extremely well in every sense of the word. Unlike the mostly oppressed people in the Muslim countries, Muslim communities in the West have religious and political freedom, individual liberties and economic opportunities that are superior to anything they had or dreamt of having in their countries of origins. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style='font-weight:normal'>In fact, Muslims thrive in non-Muslim countries than they do in their own. This is because they are treated equally under the rule of non-sectarian laws that are applicable to all citizens and residents of Western societies. None of this can be said about any Muslim country, specifically <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> where non-Muslims and non-Saudi Muslim communities have no right under the Saudi Shariah law. They are not even allowed to practice their beliefs nor do they have any protection from their Saudi employers&#8217; abuses.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style='font-weight:normal'>It&#8217;s well known that the Saudis hand out substantial sums of money to Muslim organizations, Mosques and religious schools throughout the <st1:place w:st="on">Western Hemisphere</st1:place> and the rest of the world. The Saudi regime&#8217;s very well designed strategy is to promote Islam, specifically its brand, the Wahhabi austere doctrine, through varieties of venues including businesses, mosques, embassies, prominent educational institutions, Islamic schools and interfaith dialogues. The objective behind the Saudi support for Muslim communities is deep and dangerous. They want to implant pockets of Muslims communities, especially in the West, who identify with Islamic teachings and traditions regardless where they live. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style='font-weight:normal'>The Saudi strategy to empower Muslim communities in the West and elsewhere are handled by top Saudi government officials. In Feb. 2010, former Saudi <a href="http://www.aleqt.com/2010/05/02/article_387444.html">Defence Minister, Prince Sultan summoned</a> the most powerful princes, financiers and clerics including Saudi Foreign and Intelligence minister, minister of the treasury and a horde of clerics and other officials to his lavish palace in Riyadh and instructed them to increase their support for Muslim communities in their adopted countries. He told them those communities should be able to build or develop their Muslim identity within their areas of living.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><b><span style='color:maroon'>Staying the Course is Unsustainable</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:maroon'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Analysis:&nbsp;</span></b><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21548973"><span class=GramE>The</span> Saudi regime continues to rely on obsolete methods</a><span style='color:black'> of ruling their population at a time when domestic, regional, and global events and trends demand drastic restructuring of the dated Saudi social, economic, political, religious, and educational institutions. Despite its unprecedented income derived from high petroleum prices, Saudi per capita income is the lowest of all the Gulf Arab states. The country suffers from rampant corruption, especially at the highest levels of government. This is due to a total lack of accountability, transparency, freedom of the press, and the ruling family&#8217;s control of the entire national income and treasury. Unemployment among the youth, among men and women alike, remains very high because most of the jobs in the country, from hotel receptionists to high tech experts, are given to expatriates.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> employs about 8 to 10 million expatriates, the overwhelming majority of whom are imported from poverty-stricken Asian countries and are willing to accept any compensation under severe, often inhumane conditions. The rest are technocrats who come to perform jobs the Saudis lack the proper training to undertake. This is due to a poor school system dominated by the religious establishment, which is opposed to non-religious education. In addition, the regime continues to emphasize nomadic and religious teachings and traditions such as King Abdullah&#8217;s brainchild, the lavish Al-Janadriyah annual nomadic festivals, and Defense Minister Prince Salman&#8217;s favorite project, memorization of the Qur&#8217;an, in which he personally pays cash prizes (&#8220;from his hard earned personal income&#8221;). The religious establishment, the long arm of the system, continues to issue fatawi against reformers and critics of the system&#8217;s anti-democratic policies and practices.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>What seems to be incredibly lacking is a coherent and forward-looking leadership that realizes the Saudi people, especially the burgeoning youth population, are becoming more informed and sophisticated, and they are increasingly aware of their legitimate social, economic, and political rights as they compare their misfortune with the fortunes of their counterparts regionally and globally. For their own survival and for the country&#8217;s prosperity and stability, the autocratic and theocratic Saudi dynasties ought to wake up and see reality for what it is, not a desert mirage. The Saudi people are changing, the Arab World is changing, and the world is changing while the ruling Saudi dynasties continue to pursue policies whose time has passed many decades ago. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Due to its centrality to Islam and its possession of large but dwindling quantities of petroleum deposits&#8212;Venezuela has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia now&#8212;stability and security of Saudi Arabia are of major concern to Muslims and non-Muslims. The Saudi rulers must change their pre-modern thinking, however, and realize that it is only a matter of time before their disenfranchised population will have no choice but to do what their counterparts in the Arab World did and are still doing. The Saudi population may take to the streets and rid themselves of oppression, corruption, marginalization, and usurpation of their basic rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>There are a few doable steps that could easily be implemented immediately: free elections of the Shura Council, granting women their full citizenship rights (including an end to the destructive ban on driving), declaring the slave-like male guardian system illegal, allowing for religious freedom, and putting an end to press censorship. Opponents to these steps do not have to participate, but Princes Naif and Salman can easily convince them not to stand in the way, especially since the opponents to reform do so largely to show their support for the rulers&#8217; wishes.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:maroon'>A Glaring Warning to Saudis</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary:</span></b><span style='color:navy'>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>While the killing of a <a href="http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&amp;id=28761">Saudi diplomat,&nbsp;<span style='background:white'>Khalaf Mohamamd S. Al Al</span></a><span style='background:white'>i, in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 may have been committed by a cold blooded thief, Saudi officials, businesspeople, and house-wives should take notice of this tragedy. There are hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi laborers in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> including family drivers, housemaids, ditch diggers, doctors, and engineers. Like most of the millions of Asian expatriates (many of whom perform cheap labor and live in conditions comparable to &#8220;modern slavery&#8221;), the Bangladeshis are treated contemptuously by their employers and even worse by government agencies, specifically the labor and judicial agencies. For example, &#8220;Saudi authorities beheaded eight Bangladeshi workers who were found guilty of robbing and killing an Egyptian man&#8221; in October of 2011. &nbsp;This cruel practice by far exceeded the code of Hammurabi&#8217;s severe punishment, &quot;an eye for an eye, <span class=GramE>a</span> tooth for a tooth&#8221;.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='background:white'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='background:white'>Not only do Bangladeshi laborers and their families have axes to grind against the Saudis, but so too do many of the liberal pro-democracy and non-sectarian citizens of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Saudi Arabia is known for its affiliation and support for the notorious Jamaat-e- Islami movement, which is active in Bangladeshi politics and <a href="http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers7/paper699.html">has been tied to Al-Qaeda</a> and other terrorist and extremist groups throughout the Muslim World and in the West </span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='background:white'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='background:white'>Arabs, Muslims, and non-Muslims associate <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place> with religious extremism, suicide bombers, religious incitements, intolerance, and oppression of women and minorities. Wherever the Saudi people go, they feel negative vibes and receive unwelcome receptions, even from those who live off the Saudi government&#8217;s largess and profitable business dealings. Nowhere do such encounters happen more often than in airports, even among those in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place>&#8217;s neighboring countries. This reality can be changed by the Saudi people. They can reject the religious extremists amongst them, restructure their institutions and embrace democratic and tolerant values based on human dignity, not race, religion, gender, or ethnicity.</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span><b><span style='color:maroon'>&#8220;&#8230;no area better to excel in than the Holy Qur'an&#8221;</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:maroon'>&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:navy'>CDHR&#8217;s Commentary</span></b><span style='color:navy'>:&nbsp;</span><span style='color:black'>Saudi children are pushed into competing in memorizing the Qur&#8217;an before they can understand what it means. The skillful memorizers are financially compensated by Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Salman. His objective is to ensure the continuity of the rule of his family, whose legitimacy and ruling longevity depend on <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place>&#8217;s austere brand of Islam known as Wahhabism. <a href="http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article582745.ece">&#8220;Prince Salman&#8217;s award for the recitation</a> of the Qur&#8217;an represents clearly the great effort in pushing young people and schools to focus on teaching verses from the holy book.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Ingraining religion into children&#8217;s minds is a long-term investment for the ruling Saudi elites. Like Prince Salam, Interior Minister and Crown Prince Naif cannot imagine a country without adherence to a literal interpretation of the Qur&#8217;an and uncompromising enforcement of its tenets by his well-known, ferocious religious police.&nbsp; Questioned by a journalist in 2009, Prince Naif&nbsp;yelled, &#8220;</span>The Kingdom is an Islamic country.<span style='color:black'> Therefore, the Commission of Virtue Promotion and Vice Prevention will be present as long as Islam is present on the earth. The promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, in accordance with the Qur&#8217;an and Sunnah, is a major pillar of any Islamic country.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>These two princes now control the country&#8217;s external and internal defense and security. They may end up in the Saudi throne unless a palace coup d'&eacute;tat denies them that luxurious inheritance. Naif is the apparent successor to King Abdullah, and Salman is likely to be his Crown Prince. They are the last two members of the powerful Sudairi Seven, seven full brothers born of King Abdul Aziz&#8217;s favorite wife.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>&nbsp;</span></p> </div> <p>You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:</p> <p> <a href="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/"> http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/cdhrmailer/ </a> </p> <p>If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.</p> <p>If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:</p> <p> <a href="mailto:newsletter@cdhr.info"> newsletter@cdhr.info </a> </p><!-- begin subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> <form action="http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi" method="post"> <fieldset> <legend> Subscribe/Unsubscribe on Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Newsletter </legend> <input type="hidden" name="list" value="cdhrmailer" /> <p> <label for="email" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block" > Email&nbsp;Address: </label> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" /> <span class="error">* Required</span> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p> <label for="f_s" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block"> Subscribe </label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_s" value="subscribe" checked="checked" /> </p> <p> <label for="f_u" style="width: 7em;float: left;text-align: right;margin-right: 0.5em;display: block">Unsubscribe</label> <input type="radio" name="f" id="f_u" value="unsubscribe" /> </p> <hr style="border-top: 1px solid black;" /> <p style="text-align:right;display:block"> <input type="submit" value="Submit Your Information" class="processing" /> </p> </fieldset> </form> <!-- end subscription_form_widget.tmpl --> Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:46:00 GMT http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120312044629/ http://cdhr.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/cdhrmailer/20120207134937/ <html> <head> <!--Begins initial section with Title, Date, heading, etc.--> <h2 align=center><span style="color:maroon">Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, Washington DC</span></h2> <h4 align=center> <!--DATE--> February 7, 2012 </h4><h4 align=center><span style="color:maroon"> <!--IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE SPECIAL NEWSLETTER HEADING--> Saudi Current News<br> CDHR's Commentary and Analysis <h2 align=center><span style="color:black">The Wrong Time to Promote Islam </span></h2> </h4><br> </head> <body> <!--This is the preface to individual news articles--> <h4><span style="Color:maroon">“The World needs Islamic guidance” Says the King </span></h4> <p><span style="Color:navy; Font-Weight:Bold"> CDHR's Analysis: <span style="color:black; font-weight:normal"> In a <a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20111101111499"> speech</a> read on his behalf at an influential Muslim scholars' conference in November 2011, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia sounded self-assured that “Only Islam’s mercy, light and guidance can provide people with a way forward in life and toward the Hereafter.” The King went on to implore all Muslims to convince non-Muslims to come to and embrace the Muslim faith [i.e., the Saudi brand of Islam, Wahhabi doctrine] because he inexplicably believes that non-Muslims are in need of redemption and “Islam, with its comprehensive divine values and a balanced view of life, is alone capable of rescuing humankind from its current behavioral predicament…” <br /><br /> The King reminded Muslims that it’s their obligation to convert non-Muslims to Islam, “The Muslim Ummah has a responsibility to call people to Islam through its Da’wa work around the globe.” Perhaps King Abdullah is not cognizant of the fact that he is presiding over one of the most religiously oppressed and least politically free countries on earth. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, home to its two holiest shrines, the Quran is its constitution and the Shariah is its law. In other words, Saudi Arabia is ruled in accordance with Islamic teachings, laws and commands, as interpreted by the Kingdom's Hambali/Wahhabi “religious” men. <br /><br /> King Abdullah’s well-timed and pointed plea to the 1.5 billion Muslims during their holiest occasion, the annual pilgrimage rituals, and its far-reaching implications never made it to Western news outlets, despite the fact that the West is his target. One would think that King Abdullah is asking Muslims to perform the impossible given the current slaughtering of Muslims by other Muslims, but he is not. Millions of people around the world are economically hurting, vulnerable and looking for solutions from any source, specially the divine ones. <br /><br /> It is not accidental that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, particularly in Western societies where the overwhelming majority of the populations see Islam as a belief, not as a domineering value system that controls every aspect of its adherents’ lives, perceptions and relations with non-Muslims. The majority of Muslims have been brainwashed into believing that the rule of law, freedom of choice and individual liberty are antithesis to divine laws, therefore blasphemous. <br /><br /> King Abdullah's call on Muslims to spread Islam and its Shariah law must not be taken lightly. He is the “Custodian” of Islam’s two holiest shrines in Mecca and Madina to which most of the world’s 1.5 billion poverty stricken, oppressed and indoctrinated Muslims look for guidance, instructions and money. It would be naïve and myopic to think that the King’s call would fall on deaf ears as many in the West seem to think. After all, he is the absolute ruler of the most religiously and financially influential country in Arab and Muslim lands and beyond. <br /><br /> Prominent Muslim scholars from the prestigious Al-Azhar University and others have described the Saudi brand of Islam, Wahhabism, as enemy number one of Islam and Muslims. The former President of Indonesia Abdulrahman Wahid, a world renowned Muslim scholar himself, called on the international community to unite and defeat the Wahhabi doctrine because it poses a deadly threat to democracies and harmony among people. The West should listen and prevent Islamist ideology from taking root in Western societies, where it will result in social strife, divisions and conflict as is the case in many Arab and Muslim countries and communities. <br /><br /> Some argue that King Abdullah has made changes to rein in extremist activities. King Abdullah has removed a few clerics and some inflammatory phrases from Saudi schools’ text books, eliminated some terrorists in Saudi Arabia and convened interfaith dialogues. While these activities are considered reforms by some, especially in the West, others see them as deceptive window dressing to silence foreign and domestic critics of the debauched Saudi state- imposed doctrine, Wahhabism. <br /><br /> In reality, under King Abdullah’s leadership, Islamist religious fervor has been heightened as a result of implicit and explicit Saudi accusations that the West is engaged in a war against Islam. He has strengthened the Saudi clerics by making it illegal to criticize them domestically and has united Muslim countries, including Iran and Turkey, through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation which consists of 57 states and is headquartered in Saudi Arabia. Spread of Wahhabism throughout the world has been exponentially intensified under King Abdullah more than under any of his predecessors. <br /> </span> <br /><br /> </p> <h4><span style="Color:maroon"> Nigerian Terrorists Boko Haram: Another Saudi Trophy? </span></h4> <p><span style="Color:navy; Font-Weight:Bold"> CDHR's Analysis: <span style="color:black; font-weight:normal"> It has become customary to associate the Saudis with terrorism attacks anywhere in the world and for good reason; Saudi youth are the most readily available to be recruited by terrorists’ organizations to die for Islam. This is due to Saudis’ ubiquitous religious indoctrination in schools, mosques and the government’s tightly controlled media. Whether terror attacks take place in Iraq, Chechnya, Bosnia, Pakistan, Lebanon, North Africa, Afghanistan, Yemen, Indonesia, the Philippines, Europe or in the US, Saudi nationals and/or money are most likely to be involved in one form or another. Saudi youth are raised and taught to mistrust non-Muslims and consider them enemy until they submit to Allah’s will and abide by the Shariah law which rejects non-sectarian laws as interpreted by a religious establishment that is appointed by and shares power with the Saudi ruling family. <br /><br /> In a chilling <a href="http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sUTuNMcAaFRWuj41C1_S3Xg/view.m?id=15&gid=world/2012/jan/27/boko-haram-nigeria-sharia-law&cat=world"> interview</a>, the spokesman of the murderous Islamist Nigerian Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa revealed what many observers have suspected and predicted: The Saudis train and finance the deadly organization. Abu Qaqa said that members of his terror group have received funds and training from the Saudis. ‘During the lesser Hajj [Umrah, last August], our leader travelled to Saudi Arabia and met al-Qaida there. We enjoy financial and technical support from them. Anything we want from them we ask them.’ The Boko Haram’s objective is to inflict death and destruction on the 70 million Nigerian Christians until ‘...things are being done according to the dictates of Allah.’ Like the Wahhabi trained Taliban extremists in Afghanistan, Boko Haram’s objective is the implementation of Shariah law throughout Nigeria regardless of peoples’ r eligious belief according to Abu Qaqa. ‘There are no exceptions. Even if you are a Muslim and you don't abide by sharia, we will kill you. Even if you are my own father, we will kill you.’ <br /><br /> It’s not just the extremist groups that believe the austere Saudi brand of Islam must be promoted throughout the world. Spreading Islam, Islamic banking and Shariah law have been one of the Saudi government’s and its religious establishment’s top priorities since the formation of the Saudi/Wahhabi state in the early 1930s. On one hand, they believe in Islam’s supremacy over other beliefs; and on the other, they know they can use religion to achieve their objectives as they did during the start of their violent movement in the middle of the eighteen century. Saudis and other Arab regimes, like the former Libyan dictator Kaddafi, have encouraged and supported the spread and strengthening of Islam everywhere, especially in the West where religious freedom is guaranteed by secular constitutions. This is evidenced by the Saudi’s support for the Chicago based Nation of Islam’s founder Elijah Mohammed and his successors since the 1950s, just to name one group. <br /><br /> According to well documented facts in The Looming Tower, and a myriad of other publications, the Saudis, government and businesses, are major contributors to mosques, religious schools and Islamic Study Departments in top educational institutions like Georgetown, Harvard, UC Berkeley and Columbia. <br /><br /> In May 2010, Saudi Crown Prince Sultan who died in 2011, summoned the most powerful princes, religious representatives, ministers and royal loyalists to his elaborate Aziziyah Palace in Riyadh to instruct them to “mobilize all modern means available to serve Islam”. He <a href="http://www.aleqt.com/2010/05/02/article_387444.html"> instructed</a> the powerful attendees “to increase support for all Muslim institutions and organizations around the world”. Sultan’s instructions to spread Islam were echoed by his brother King Abdullah in a recent plea read on his behalf to a Muslim scholars’ conference during the peak of Muslim annual pilgrimage Mecca in Nov. 2011. <br /><br /> King Abdullah <a href="http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20111101111499"> asked</a> Muslims to spread Islam globally and convert non-Muslims to the faith because, “The world needs the vision and guidance of Islam and Muslims should work hard to make sure this happens.” ‘Islam is a universal message for all mankind until the Day of Resurrection. The Muslim Ummah has a responsibility to call people to Islam through its Da’wa work around the globe’. Extremists take such declarations as a green light to commit mayhem against non-Muslims and Muslim minorities who don’t adhere to the Saudi twisted interpretation of Muslim text books. <br /> </span> <br /><br /> </p> <h4><span style="Color:maroon"> Saudi Arabia is Citadel of Religious Manipulation </span></h4> <p><span style="Color:navy; Font-Weight:Bold"> CDHR's Analysis: <span style="color:black; font-weight:normal"> The autocratic and theocratic Saudi/Wahhabi ruling dynasties and their descendants have used religion as an effective tool to achieve their domestic and external objectives since they formed their incredibly well constructed union in the middle of the eighteen century. Domestically, Saudi rulers have used religion to legitimize their absolute authority and to justify their draconian policies. They have used the same methods to extract favorable outcomes from their dealings with other countries, especially Western societies most of whom regard Islam as a belief rather than a value system that controls all aspects of its adherents’ lives, behavior, perceptions and relations with non-Muslims. <br /><br /> In a well calculated preemptive strategic move, the Saudi rulers are renewing and intensifying their fondness for Salafi (early period, genesis) Islam practiced during the first three generations that followed the establishment of the Muslim faith by Prophet Mohammed in the seventh century. <a href="http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article554744.ece"> Addressing</a> a symposium on Dec. 27, 2011, titled “Salafism: A Shariah approach and a national demand,” Crown Prince Naif, first in line for the Saudi throne after King Abdulla, renewed his family’s commitment to ensure that ‘Saudi Arabia would continue to follow the Salafist ideology and denounce those who create doubts about this moderate Islamic ideology and link it with terrorism and extremism’. Calling the Saudi Salafi system “moderate” defies reality on the ground and can only be interpreted to mean that a transition from an autocratic to democratic political structure in Saudi Arabia remains elusive under Prince Naif’s f amily’s rule. <br /><br /> By embracing and advancing Salafism, Prince Naif in reality is pursuing the same objective stated in Al-Qaeda’s ideological manifesto. Had he read the manifesto, he would have found that it was copied from and based on the teachings of Taqi ad-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328), a renowned and revered Muslim scholar who is known for his Salafi repudiation of Sufi and Shi’a Muslims and more so of Christianity and its adherents. In addition, Prince Naif should have known by now that Ibn Taymiyyah was a follower and admirer of Ahmed Ibn Hanbal, the founder of the most austere brand of Islam, the Hambali, upon which the zealot Saudi/Wahhabi state’s religion is predicated and physically enforced on all Saudi citizens regardless of their religious orientations. <br /><br /> Renewing their claim to and praising Salafism at this time is not accidental, but is in response to the Arab Uprising and its consequences. The Saudi rulers are terrified by the current Arab people’s Revolt, but for reasons other than the spread of democratic fervor. They are afraid of being marginalized by the rise to power of Muslim parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Ennahda in Tunisia, among others. The Saudi autocracies know that the majority of their religiously indoctrinated population is more susceptible to less repressive Muslim rule than to secular forms of governing institutions. The Saudi regime’s worst nightmare is the empowerment of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Ikhwan, in Egypt and their rising influence among the populations of the Gulf region, especially in Saudi Arabia. <br /><br /> During the height of Arab nationalism and the anti-autocratic Arab monarchies era under the tyrannical and charismatic former Egyptian orator President Gamal Abdul Nasser in the 1960s and 70s, the Saudis went out of their way to support the Muslim Brotherhood group against Nasser. When Nasser turned against the Brothers and hanged their spiritual leader Sayyid Qutb in 1966, the Saudis welcomed the Brothers with open arms and large bank accounts in the hope that they would mobilized their followers in Egypt and elsewhere to overthrow or neutralize Nasser whom the Saudis had supported at one point to keep the Brothers from overshadowing the Saudi/Wahhabi doctrinal influence in the Muslim World. What the Saudi ruling family failed to take into account was the Egyptian historical contempt for the Saudi/Wahhabi rulers whom they consider backward nomads. For example, while under “nominal Ottoman rule,” another charismatic Egyptian leader, Mohammed Ali Pasha, sent his troops to crus h the Saudi/Wahhabi first state between 1811and 1818. <br /><br /> While living in Saudi Arabia in the 1960s and 70s, the escapees and exiled Brothers pursued a duplicitous agenda of their own. They formed alliances with and established strong ties with many Saudi clerics and ordinary subjects which resulted, according to the Saudi regime, in the Mecca1979 Uprising and the occupation of Islam’s holiest shrine, the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The Uprising was led by a charismatic Saudi leader (messiah, mehdi), Jhaiman Al-Otabi, with the intent of delegitimizing and overthrowing the Saudi ruling family and its religious establishment. That was averted with help from some Muslim and Western governments, see The Siege of Mecca. Until this day, the Saudis blame the Muslim Brothers for radicalizing and inciting the men who carried out Mecca Uprising and subsequent terrorist attacks inside Saudi Arabia. The Muslim Brothers and other Egyptian religious scholars disagree with the Saudi accusations and <a href="http://watan.com/10/news.html/35-news-extra/2 1652-2010-04-26-20-24-39.html"> labeled</a> Wahhabism “as an idea and movement, a mortal threat to Islam and Muslims”. Given the history and practices of both the Wahhabis and the Muslim Brothers, astute observer won’t find it unreasonable to agree with either side. <br /><br /> Now that the Muslim Brotherhood Party has risen to power as a result of the first free elections in Egypt, the Saudis are <a href="http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/440967"> reportedly</a> supporting the Egyptian Salafi Nour Party to make sure that the Muslim Brotherhood Party does not pose a real threat to Saudi/Wahhabi rule at home and its regional and global influence. The intent of Saudi support for the Salafi Nour Party is to create schisms among Egyptian religious groups as they have done successfully in their own society. The Saudis may find it equally advantageous to support weak liberal groups to form a regime that cannot bring unity, democracy or economic prosperity to Egypt without the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood Party. Even though the Saudi regime’s initial interference in derailing the hard won Egyptian Revolution may succeed, in the long run it’s doomed to fail because neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor the Nour Party has anything to offer other t han Shariah law. The Egyptian people did no revolt and die to replace a repressive and corrupt autocratic system with an Islamic totalitarian regime. <br /> </span> <br /><br /> </p> <h4><span style="Color:maroon">Saudi Heroines & Western Ostriches </span></h4> <p><span style="Color:navy; Font-Weight:Bold"> CDHR's Analysis: <span style="color:black; font-weight:normal"> While President Obama and his European counterparts are going out of their way to assure Muslims, especially the rich Gulf royals, that the West is not “at war with Islam” but rather with terrorists groups like Al-Qaeda, a cadre of Saudi women is unabashedly challenging Saudi religious extremism and its destructive impact on them, their children, society and the international community. <br /><br /> Prominent among those opposing the ferocious, divisive and hate promoting religious extremists is a fearless Saudi Princess, Basma Bint Saud. According to a recent <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-acton-princess-calling-for-reform-in-saudi-arabia-6284225.html"> interview</a> by the Independent newspaper, UK, “She is the 115th - and last - child of King Saud, the eldest surviving son of Saudi Arabia's founding monarch Abdul Aziz.” Basma (“Smile” in Arabic) grew up in luxury, was trained by nuns, is a divorced mother of five and a successful restaurateur who is now residing in London to protect her children from possible family reprisal because of her outspokenness. She challenges her family’s tyrannical rule, rampant corruption and dysfunctional institutions which she justifiably blames for the government’s colossal failure to meet its obligations toward its marginalized populations, especially women and children. <br /><br /> One of her targets is the ferocious Saudi government’s religious police, known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, or the “Hay’ah” in Arabic. She has correctly challenged their religious legitimacy and their offensive treatment of the public, particularly women. Like many Saudis and human rights groups, she largely attributes the country’s backwardness to the Stone Age mentality and spiteful behavior of the Hay’ah as exemplified by their condescending treatment of people as guilty until they prove their innocence. In one of her piercing and expressive <a href="http://www.al-madina.com/node/244059"> narratives</a> she wrote, “I searched and re-searched in history’s archives, in the Prophet and in his Companions’ books and found no mention of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice; but found a phrase in the Quran that said: All Muslims should promote virtue and prevent vice.” <br /><br /> Princess Basma stands out because of her status and royal affiliations which make her work considerably weighty. However, she is not the only or most productive woman who is challenging the government’s fierce “religious” police and their relentless social, political and economic war against Saudi women whom the illiterate “religious” police consider incomplete human beings, “perpetual minors.” There are many courageous non-royal Saudi women activist pioneers in academia, businesses, finances, media and technical fields, as well as ordinary mothers, sisters and wives who are demanding better and humane treatment including removal of all denigrating restrictions inflicted on women, such as the dehumanizing male guardian system, the driving ban, denial of economic opportunities and forced and childhood marriages which under international declarations on human rights are considered rape and child trafficking. <br /><br /> Women like Eman Al Nafjan, Fawzia Al-Bakr, Wajeha Al-Hwaider, Reem Asaad, Alia Banaja, Hatoon Al-Fassi, Suhair Al Qurashi, Manal Al-Sharif, Ebtihal Mubarak, Hissa Hilal and even two of King Abdullah’s daughters, Sitta and Adella, just to name a few, are in the forefront in the struggle for women’s rights which the religious establishment considers a Western value designed to destroy Islam’s holy traditions, which translate to male domination over every aspect of women’s lives and livelihoods. This institutionalized system of social, political and economic discrimination against half of Saudi society, women, could not succeed if it were not for the blessings of the Saudi ruling elites, especially its staunchest supporter, Interior Minister Prince Naif, the next in line to inherit his family’s throne. <br /><br /> What’s becoming increasingly and inexplicably clear to the Saudi people in general, but specifically to Saudi women and to other human right activists and analysts, is the West’s continued support for the Saudi autocracy at a time when many Western governments support the Arab people’s uprising, with the exception of Bahrain, against despotism, oppression and the rampant squandering of public wealth. The Saudi people hear, read and see the West fighting Muslim terrorists in many parts of the world, and in the meantime, they are supporting a system whose intuitions are well known for their propagation and financing of religious extremists and terrorists worldwide. <br /><br /> Furthermore, many Saudis and other Arab thinkers, analysts and observers in the Arab World have become increasingly suspicious of the West’s overt support for the unprecedented Arab people’s uprising. Many began to theorize that the West is in favor of empowering anti democracy Islamist and Salafist groups as is the case in Egypt and Tunisia now. These speculators argue, mostly in social media and in one-to-one discussions, that by reaching out to and embracing religiously based parties who rose to power as a result of the Arab Uprising, the West has duplicitous objectives. They use the West’s acquiescing to Saudi efforts to derail and/or Islamize the Arab Uprising as further evidence of the West’s hidden objectives. <br /><br /> The most convincing argument about the West’s double standard and assumed objectives is presented by man Saudi women activists. Many Saudi women from all walks of life ask simple questions that are hard to dismiss as conspiratorial or fabricated stories. They ask: If we are willing to face imprisonment, lose our jobs and families, be stigmatized and humiliated under the autocratic and theocratic Saudi system for trying to rid ourselves and the world of dangerous ideologues why does not the West, which claims to be fighting the same extremists, support our struggle publically and unequivocally? <br /><br /> The Saudi women’s march for their legitimate and citizenship rights are unstoppable or reversible whether the Saudi ruling men and their supporters in the West like it or not. Given this irrefutable reality, wouldn’t it be prudent for Western government and their institutions to support Saudi women, especially since they are in the forefront in the fight against religious extremism which poses a real threat to democracies worldwide? <br /> </span> <br /><br /> </p> <h4><span style="Color:maroon"> Saudi Arabia Needs Less, Not More, Religious Police (Hay’ah) </span></h4> <p><span style="Color:navy; Font-Weight:Bold"> CDHR's Analysis: <span style="color:black; font-weight:normal"> As the Saudi government’s top behavioral, social, religious and political disciplinary and spying agency, the religious police (known caustically as “The Commission for Promotion of Vice and Prevention of “Virtue” is the state’s only entity whose mostly illiterate recruits are given absolute authority to stop, interrogate, humiliate, beat and imprison anyone at anytime, anywhere in the country and receive praise for their barbaric misconduct. They are instructed by their handler Crown Prince Naif, who is also first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, to consider all citizens guilty until proven innocent. <br /><br /> Referred to as Mutaween (domesticators) the religious police’s top priority is to make sure that women are camouflaged in black, men and women are segregated in public and that men have to prove that the women they walk with are their wives, mothers or sisters. The religious police are also empowered to make sure that any gathering of more than three or four people is interrupted and dispersed. All of this is done to eliminate any possibility of public cohesiveness that might lead to public unity which the system considers a mortal threat to its absolute rule. <br /><br /> The Mutaween are the most feared and loathed government agency by the overwhelming majority of the Saudis and expatriates. The Mutaween’s overriding task is to instill fear of authority and ensure people’s distrust of each other. As advised by the 16th century Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli, the Prince is better off being feared not loved. This is the most used phrase by the religious police: obey God and Wali Elemr, the master of your affairs, the Prince. This is not accidental, but is a convoluted royal scheme designed to deflect the public’s wrath from the real source of their country’s multitude of rampant social, political, religious, economic and educational deficiencies. <br /><br /> The leadership and the management of the religious police is not a straightforward operation. Whoever is appointed by the king to rule it has to make sure that the wish of its top overseer Prince Naif is met despite increasing public condemnation of the religious police’s heavy-handedness and the role they are supposed to be assigned to play. In other words, the public has begun to see that the role of the religious police is anything but religious. <br /><br /> The public’s resentment toward the religious police and the deceptive role they play is not covertly ignored by the royal family. King Abdullah has changed the management of the religious police three times since he inherited his family’s throne in 2005. The recent appointment of Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, a member of the ruling family’s power base the Al-Sheikh religious establishment, to manage the violent and mean spirited religious police is seen as a clever maneuver by the King. <br /><br /> Dr. Al-Sheikh has spoken against severe gender segregation and restrictions on women’s right to work in segregated workplaces. However, he is planning to increase the already ubiquitous presence of abrasive religious police. He ‘…has plans to open up even more branches’ and to tame the trigger-happy religious police to ‘…treat people politely and not to lose their temper quickly if they are agitated.’ <br /><br /> However, the Saudi people, especially women, have to keep in mind that Dr. Al-Sheikh is a member of the two absolute dynasties that have ruled parts or all of Saudi Arabia since 1744. He and his Al-Asheikh family have a lot to gain by ensuring the continuity of the Al-Saudi ruling family. <br /><br /> <br /> </p> <h4><span style="Color:maroon">Unity Among Gulf Monocracies Doomed to Fail </span></h4> <p><span style="Color:navy; Font-Weight:Bold"> CDHR's Analysis: <span style="color:black; font-weight:normal"> Threatened by developing domestic and regional challenges, the six autocratic Arab monarchs of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) huddled in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Dec. 19 and 20, 2011, to strategize against internal and external threats to their regimes. Their fears were voiced by King Abdullah warning that “the security of Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors [meaning the ruling dynasties] was being targeted.” He implored the monarchs of the smaller Gulf States to ‘move beyond the stage of cooperation and into the stage of unity in a single entity’, which translates to a formal union dominated by the Saudi ruling family. <br /><br /> Prior to the Riyadh meeting and King Abdullah’s call for unity, the GCC had invited the two remaining autocratic Arab kings of Morocco and Jordan to join the GCC even though they are geographically distant from the Gulf. Indigenous analysts of Gulf dynamics and critics of the ruling dynasties speculated that the intent behind this move was to form a united front among these autocracies against the spread of the pro-democracy Arab Uprising. The GCC’s membership invitation has been shelved due to unfavorable public reaction, especially in the social media since public criticism of the ruling families is impermissible. <br /><br /> King Abdullah’s call for a united Arab Gulf States ‘in a single entity’, ostensibly to protect all GCC members from internal and external threats is destined to fail. Gulf Arab analysts attribute such failure to the fact that the primary objective of establishing a “single entity” is perceived by the smaller states’ rulers as an attempt to consolidate Saudi hegemony over the Gulf States and thus strengthen the Saudis’ bargaining position regionally, particularly regarding future settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, there are more compelling reasons why the “single entity’ proposal would fail. <br /><br /> Prominent among the reasons for the likely failure of the Saudi proposal is the historical mistrust of the Saudi royals among the ruling dynasties of the smaller and weaker Gulf States. Based on their historical experience, the overlords of these smaller Gulf Arab States consider the Saudi royals to be condescending, too rigid, heavy-handed, and confrontational. In addition, the rulers of the smaller States see the Saudi policies as a menace to their “live and let live” strategies, not only within their heterogeneous societies, but also with Iran, with whom they share borders and beneficial relations. The recent transition of power from the ailing and aging Saudi King Abdullah to two well-known pugnacious Princes, Naif and Salman, is more likely to lessen instead of increase cooperation, let alone create unity among the autocracies of the Gulf. <br /><br /> Furthermore, the ruling dynasties of the smaller Gulf States can afford to reject the ambitious Saudi plan to form a “single entity’ which they know would be dominated by the Saudi ruling family and its Wahhabi ideology. In the early 1990s, the West began to shift its military presence from Saudi Arabia to the smaller Gulf States; as time passed, the West found these rulers more responsive to Western needs than the Saudis. The gradual shift of Western dependence from the Saudi ruling family to the rulers of the smaller States has diminished Saudi influence in the region and has rendered obsolete the smaller Gulf States’ need for Saudi protection. <br /><br /> The efforts by the Saudis to recruit the kings of Morocco and Jordan to the GCC cartel in order to fend off the spread of the Arab Uprising to the Gulf have been unsuccessful. This and their apparent failure to unite the Gulf Arab States rulers “in a single entity” under their control are more likely to increase the Saudi rulers’ reliance on domestic oppression and intense use of religion to promote their self-interest. However, pursuing these policies will increase the Saudi people’s discontent, which will to domestic strife and regional isolation, eventually hastening the fall of the Saudi monarchy to the very forces they are trying to escape. <br /> </span> </p> <footer> <p align=left><span style="Color:maroon; font-weight:bold">Join us:</p> <p align=left><span style="color:black; font-weight:normal">The Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization based in Washington, DC. CDHR provides new and accurate information for the benefit of the public, the business community and policy makers about the current situation in Saudi Arabia. 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