Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, CDHR, Washington DC

May 30, 2018

CDHR’s Analysis And Commentaries

Prince Mohammed “Put Break on Reform,” Quranic Verses and Religious Freedom

Prince Mohammed: “Women are Equal to Men” According to Shariah Law?

CDHR Commentary: During his recent public relations tour of the U.S., Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that “women are equal to men” according to “Shariah Laws.” We beg to differ. Shariah discriminates against women, non-Muslims and considers non-Islamic laws blasphemous (shirk.) However, assuming Prince Mohammed is correct, then why is he detaining advocates for women’s rights?  P ioneers, highly educated and renowned women, like Dr. Aisha al-Manea, Eman al-Nafjan, Lujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef and men like Ibrahim Modeimigh and Mohammed al-Rabea were arrested on May 18 and branded traitors for advocating equal rights for women to drive and for the removal of the male guardian system, (“modern slavery.”) The institutionalized male guardian system gives men total control over women’s lives and livelihood. Even if it’s removed by a royal decree, men will still determine women’s fate because Shariah will remain the law of the land. Read more: www.cdhr.info

Prince Mohammed: Giving hopes and crushing aspirations

CDHR Commentary: Regardless of what Prince Mohammed and his father do or don't do, the Saudi women's march is unstoppable and irreversible. Prince Mohammed's success and political survival depend on the support of the Saudi people, especially those he arrests and detains and on the hundreds of other pro-democracy and social justice reformers who are imprisoned and silenced.

Prince Mohammed and his cadre of subordinate princes ought to know that the longevity of goodwill and voluntary loyalty can only be sustained by good deeds, as exemplified by the sentiments expressed by the author of this article. She, like many Saudis, especially women and youth, were euphoric over Prince Mohammed’s social initiatives last year. In fact, the author went out of her way to express her “love” for the prince, an expression for which she was attacked ruthlessly by other Saudis who condemned her for praising a “tyrant.”  Read more: www.cdhr.info

French Statesmen Call for Removal of Verses from the Quran

CDHR Commentary: “Several French figures, including former president Nicolas Sarkozy and former Prime Minister Manuel Valls” are calling for removal of “…verses of the Quran calling for the ‘murder and punishment of Jews, Christians and disbelievers’.” This unprecedented call by powerful traditional politicians and close allies of most Arab and Muslim countries to reform Muslim texts are a warning Muslims ought to take seriously instead of condemning it as malicious and Islamophobic, as did the Al-Azhar Mosque/University, one of Sunni Muslims’ oldest and most influential institutions. Read more: www.cdhr.info

Crown Prince Mohammed:  The Apple Does Not Fall Far From the Tree

CDHR Commentary: Exalted as an anti-corruption champion and “the kind of man Saudi Arabia has been waiting for,” de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed and his brothers are accumulating wealth in a similar manner as like-mined relatives they rounded up and detained for corrupt practices. As this article demonstrates, royal corruption is institutionalized and normal practice by the Saudi ruling princes, individually and collectively. Due to total absence of public scrutiny, accountability and transparency and the royals’ claims to ownership of the country, they can do whatever they wish and get away with it. Read more: www.cdhr.info

Saudi Arabia: Set the Record Straight  

CDHR Response: In this embellished opinion, “The delicate balance of the US-Saudi relationship,” (The Hill, May 8), Jonathan Schanzer and Varsha Koduvayur of the Defense of Democracy Foundation went beyond what would be expected of representatives of an organization that is supposed to be promoting American values: Freedom of expression, freedom of choice and the right of the individual to be the author of her/his destiny. Following a short visit recently supervised by the Saudi government,  Schanzer and  Koduvayur painted a picture of an absolute Saudi Prince, Mohammed bin Salman as a savior, “…the kind of leader Saudi Arabia has been waiting for.” This is despite the fact that prominent Saudi and American critics and the UN have accused Prince Mohammed of increased arbitrary arrests of human rights activists and an unprecedented rise in “…execution on Mohammed bin Salman’s watch.” Read more: www.cdhr.info

Saudi Arabia: Without Religious Freedom and Respect for Human Rights, Attracting Non-Muslim Tourists Will be a Hard Sell

CDHR Commentary: King Salman “lays the foundation stone at the Qiddiya entertainment park near Riyadh” (the Saudi capital) on April 28, 2018. The 334-square kilometer project is supposed to compete with Disney World, attract millions of Saudi and other Gulf tourists and create 57 thousand jobs. Saudi youth immediately took to the social media and almost without exception expressed resounding cynicism about th e project’s financial benefits. Based on past experiences, Saudi youth (the highest users of social media per capita in the world) believe foreigners will reap the financial benefits in forms of employment, since the Saudis are not technologically and modern hospitality trained. This cynicism is not confined to this project, but to Prince Mohammed’s economic reform, in general. This dangerous mistrust will likely continue until tangible economic benefits are realized by the Saudi people, which may not happen in time to avert internal political and economic strife. Read more: www.cdhr.info

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