Saudi Arabia boasts of “reform” to impress its Western friends of mutual convenience, but there is good reason to be skeptical. Its support for ISIS was no secret. Even the left-leaning Independent proclaimed that “both Saudi Arabia and Isis are founded in Islamic law, with Saudi Arabia being the only state recognised internationally that owes its existence to the expansion of Islamic radicals.” Saudi Arabia also condemned “offensive” cartoons in wake of the beheading of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty, but didn’t condemn his beheading. And now Saudi Arabia is back in the news for continuing its crackdown on women’s rights activists.
Given the truth about what Saudi Arabia is founded upon, it is not surprising that it continues to jail women on trumped-up charges of “terrorism” for speaking up against its strict Sharia oppression of women. The women are then subjected to torture and a range of abuses. Most of these jailed human rights defenders campaign(ed) for the right to drive for women and an end to the kingdom’s male guardianship system.
Saudi Arabia has stubbornly ignored American calls for the release of activists, and a renewed call in a joint statement by 7 European human rights ambassadors will likely be met with silence.
“Loujain al-Hathloul, Saudi women’s rights activist, sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison,” by Saphora Smith, NBC News, December 28, 2020:
One of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent women’s rights activists was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison Monday despite international pressure for her to be released, according to a member of her family.
Loujain al-Hathloul’s sentence had been suspended for two years and ten months, her sister Lina al-Hathloul said on Twitter. When added to the time she has already served in detention since her arrest in May 2018, she may be released in two months, according to her sister.
Lina Al-Hathloul tweeted that her sister was also subject to a five-year travel ban and that the public prosecutor and Al-Hathloul could both still appeal. NBC News could not independently verify all the details of Al-Hathloul’s sentencing.
A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Media confirmed Al-Hathloul’s sentence was for five years and eight months, two years and 10 months of which had been suspended, but could not immediately confirm if the sentence would be backdated to May 2018.
Loujain Al-Hathloul, 31, rose to prominence for openly calling for women to be given the right to drive and for an end to Saudi Arabia’s restrictive male guardianship system that had long limited women’s freedom of movement. She was arrested along with several other female activists in May 2018, just weeks before the kingdom ended a decades-long ban on women driving.
Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said that some of the women detained, including Al-Hathloul, reported having faced abuses while imprisoned, including electric shocks, whippings and sexual assault. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations.
Human Rights Watch said prosecutors charged Al-Hathloul in 2019 with offenses related to her human rights advocacy, before later amending her charge sheet and transferring her case in late November to the country’s notorious Specialized Criminal Court, which specializes in handling terrorism cases.
Other dissidents, including cleric Salman al-Awda, who called on the country’s rulers to be more responsive to the population’s desires for reform, have also stood trial in the kingdom’s anti-terror court….
Mount Zion says
Let’s not pretend , everyone knows at least to some degree that muslim countries feel superior to kuffars and don’t like to be told that they are infringing upon women’s rights and that they should release that beautiful innocent woman . Unless there is no constant pressure or even sanctions that would really hurt Saudis , nothing is going to happen and all these human rights groups will not be getting anywhere .
Wellington says
Well said. Quite accurate.
Infidel says
Problem is that the only people who’d sanction the Saudis would be the Democrats and other leftist fellow travellers, but they have a bizarre perspective: they think that the Saudis are the only intolerant muslims in the world, and all others are hunky dory. Which is why Obama had this policy of empowering Iran: he wanted to bring the Saudis down 2 notches
The alternatives have been pressurizing the Saudis to improve human rights while doing nothing about their enemies – now Iran and Turkey, or ignoring their human rights abuses in return for them doing the right things on the world stage. Obama did the former, Trump the latter. And Saudi Arabia has been doing the right things internationally – they no longer fund jihad, they’ve cut off Pakistan and Turkey, they’re supporting other Arab countries doing peace deals w/ Israel, they themselves are improving ties w/ India….
I don’t think that the Saudis can be forced to behave both at home and abroad, w/o bringing down the regime. And I think a lot less of the Saudi people than I do of MbS: given a choice, they’d probably elect an al Qaeda party. So it’s best to let MbS do whatever he’s doing
Mount Zion says
Can you believe that Saudi Arabia won a seat on the UN Women’s Rights Body , on Youtube you can find some very intetesting Video clips about Hillel Neuer explaining most eloquently how that came about .Petrodollars trump common sense .
LB says
How is that difficult to believe? It’s a well-known fact that the UN is in the pocket of OIC. Didn’t Pakistan recently get elected as the head of the UN human rights committee or something? That should tell you all you need to know.
Infidel says
I can believe it: every UN agency is a joke
gravenimage says
Utterly ludicrous, but not surprising re the UN. Also, look at the horrifying human rights violatere that have been on their Human Rights Council–including China, Nirth Korea, and every Islamic hell hole you can think of, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, and–yes–Saudi Arabia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Human_Rights_Council
Lion heart says
How ironic that Saudi Arabia which is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism for decades calls a Saudi Arabian activist girl a terrorist ??
Mount Zion says
How ironic that Saudi Arabia also has a seat on the Women’s rights Body at the UN ????
Christopher Watson says
Problem is, I doubt they would even see the irony in that fact. They even had to PAY the Americans to save them from Saddam Hussein.
Walter Sieruk says
Those false charges made by that Islamic kingdom of Saudi Arabia angan=inst this courageous and brave female activists for Woman: rights is terrible..
That she was even put in prison for for those bogus charges of promoting “terrorism” is totally despicable and completely outrageous ‘
To make matter even worse ,it’s actually Saudi Arabia that is guilty of promoting terrorism.
To be more specfic the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is guilty of promoting Muslim terrorism.
They sure have much gall ,to be more clear yet Islamic gall to press such absurd charges against this good woman ,since it’s SA that is guilty of the heinous affront of supporting and funding Islamic terrorism.
As revealed by Brigitte Gabriel in her book entitled THEY MUST BE STOPPED .As page 114 of her book reads ” Saudi Arabia is one ofthe leading financial contributors of Islamic terrorism worldwide.”
That information has been confirmed by a number of other reliable sources.
Furthermore,That is woman in jalid reflect of cruel misogyny of Islam and in the same book just mentioned above on page 171. it informs the reader “Control of human behavior and disregard for human life are key elements in Islamic ideology.”
Of course , all the reader of this specfic site know or should know that such Islamic ideology is firmly based on the foundation of Islamic theology , which included brutal ,cruel ,vicious ,malicious misogyny.
Related to this is that on page 172 it had been exposed that “Women in Islam are considered unclean , deemed inferior even to dirt.”
Indeed, they must be stopped
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
All Muslim women live in cages of one form or another. Sometimes the cages are visible, sometimes they’re not. Leave it to a self-described progressive Muslim country to demonstrate this ongoing human tragedy.
Wellington says
I wish well to this young woman but I also hope that she realizes that the ultimate reason for her “predicament” is Islam itself. Better.
The Zuhdi Jassers and Irshad Manjis of the Islamic world are part of the problem in dealing with Islam and not part of any informed solution. Wanting to reform Islam, rather than discarding it, is a grave mistake and only prolongs the life of the one major faith which is, and by way of its own theological blueprint, beyond redemption. Might as well try to reform Marxism or Nazism as attempt to reform Islam.
Once again, I hope this young Saudi woman and loads of other Saudi women comprehend all this. Better.
James Lincoln says
Wellington says,
“The Zuhdi Jassers and Irshad Manjis of the Islamic world are part of the problem in dealing with Islam”
Your analysis is 100% spot on.
Any efforts to reform islam are futile – it goes against the core tenets of islam.
Islam needs to be discarded as toxic waste – the sooner the better…
Greg Beetham says
Of course the cult of Satan is toxic waste but it is very favourable to the male side of the equation because among other things females become property so there is no incentive in such a primitive mindset for reform.
The CCP seems to have overcome the resistance for reform; the measures seem draconian but the cult of Satan is draconian itself so it becomes a question of semantics, is the cure worse than the disease?
The majority of the Chinese population might agree that Islam is no loss no matter how the Communist party deals with it but then how does one rid oneself of the cure after the successful exorcism.
gravenimage says
+1
Steve says
You gotta love the sleight of hand when it comes to allowing women to drive. Truth is it still comes down to what her closest handler says. It’s his call not hers.
gravenimage says
Yep.
Rarely says
The Saudi regime requires the cooperation of the clergy to maintain power. That just about says it all. Don’t expect too much in the way of reform.
Infidel says
Actually, the clergy does what the strongman in power wants them to do. Which is why over the last year, the main imam of Mecca as well as others have diluted their Judeophobic messages so that there isn’t opposition to the Saudis doing deals w/ Israel.
And the Saudis have reformed a lot. I know you guys on the left like to pretend that they’re the only malignant force in the islamic world, but going over the stories the last few days, Gaza and Pakistan are easily far worse than Saudi Arabia. I dunno why Riyadh is cracking down on Al-Hathloul, but the fact that women can now drive, don’t need to be accompanied by a male relative shows that that country is on the right path. In fact, in today’s world, I’d be a lot more leery of places like Pakistan, Turkey and Gaza than I’d be of Saudi Arabia
gravenimage says
Agreed, rarely–there is going to be little reform in Saudi Arabia.
Keith O says
The whole reason that the Saudi royal family and it’s government know that they can get away with this sort of shite, can be boiled down to one word,,,,,OIL!
If the rest of the world wasn’t dependent upon oil then these idiots would still be riding camels around the sand hills and we would not even know about them.
As a side note, I find it interesting that oil is the byproduct of death from the ancient world and now the money generated by this death is bringing death and destruction to the modern world.
James Lincoln says
Keith O,
To your point:
At the very least, after the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, the entire Western world should have embarked on a ultra high-level crash program in order to fully ween itself off of Middle Eastern oil…
Christopher Watson says
It all dates back to 1956 when America and Eisenhower backed the Egyptians against Britain and France. The Arabs knew they had America in their pockets.
James Lincoln says
Christopher Watson,
Good point, I believe that you are referring to the Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war…
gravenimage says
Agreed, James. And right now North America at least is largely energy independent.
Infidel says
Oil is something that has seen its value skydive this year, thanks to both the worldwide Chinavirus lockdowns as well as the Russo-Saudi price war earlier this year that President Trump intervened to end. Otherwise, oil prices were at one point negative, meaning that oil producers would pay anyone w storage capacity to store it, but not return it. In short, it was like paying them to buy it
Now the prices are back in positive territory, but they’re low enough that the gulf countries are now for the first time in their history cutting their budgets, contemplating income taxes, and exploring ways of earning revenue through sources other than oil. Like the Neom project. And certainly, they’re out of the business of funding dawa or mosque-building activities abroad
Don’t let the posturing of our ‘foreign policy experts’ fool you. Just like they still pretend that Russia is the Soviet Union, they also still think that Saudi Arabia was what it was under previous kings like Abdullah and Fahd
Aussie Infidel says
It is imperative that Muslims must control their women, otherwise their soul-destroying, totalitarian ideology would come tumbling down like a house of cards in a breeze. I notice that Ms al-Hathloul is not wearing a hijab – that alone would be enough to enrage the mullahs. If women get too many civil rights, they might start questioning some of the other tenets of Islam – like marriage rights and custody of children after divorce. If Islam is ever to be reformed – to even resemble a civilized ideology – it will require input from its women. But to help this poor woman and others like her, will require Western leaders with guts tp confront the Muslims – but sadly there aren’t too many of them. The only way to get through to Muslim authorities, is to tie trade and other forms of international assistance and co-operation to civil rights. The Muslims need to be constantly reminded that their Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam is a sham, and the direct opposite of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has been signed by every civilized country. Where are Western feminists on this issue? Or are they too busy supporting their own Marxist dogma to be bothered?
gravenimage says
Good questions.
Crusades Were Right says
“terrorism”
Dysphemism much, Saudi Arabia?
gravenimage says
Saudi Arabia: Another women’s rights activist jailed for ‘terrorism’
……………..
This poor woman.
And keep this in mind the next time some Muslim says they are “against terrorism”…
Mojdeh says
Well just Israel got air authorization to pass over Saudi to Hit Iran. Wait latter this women would be freed.
Now she is lucky got 6 years and she is not raped like Evin Prison.So i am sure she will get freedom sooner.
gravenimage says
Alas, Loujain al-Hathloul has been tortured and threatened with rape in prison:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/saudi-men-and-women-are-now-equal-when-it-comes-prison-torture
Mojdeh says
Well i was not ware of that so i correct myself.. indeed… again sorry…I hope she be in good shape..
Let us believe that our abilities are endless. Let us believe that the sun rises for each and every one of us. Let us believe that we deserve to thrive and to live peacefully together. Let us believe that freedom and justice are our undeniable rights. Let us believe that the power of love will make everything possible. Understanding pain is an inherent part of treating it. We owe it to ourselves to save and live in the moment and create these moments together. Let us be the sky and not just clouds. Let us move from fear and anger and disbeliefs to the belief that we can run from despair to hope together. Let us see today and now as the excuse to move from what could have been to what can be.
gravenimage says
Beautifuls sentiments, Mojdeh. Now if ony Islam was like this…
Mojdeh says
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Giacomo Latta says
The KSA is as vile as any other muslim country. When a KSA citizen attending a university in Canada was charged with sexual assault of a Canadian, local authorities confiscated his passport.Magically he left Canada with a new KSA passport and a new identity. I suppose the pretext, if any, is that Canadian laws do not equate to KSA laws. Namely that non-muslim women cannot be raped.
OLD GUY says
Saudi Arabia our ally? Only for their convenience. Civil rights in S.A. only for males. Women have basically no rights under Saudi rule and sharia laws. Women of the world need to standup against the islamic treatment of women and young girls in muslim countries.
Mojdeh says
Military bracing for attack on U.S. forces in Iraq on one year anniversary of strike that killed Iranian top general Qasem Soleimani
Military leaders are concerned there could be an attack in the coming days against U.S. troops in Iraq
‘I would tell you that the threat streams are very real,’ a senior official said, warning there is concern of a ‘complex attack’
The official also characterized the situation as the ‘most concerning that I have seen’ since Iranian General Qasem Soleimani’s killing on January 3, 2020.
The year anniversary of the drone strike that took out Soleimani is approaching
Donald Trump is returning from his Mar-a-Lago vacation early on Thursday
Some claim he could be skipping his New Year’s Even Gala, in part, because of the threat of a retaliatory attack
Lenny F. says
Perhaps I was a college student when I read Lysistrata and gained an appreciation for women’s power over men. In the short-run, men are stronger and can “take” what they want, but the fate of any civilization is always in the hands of women. They are the ones who give birth and nurture their children, and like a river, they can slowly erode riverbanks and alter the terrain.
You could say their plight is untenable, but that would be a comparison, and we must remember that the playing field was never level, but we adjust and learn how to play there anyway. Saudi women have to get there on their own, as Saudi men do not bow to the world’s wishes. A bird egg either hatches on its own, or the bird will never have the strength to live on its own. These Saudi women will have to figure out how to deal with THEIR men, and women have done that throughout history. Real change can only come from within.
gravenimage says
Lenny, this kind of thing only works in at least semi-civilized societies, In Islam where marital rape is sacralized, the “Triple Talaq” grants men instant divorce and custody of the children, and “Honor Killings” are rife, women have almost no power. In fact, women, children, minorities and the individual have almost no rights under Shari’ah law.
I do agree, though, that the civilized world can do little to help.