Britain's love affair w/ Saudi kingdom (tale of Saudi's Islamic theocracy's Oppressive brutality)

telegraph ^ | Nv. 04, 2007 | Jemima Khan

[Posting]

Britain's love affair with the Saudi kingdom

By Jemima Khan Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 04/11/2007

King Abdullah arrived at Heathrow last Wednesday morning for the first State Visit to the UK for 20 years – five planes, 13 family members, an entourage of several hundred. No women.

I've been to Saudi Arabia a few times. It's not much fun being a woman there. I suspect it's worse being a Saudi woman. And worse still being her migrant maid.

It's a mad place and the rules there have got nothing to do with Islam.

advertisementI've had my feet beaten, not once but twice – first by a stick-wielding crone at Mecca for not wearing socks, then by a pool attendant when I (swathed entirely in compulsory trick-or-treat black) took my son to the hotel pool for a paddle.

I've heard old ladies complain that they are so harassed at night by the frustrated male youth of Jeddah that they have to take their scarves off and reveal their raddled faces just to scare them off. The irony of having to show your face to protect your modesty was entirely lost on them.

I've also woken up mid-flight on the plane home from Jeddah to London and discovered that the passengers who embarked in full hijab have all been replaced by Bond Street babes.

In Saudi Arabia, a woman can't travel abroad, leave the house or even be examined by a doctor without the express permission of her husband. She cannot be seen with any man except a close family member, the only exception being her chauffeur – and that's a necessity because legally she's not permitted to drive. She cannot marry a non-Muslim (or even a non-Sunni Muslim). And she cannot wear anything other than a long black cloak and headscarf in public. Although women account for 70 per cent of all graduates, they make up just 5 per cent of the workforce. If they contravene the strict laws, they risk public floggings or execution.

A few years ago, 15 girls died in a school fire in Mecca because religious police ("The Commission for The Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice") prevented them from leaving the blazing school building as they were not wearing correct Islamic dress and there were no relatives outside to receive them. Apparently the police beat them as they tried to escape.

Some would say the rules are as inexplicable (not to mention as unIslamic) as in Afghanistan under the Taliban, where a friend of mine – a Pakistani journalist – had his pubic hair measured at a check point (with a stick with duct tape on the end shoved into his shalwar) to see if it was cropped in accordance with religious custom.

But the difference is that our government expressed outrage and bombed Afghanistan for their human rights abuses as well as for harbouring (mostly Saudi) terrorists. And, for good measure, we bombed Iraq too, at least in part for their human rights abuses and lack of democracy.

King Abdullah, on the other hand – our Prime Minister's "friend" with whom, according to Foreign Office Minister Kim Howell, "we have many values in common" – gets a ceremonial welcome, a couple of banquets, breakfast with the Queen at Buckingham Palace and meetings with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Prince Charles.

The Prime Minister failed to bring up the subject of human rights or democracy. Or the fact that Saudi Arabia exports and sponsors an extreme and distorted form of Islam to the rest of the World.

The madrassahs in Pakistan, which gave rise to the radicalism of the Taliban, have been funded by Saudi money since the Afghan jihad.

And a hoard of malignant literature can be found inside as many as a quarter of Britain's mosques, published and distributed by agencies linked to the government of King Abdullah. These "education pamphlets" call for, amongst other measures, the beheading of Muslims who abandon Islam, attacks on homosexuals, religious segregation of society, for women to stay indoors and interfaith marriages to be banned.

Nor did our PM mention the persecution of Shias, homosexuals, non-Muslims, the public floggings, the torture, the detentions without trial or the maltreatment of migrant workers. Nor the total lack of freedom of expression and information nor the ban on trade unions, political opposition and non-Muslim religions.

Does our government really care about human rights and democracy?

The message is, it's business as usual, everything forgiven, as long as you're a country which is pro-West, strategically important, oil rich and able to buy billions of pounds worth of our arms.

There's nothing new about it. It's not even that surprising. In fact, our politicians can't even be bothered to offer an excuse.

[lonestar67]

Fascinating mix of truth and pathology.

My favorite line explaining the infuriating rules of Saudi Arabia:

“It’s a mad place and the rules there have got nothing to do with Islam.”

Wow! Really. Nothing to do with Islam? Must be a basic pre occupation with law and order.

Its amazing to think what kind of brainwashing must be going on in Britain to bring a writer to write such an absurd sentence.

[353FMG]

And with all these tales of horror known there are still Western women who marry Saudis and disappear in that country never to be seen by their family again or never allowed to leave the country together with their children.

[Posting]

“It’s a mad place and the rules there have got nothing to do with Islam.” I agree that that line was a PC crap.

[Fred Nerks]

The madrassahs in Pakistan, which gave rise to the radicalism of the Taliban, have been funded by Saudi money since the Afghan jihad.

she would know first hand what she's talking about, her ex husband Imran Khan is waiting in the wings to turn Pakistan into another islamist state.

(Imran is currently under house-arrest.)

[Posting]

WorldNetDaily:

Saudi ArabiaThey were kidnapped, abducted, stolen from their mother's care in a Chicago ... Today, they are adult women – and still prevented from leaving the Saudi ...
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26357

White Slavery in Saudi Arabia
http://www.omdurman.org/leaflets/whiteslv.html

_____

ISLAMIC APARTHEID

[RobbyS]

In fact, the rules reflect the simplest, puest form of Islam. Just ask the Saudis.

[sharkhawk]

had his pubic hair measured at a check point (with a stick with duct tape on the end shoved into his shalwar)

Sure, there's no homosexuality in Islam.

[Gengis Khan]

Britain is the new wannabe Saudi Arabia.

[G8 Diplomat]

The Saudis seem to be able to fund just about every radical group in the ME as well as give moolah (or mullahs?) to mosque-building projects in the West. Where do they get all the cash? The oil. If only the oil reserves weren’t right smack under Saudi Arabia (and the ME in general), they would not be the world’s #1 producer, and they would just be desert-dwelling sand rats. As opposed to filthy rich desert-dwelling sand rats.

[G8 Diplomat]

Saudi Britannia, capital Londonistan

It’s on its way there...

[parisa]

The leftist are up in arms about human rights and women’s rights and gay rights and non-muslim religious rights of oppressed people ONLY when those people reside in countries allied to the west.

When the islamofascist regime happens to be anti-West and especially when it is virulently anti-US, as in the case of the mullahs ruling Iran, it all must be a big hype and a lie. The regime isn’t as horrible as it is portrait; it is a "democracy" after all -- albeit an Islamic one -- and no one should buy all the hype by the chalabi lookalike "out of touch" exiles with devious agendas, who don't really know how much the mullahs and their henchmen are actually beloved by the people they're oppressing.

[Gengis Khan]

I have a Pakistani friend who is desperately begging me to get her out of Saudi Arabia. She hates Saudi Arabia, says its like a prison. Her parents want to get her married off to a Saudi guy. And she wants to come to US. Problem is she cant get herself a passport without the consent of her parents (or husband) even though she is an adult.

[samtheman]

It's a mad place and the rules there have got nothing to do with Islam.

I stopped reading right there.

[cowdog77]

and they would just be desert-dwelling sand rats. As opposed to filthy rich desert-dwelling sand rats.”
____________________
Ignorant and backward sand rats.

[kalee]

bttt

[Publius6961]

I stopped reading right there.

I didn't stop reading, but it was the most bizarre reality-denial statement I have read in recent memory.

Although I can see how it is possible to rationalize it both ways:

Absolutely in track with traditional islam for the common, poor sandmaggots.
No rules, islam or otherwise, for the rich sandmaggots.

[sheik yerbouty]

They are known grabasstics..

[sheik yerbouty]

They are known grabasstics..

[Posting]

I have a Pakistani friend who is desperately begging me to get her out of Saudi Arabia. She hates Saudi Arabia, says its like a prison. Her parents want to get her married off to a Saudi guy. And she wants to come to US. Problem is she cant get herself a passport without the consent of her parents (or husband) even though she is an adult.

Saudi Arabia Racism & Xenophobia News -
http://www.einnews.com/saudiarabia/newsfeed-saudi-racism-xenophobia

Indonesians Protest Outside Saudi Embassy in Jakarta -Saudi Arabia - Workers - Philippines [August 24th, 2007 in Asia], Human Rights, The Philippines and Workers.
Rasheed Abou-Alsamh; 24/8/07
Relatives of the four Indonesian maids who were allegedly severely beaten by their Saudi employers in Aflaj
http://www.missionandjustice.org/indonesians-protest-outside-saudi-embassy-in-jakarta-saudi-arabia-workers-philippines/

Saudi Arabia Forums: Closet racists, I witnessed pure racism the other day when ... in each episode you will find that they joke on the Indians, Pakistanis, ...
http://www.justlanded.com/english/saudi_arabia/tools/forums/culture/closet_racists

RACISM IN SAUDI ARABIA Saudi blogger "The Religious Policemen" on racism: ... Ask the Pakistani taxi driver. Ask the Bangladeshi street-cleaner ...
http://rezwanul.blogspot.com/2005/11/racism-in-saudi-arabia-saudi-blogger.html

Saudi Arabia has taken a severe beating among Pakistanis. via Southeast Asia News
http://www.topix.com/world/saudi-arabia/2007/09/saudi-image-takes-a-bashing-in-pakistan