Posted on 01/01/2008 9:27:52 PM PST by ricks_place
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — An outspoken Saudi blogger is being held for “purposes of interrogation,” the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed Tuesday.
Gen. Mansour al-Turki, an Interior Ministry spokesman reached by telephone, said the blogger, Fouah al-Farhan, was “being questioned about specific violations of nonsecurity laws.” Mr. Farhan’s blog, which discusses social issues, had become one of the most widely read in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Farhan, 32, of Jidda, was arrested Dec. 10 at his office, local news sources reported. Two weeks before his arrest, he wrote a letter to friends warning them that it was imminent.
“I was told that there is an official order from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of the Interior to investigate me,” read the letter, which is now posted in English and Arabic on Mr. Farhan’s blog.
Since his arrest, friends have continued to post entries on his Web log (www.alfarhan.org) on his behalf under a banner that reads “Free Fouad” and features his picture.
“The issue that caused all of this is because I wrote about the political prisoners here in Saudi Arabia, and they think I’m running an online campaign promoting their issue,” the letter continued, saying that Mr. Farhan had been asked to sign a statement of apology.
“I’m not sure if I’m ready to do that,” he wrote. “An apology for what? Apologizing because I said the government is a liar when they accused those guys to be supporting terrorism?”
Ahmad al-Omran, a blogger and a friend of Mr. Farhan, said that Mr. Farhan had been the first Saudi blogger to be detained by state security. The arrest created widespread anxiety among other Saudi bloggers and advocates, he said.
“An incident like this has its effect,” Mr. Omran said by telephone.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
No freedom of religion, no political parties, no right to form lobbying groups, no freedom of speech, no right of assembly.
The Magic Kingdom is just a feudal palatine with a thin gloss of civilization. This is how tyranny breeds terrorism. Energetic young men have no legitimate outlet for political expression, unless its “Death to the Jews” “Death to the Great Satan” etc.
Take their Wahabbist a**es. Take their oil!
Saudi Arabia represents the one system of apartheid that the Left will never oppose.
It is a segregated society with fewer rights and protections for non-muslims.
Last time I was there, a Palestinian told me that they aren't allowed to own property & any business they have must have a Saudi 'sponsor,' (in other words, the real owner) who naturally will steal the entire business from them whenever the mood strikes him.
Here's the free Fouad site.
The Saudis are not our friends.
The Saudis support terrorism.
Didn’t President Bush state that in this war on Terror you are either with us or against us?
Why are we still playing nice with these dog Saudis that pay for and support terrorists trying to kill us?
Its like the good old days of detente with the Soviets with oil the motivator instead of the nuclear war fears.
Although with Pakistan and not going after Bin Laden it probably is the nukes of Pakistan that bother.
Its the “Cold War on Terror.”
Nicely put.
Those who know Saudi Air Force pilots (and retired Saudi policemen) suspect that the Saudi "Princes" have to keep a thick veneer of Islam on their country to stay [arguably] a civil country.
Appears a lot of the Right seems to agree.
If it weren’t for oil we wouldn’t think for a second about the Saudis.
They are pompous ingrates that a few generations ago were living in tents and mud huts.
Yet they sit in judgment in piousness.
The Saudis can kiss my backside
Coming soon to your town if Hillary wins.
this is a good blog by a saudi guy...
hasn’t been updated for a while, but the archives are still interesting to read.
I have my tagline for a reason.
Interesting blog...hard to believe it was written by a Muslim. A true moderate. At least not everyone from the Kingdom is a nutcase....just most of them.
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