(Raif Badawi (left)
and lawyer Walid Abu al-Khayr)
The awfulness of Saudi justice has been allowed for an extra century
only because of the good fortune of the royal family in picking the
winning side and finding oil. The oil part must end soon. With that
the royal family is certain to flee and civil society will assert
control. In the meantime they continue to stand their ground and
retain their present regime.
Long term it simply cannot hold and even today I am certain that the
family retains slaves because they can.
It also must be noted that everywhere the non Islamic world is
adopting and adjusting to a common system of modern justice and
modern concepts of rights. Yet everywhere Islam is seen working
actively to undermine all that and is shameless about it. A
concentrated counter attack must happen and it is inevitable and will
see the utter destruction of Islam itself. It can be less war and
more simple confrontation.
It is likely to be precipitated by the pending decline in export
revenues of oil. The Arab Spring was very much a warm up.
Saudi Arabia's
savage and eroticized Islamic justice
MONDAY, JULY 07, 2014
BY VALENTINA COLOMBO
"God is not
fanatic; the ulema [religious scholars]... are." — Mohammed
Charfi, Muslim intellectual.
Saudi Arabia's
behavior comes with the bought consent of the West, which would
rather constantly reprimand and punish Israel than address the Arab
and Muslim world's floggings,stonings, beheadings and amputations --
not to mention executing homosexuals, gender apartheid and the often
merciless treatment of foreign workers. Such a double
standard exposes that many Europeans who consider themselves moral
and speak about "ethical investing" are, in fact,
accessories to these Saudi crimes, and therefore themselves guilty of
crimes against humanity.
"He does not see
this court as legitimate." — Samar Badawi, wife of
human rights lawyerWalid Abu al-Khayr, who was sentenced by
a Saudi court to 15 years in prison.
Raif Badawi, a Saudi
blogger, has been sentenced to 1000 lashes, ten years in jail and a
fine of $270,000 for a blog regarded by Saudi Arabia's regime as
insulting Islam.
"My commitment
is…to reject any repression in the name of religion…a goal that
we will reach in a peaceful and law-abiding way." — Raif Badawi
Terrorism only exists,
therefore, if and when it is directed at the Saudi regime, and may
well mean just defeating Shiites.
(Raif Badawi (left)
and lawyer Walid Abu al-Khayr)
Saudi human rights
lawyer Walid Abu al-Khayr, who defended
blogger Raif Badawi, was sentenced yesterday, July 6, to 15
years in prison He was arrested on April 15, accused of: "inciting
public opinion," "disobedience in matters of the
sovereign," "lack of respect in dealings with the
authorities," "offense of the judicial system,"
"inciting international organizations against the Saudi kingdom"
and, finally, for having founded illegally, or without authorization,
his association "Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia."
He was also forbidden to travel for fifteen years after his release,
and fined 200,000 riyals ($53,000) according to Abdullah al-Shihri of
the Associated Press. His wife, Samar Badawi, said that he
refused to sign the verdict and would not appeal the case, since "he
does not see this court as legitimate," she said.
Earlier this year, on
March 3, 2014, Saudi King Abdullah invited everyone, as the Arab
daily Asharq al-Awsat reported, to spread the culture of moderation
and tolerance in Arab countries. He talked about a "common
responsibility" that concerns "governments, political
leaders and non-governmental organizations."
Two months later,
however, on May 7, Raif Badawi, detained since June 17,
2012 in Briman Prison in Jeddah, was sentenced (sentence
no. 34184394) to 1,000 lashes (in violation of international law,
which prohibits such punishments), ten years in jail and fine of one
million riyals ($270,000).
Such behavior from the
Saudi regime comes with the bought consent of the West, which would
rather constantly reprimand and punish Israel than address the Arab
and Muslim world's floggings, beheadings, stonings and amputations --
not to mention executing homosexuals, gender apartheid and the
effective imprisonment, if not frequent slavery, of women, and the
often merciless treatment of foreign workers. Such a double standard
exposes how many Europeans, who consider themselves moral and speak
about "ethical investing," are, in fact, accessories to
these Saudi crimes, and therefore themselves guilty of crimes against
humanity.
Badawi was condemned,
according to Amnesty International, for having co-founded a website,
"Saudi Arabian Liberals," and for having written and
publishing on it his blog and other writings, as well as on Facebook
and Twitter, -- as well as for other "offenses to Islamic
precepts."
He criticized and made
fun of Saudi institutions such as the Commission for the Promotion of
Goodness and the Prohibition of Vice (also known as "the
religious police"), the Saudi Grand Mufti, other Saudi ulema
[religious scholars].
The long sentence of
the Criminal Court of the district of Jeddah stated that he had
undermined the "public order."
Originally he had been
sentenced to 600 lashes and seven years in prison, but after he
appealed the sentence and returned to court last month to hear the
verdict, two additional penalties were added (points 4 and 5 below)
to the previous ones.
Just a few months ago,
between October and December in 2013, Rome was plastered with posters
that read: "Discovering Saudi Arabia, the land of dialogue and
culture." Presumably they were intended to celebrate eighty
years of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom Saudi Arabia and
Italy.
The Italian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Municipality of Rome and the Embassy of Saudi
Arabia launched a series of initiatives to demonstrate how much the
country of Saud was friendly, open and attractive. In the Piazza del
Popolo, in the heart of Rome, a tent was set up under which one could
listen to music, and enjoy tea and traditional sweets.
Even before that, in
November 2012, the "King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International
Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue" (KAICIID)
was founded in Vienna, by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic
of Austria and the Kingdom of Spain, "to enable, empower and
encourage dialogue among followers of different religions and
cultures around the world."
Anyone who knows the
reality of Saudi Arabia even superficially realizes that both the
International Center and the verdict against Badawi represent some
ultimate level of hypocrisy -- condoned, unfortunately, by the
complicit West. Saudi Arabia is country where women cannot drive or
even get a license; where Christians can not wear a cross or build a
church; where Shiites are discriminated against, and in which the
strictest Islamic penal code -- including floggings, beheadings and
stonings -- is applied.
Saudi Arabia's latest
"friendly, open and attractive" sentence against Raif
Badawi consists of:
1. Ten years in prison
for creating the Saudi Liberal website and insulting Islam.
2. 1,000 lashes,
completed in 20 sessions in front of a mosque, for creating the
"Saudi Arabian Liberals" website and insulting Islam.
3. One million riyal
fine [$266,000].
4. Ten year ban on
travel abroad after his release.
5. Ten year ban from
participating in visual, electronic and written media after his
release.
What is happening to
Badawi and Abu al-Khayr can, ironically, be interpreted as a
consequence of the Saudi anti-terror law, approved December 16, 2013.
Article 1 defines
"terrorism" as: "Any criminal act, consequence of an
individual or collective plan, direct or indirect, which seeks to
attempt against the public order of the State, or to threaten the
security of the society or the stability of the State, or puts in
jeopardy the national unity or suspends the fundamental law of
governability and some of its articles, or insults the reputation of
the State or its position, or causes damage to one of its public
functions [...]."
In other words,
terrorism is anything that can imaginably affect the stability of
total Saudi power. Terrorism only exists, therefore, if and when an
action or expression is directed at the Saudi regime, and may just
mean defeating Shiites.
The Saudi kingdom
therefore condemns a young blogger and his lawyer as terrorists for
"threatening public order."
Badawi's case is more
complex than others because the problem does not just involve a few
tweets, but is mainly about his having founded the "Liberal Free
Saudi Network" in 2006. Badawi has also has repeatedly
criticized not only radical Islamic preachers, but also the Saudi
regime which has never wanted to stop them.
In an interview
published in August 2007 by the liberal website Afaaq, Badawi stated
that "liberals in Saudi Arabia live between the anvil of State
and the hammer of the religious police." On that occasion, he
described himself thusly: "Raif Badawi is nothing more than a
Saudi citizen. My commitment is to the advancement of civil society
in my country, to reject any repression in the name of religion, to
promote liberal enlightened Saudis whose primary objective is being
active in civil society, a goal that we will reach in a peaceful and
law-abiding way."
Badawi's words are not
apostasy, just a call for a deep reform and change in his country.
Saudi Arabia's King
Abdullah announced recently that Saudi Arabia is determined to root
out terrorism.
If King Abdullah were
consistent with his own words, he would not consent to a Saudi court
prosecuting Raif Badawi because "his Facebook page has
'Likes' of a million Arab Christians," as one can read on page 6
of the court's sentence.
It would be enough to
read the sentence from page 16 onwards, where the Koran, sayings of
Mohammed, books by Islamic theologians and jurists are quoted to
justify the death penalty for the "apostate", to understand
that the one who preaches violence and opposes fundamental human
rights is not Badawi, nor his lawyer Abu-al-Khayr, but the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .
What is happening to
this Saudi blogger confirms that when terrorism is condemned and
there is the desire to protect human rights, it is necessary first to
establish very precise definitions, because it is easy to fall into
the trap of false friends.
That
Abu al-Khayr and Raif Badawi support
"mistaken" human rights is very clear from a statement by
Abdullah ibn Salih al-Ubayd, former president of the
National Society for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia:
"Safety and
security is a natural human requirement which is also approved by the
Islamic law that everyone without exception seeks to achieve. It is
for this reason that governments and organizations lay down rules and
regulations and even change them later with a view to maintaining
security. Allah's Law, however, which is perfect and absolute never
changes, as the Qur'an states, 'Then is it thejudgement of [the
time of] ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah
in judgement for a people who are certain [in faith]?'
(5:50) [...]
Implementing the law
of qisaas [that is, vengeance, "an eye for an eye"
form of justice] without doubt protects the individual and society
against crime. It makes people aware of other people's rights and
provides a solid foundation for maintaining peace and security in
society. If every member of society becomes aware that he will
definitely be killed if he kills others, he will certainly refrain
from ever thinking of committing crimes."
It is clear that Saudi
Arabia needs to recognize universal human rights: rights that have
neither religion nor gender nor color; that must never be relativized
in the name of internal security, and that cannot be subjected to a
double standard in moral judgment.
Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar and
their three daughters now live in Canada, fearing that they will
never be able to embrace him again.
Badawi'sn case could
be the opportunity for Saudi Arabia to take a step forward toward an
open and merciful interpretation of Islamic traditions.
The Tunisian Muslim
intellectual, Mohammed Charfi, in his essay "Islam and
Liberty" (Casbah Editions, Algeria 2000), also addressed the
subject of apostasy. He presented Koranic verses in favor
of liberty of conscience -- "Let there be no compulsion in
religion" (II, 256) -- to demonstrate that "God is not
fanatic, whereas the ulema of yesterday, as well as
the ulema and fundamentalists of today are."
Charfi points out that
Koran does not prescribe that apostasy must be sanctioned with death
penalty.
At the same time,
Muslim jurists, as confirmed in Badawi's sentence, justify
the death penalty for "apostasy" by the saying of Mohammed:
"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." Charfi,
however, underscores that this tradition is not reliable as it
belongs to the category of sayings transmitted by only one person.
On this matter, and on
many other matters, Saudi Arabia finds itself at a crossroads. Either
it states clearly that universal human rights do not exist on its
territory because they run counter to Islam, or it begins truly to
respect them -- beginning with the release of Raif Badawi and
Abu al-Khayr.
Saudi Arabia might at
least start trying to demonstrate that it is actually attempting to
be "the land of dialogue" in any un-laughable sense of the
word.
Valentina Colombo
writes for The Gatestone Institute, from where this article
is adapted.
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