| Bloomberg | - |
President
Barack Obama sought to reassure Saudi King Abdullah that negotiations
over Iran's nuclear program won't undercut the strategic interests of
Saudi Arabia, a key U.S.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/201733-saudi-arabia-is-human-rights-nightmare
Islamic Witch Hunts (Saudi Arabia) - WikiIslam
wikiislam.net/wiki/Islamic_Witch_Hunts_-_Saudi_Arabia
Sep 20, 2013 - In a letter to King Abdullah, the rights group described the trial and conviction of ... "Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police. .... His execution brings to 42 the number of people beheaded in Saudi ...Saudi To Behead Lebanese Convicted Of Witchcraft - Religion ...
www.nairaland.com/423223/saudi-behead-lebanese-convicted-witchcraft
Saudi To Behead Lebanese Convicted Of Witchcraft - Religion - Nairaland ... saidSaudis May BEHEAD TV Psychic For Witchcraft - Huffington Post
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../saudis-may-behead-tv-...
Apr 1, 2010 - Al-Khansa said she has called upon Saudi King Abdullah to pardon Sibat, a 49-
The Huffington Post
Saudi Arabia to behead seven on Tuesday-rights group - Chicago ...
Mar 4, 2013 - RIYADH, March 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is scheduled toexecute seven men on Tuesday for ... It said King Abdullah ratified their ... witchcraft.
The Cruelty of Saudi Arabia's 'Reformist' King | New Republic
www.newrepublic.com/.../saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-...
Oct 13, 2011 - The king of Saudi Arabia is once again making headlines for overturning ... For many, this is further proof that King Abdullah is a force for moderation and reform. ... Then again, the king could also have considered stopping the recent beheading of ... Al Fakki: My head is about to be chopped off for witchcraft.
The New Republic
Saudi Arabian woman beheaded for witchcraft activity. « LEXIE ...
lexiecannes.com/.../saudi-arabian-woman-beheaded-for-witchcraft-activit...
Dec 13, 2011 - Saudi Arabian King Abdullah says he's trying to improve things for Saudi ... Saudi woman beheaded for 'witchcraft and sorcery' – CNN.com.http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/201733-saudi-arabia-is-human-rights-nightmare
Saudi Arabia is human rights nightmare
When President Barack Obama touches down in Saudi Arabia this week,
he will be stepping into a human rights nightmare. Freedom House
considers Saudi Arabia one of the world’s worst countries for political
rights and civil liberties. Amnesty International warns that the Kingdom
is undergoing a “sustained crackdown on human rights activists.” And if
the president declines to address these issues during his visit, he
will be indirectly facilitating repression by Riyadh.
With significant policy differences over Syria and Iran, there is reason to believe that the administration is even less willing to raise sensitive domestic concerns with their Saudi counterparts. Predictably, the White House’s statement on his travel agenda was silent with regard to promoting domestic reform and advancing pluralism. So was a briefing by Susan Rice that described his objectives for the trip.
The president no longer speaks about human rights and democracy promotion as a core U.S. interest in the region. The heady days of the early Arab Spring, when the president stood up and declared that “America must use all our influence to encourage reform,” appear to be over. No longer can activists have confidence that “if you take the risks that reform entails, you will have the full support of the United States.”
With significant policy differences over Syria and Iran, there is reason to believe that the administration is even less willing to raise sensitive domestic concerns with their Saudi counterparts. Predictably, the White House’s statement on his travel agenda was silent with regard to promoting domestic reform and advancing pluralism. So was a briefing by Susan Rice that described his objectives for the trip.
The president no longer speaks about human rights and democracy promotion as a core U.S. interest in the region. The heady days of the early Arab Spring, when the president stood up and declared that “America must use all our influence to encourage reform,” appear to be over. No longer can activists have confidence that “if you take the risks that reform entails, you will have the full support of the United States.”
Turning a blind eye when Saudi Arabia beheads a woman on charges of
witchcraft, or sentences an intellectual to hundreds of lashes, does a
disservice to American values. Worse, giving the Saudis a pass on
state-sponsored intolerance could ultimately follow us home. We would do
well to remember that fifteen of the nineteen hijackers on 9/11 were
Saudi nationals.
Jihadism in Syria threatens blowback for the Gulf, Europe, and the United States down the road. But the thousands of Saudi citizens joining jihadist groups in Syria are also reflective of an indigenous Saudi problem: incitement. As I have documented in a newly released monograph, the executive branch has unfortunately been withholding a government-commissioned report on hate speech in official Saudi textbooks.
For months the U.S. had declined to send observers to trials of non-violent Saudi activists. It broke that streak in January by sending an embassy official to attend the trial of Fowzan al-Harbi, whom Amnesty calls a “prisoner of conscience.” Al-Harbi’s verdict was expected last week but has been delayed until after the president's visit. The delay, presumably, is to avoid embarrassing Obama with a guilty verdict while he's on the ground. Before it's too late, however, the president should take advantage of this opportunity to give Al-Harbi, and Saudi Arabia’s other brave, peaceful dissidents, “the full support of the United States.”
Weinberg is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Jihadism in Syria threatens blowback for the Gulf, Europe, and the United States down the road. But the thousands of Saudi citizens joining jihadist groups in Syria are also reflective of an indigenous Saudi problem: incitement. As I have documented in a newly released monograph, the executive branch has unfortunately been withholding a government-commissioned report on hate speech in official Saudi textbooks.
For months the U.S. had declined to send observers to trials of non-violent Saudi activists. It broke that streak in January by sending an embassy official to attend the trial of Fowzan al-Harbi, whom Amnesty calls a “prisoner of conscience.” Al-Harbi’s verdict was expected last week but has been delayed until after the president's visit. The delay, presumably, is to avoid embarrassing Obama with a guilty verdict while he's on the ground. Before it's too late, however, the president should take advantage of this opportunity to give Al-Harbi, and Saudi Arabia’s other brave, peaceful dissidents, “the full support of the United States.”
Weinberg is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
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