Welcoming the tyrant

Ray · 10-30-2007, 13:56 PM

Quote:

Welcoming the tyrant

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia should be arrested for human rights abuses, not feted at Buckingham Palace.

Peter Tatchell

October 29, 2007 9:00 PM | Printable version

Gordon Brown refuses to meet the Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. He says he wants to take a stand against tyranny. Yet the same Gordon Brown will happily embrace the Saudi dictator, King Abdullah during his state visit to Britain this week. Double standards or what?

The Killer King of the House of Saud is even more of a despot that President Mugabe, yet he will be feted by the prime minister at 10 Downing Street and he will stay with the Queen at Buckingham Palace as her honoured guest. Isn't it just a tad hypocritical for Gordon Brown to rage against one form of tyranny while embracing another?

Ooops, I forgot. Zimbabwe has no oil and it is not a huge purchaser of British-made weaponry. I guess that explains it all. The Killer King's visit is about business, very big business. And under Labour, as with their Conservative predecessors, money-making trumps human rights every time.

Moreover, this deal-making isn't even clean profiteering, allegedly. The weapons manufacturer BAe Systems has been accused of having corrupt dealings with Saudi Arabia. In December last year, the Labour government cancelled a Serious Fraud Office investigation into the £40 billion al-Yamamah arms deals, which allegedly involved bribes totalling £1 billion being paid to Saudi government officials.

The Saudi regime is one of the most barbaric in the world. It is an absolute monarchy, like feudal England, based on a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. The blood-stained Killer King presides over a ruthless regime that is guilty of gross human rights abuses, according to Amnesty International. These abuses include detention without trial, torture and the public beheading of unchaste women, gay people and Muslims who turn away from their faith. The Saudi government bans political parties, trade unions and non-Muslim religions.

Capital punishment applies to wide range of "crimes", including apostasy, drug dealing, witchcraft, sex outside of marriage and sodomy. Between 1980 and 1999, Amnesty International recorded 1,163 known executions. This year, there have already been more than 100 executions, according to the BBC.

Typical of these executions, which mostly follow unfair trials and forced confessions, is the case of Abdul-Karim al-Naqshabandi. He was arrested in 1996, tortured into signing a confession and then convicted of ''witchcraft'' and executed, following a secret and summary trial, without legal representation.

Dr Sa'id bin Zua'ir, a political prisoner, was luckier. He wasn't put to death. Instead, he spent eight years, from 1995 to 2003, being held without charge or trial, after he called for political reform.

Political organisations are illegal in the Saudi Kingdom. In 2005, three men were given lengthy prison terms for circulating a petition calling for the replacement of the absolute monarchy with a constitutional one. Their lawyers faced harassment and were also locked up.

Employees are at the mercy of their bosses, with no protection or redress against abuses. Yahya al-Faifi, a Saudi employee of British Aerospace, was sacked in 2002 for merely gathering together his work colleagues to discuss a new contract which would have resulted in a pay cut. He had to flee abroad to escape jail. Soon afterwards, a group of academics petitioned the government to allow trade union and civil rights. They were punished with sentences of up to nine years' imprisonment.

Religious persecution is commonplace. A few years ago, a group of Catholic Filipino guest workers were arrested and beaten after they were caught praying in the privacy of their own homes. Even Muslims are not spared religious victimisation. Shia Muslims and other Muslims who do not adhere to the Saudi government's hardline Wahhabi brand of Islam face arrest and imprisonment. Sadiq 'Abd al-Karim Mal Allah, a Shia Muslim, was executed in 1992, allegedly for smuggling into the country a copy of the Bible and refusing a Saudi judge's order to convert to Wahhabism.

Women are treated like sub-humans and are subjected to a system of gender apartheid. Outside the home, they must cover themselves from head to toe in a "prison" of black cloth, with only a tiny slit for the eyes. Wearing coloured cloth is a crime. Women are prevented from voting and driving, and from testifying in court in criminal cases.

Saudi Arabia is a misogynistic, homophobic, theocratic police state. King Abdullah should be arrested and put on trial for human rights abuses, not embraced and feted.

As an absolute ruler with absolute power, he is responsible for what is happening in his country. With the strike of pen he could abolish the death penalty, the use of torture and detention without trial. But he chooses to not do so. The Killer King has made a conscious choice to maintain the human rights abuses that have made his country a by-word for barbarism.

Despite the shameful collusion of the Labour government, the Labour MP John McDonnell has put down an early day motion condemning the state visit. Human rights campaigners are planning protests against the Killer King on Tuesday and on Wednesday. The message will be loud and clear: the Saudi tyrant is not welcome in the UK.

Last Friday, on my Talking With Tatchell TV programme, I interviewed two of the protest organisers, Owen Jones, of the Socialist Youth Network, and Symon Hill of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. We examined the many abuses and injustices of the Saudi regime. You can watch the interview here.

As Owen and Symon noted, the UK and US governments have recently condemned the totalitarianism of the Burmese junta, yet the abuses in Saudi Arabia provoke not even a murmur of criticism from Washington or London. Instead, Mr Brown and Mr Bush prop up the Killer King's despotic regime, selling him arms and buying his oil. They are colluding with Abdullah's oppression of the Saudi people, putting profit-making before human rights.

Comment is free: Welcoming the tyrant

If Pinochet could be hauled up in Britain, then why not this bloke? He is no better than Pincohet!

The Islam followed by Saudi Arabia is Salafi or Wahhabi!

And the audacity is that this bloke told Simpson of BBC that he had warned Britain of 7/11 and that Britain sat on their haunches!

Bum!

It is not Labour alone which is on the wrong end of the stick, but also the Conservatives. History has to also be taken into consideration!

Trooth · 10-30-2007, 18:44 PM

I can't believe King Abdullah said with a straight face that the UK needs to do more to stop terrorism. I am not sure following the Saudi lead would help ....

dave lukins · 10-30-2007, 19:16 PM

He arrived with 6 jumbo jets and 400 lackies to look after him, no doubt all paid for out of the British coffers.

Ray · 10-30-2007, 21:10 PM

Why should the UK pay for the trip of the Saudi chap and that too to be badmouthed by him just before he arrives, that too through the BBC!

It was real interesting to hear him state that other countries are not doing much towards containing terrorism.

Maybe, he is right.

Nothing has been done to contain Saudi Arabia, the home of the Salafis/ Wahhabis!

Feanor · 10-30-2007, 22:50 PM

[sarcasm]Hey this is the same guy that managed to buy M1's from the U.S. He's a key ally of the west. You have to realize that the oil needs of the rest of the world sometimes supercede human rights for a few million people in a far away 3rd world country.[/sarcasm]

Ucar · 10-31-2007, 03:20 AM

If you remove the sarcasm brackets, the post would be right on spot !

Feanor · 10-31-2007, 06:10 AM

The sarcasm is there to show that I don't really think that way, Gordon Brown does.

Trooth · 11-01-2007, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

Why should the UK pay for the trip of the Saudi chap and that too to be badmouthed by him just before he arrives, that too through the BBC!

It was real interesting to hear him state that other countries are not doing much towards containing terrorism.

Maybe, he is right.

Nothing has been done to contain Saudi Arabia, the home of the Salafis/ Wahhabis!

I am not overly fussed about whether or not we pay, i assume it is quid pro quo when our people go on state visits to other lands. I am pleased that the BBC reported his words (that is their job) so that the world could truly despise the lazines of Britain for sending its troops to fight said terrorists in Afghanistan. As opposed to the enthusaism of the Saudi chequebook for the Madrassas that trained them.

Ray, you are spot on, we haven't done enough to contain the root of some of this terrorism. In fact i seem to recall a great many lazy British defending said country when it was threatened with invasion 15 or so years ago.

However like it or not, and most of us don't. Saudi Arabia is a key ally. It's one of the few places in the middle-east pleased to see westerners (even if our motivations are far from pure, even if their regimes are far from pure). And yes they are good customers, as are we of them. Is tha tright. No of course we shouldn't sell them arms, nor buy their ooil, but then we wouldn't be able to afford our comfy lifestyles.

Dreadnought · 11-01-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

Why should the UK pay for the trip of the Saudi chap and that too to be badmouthed by him just before he arrives, that too through the BBC!

It was real interesting to hear him state that other countries are not doing much towards containing terrorism.

Maybe, he is right.

Nothing has been done to contain Saudi Arabia, the home of the Salafis/ Wahhabis!

Ray,
Sir, IMO They are doing nothing more then showing just how great their country is and their diplomacy in motion. One thing great countries do is allow those that sometimes have noting better to say then criticism a chance to speak their minds.

Look at us we allow the fool from Iran to come here and give his rant. It means nothing more to us except that we are still one of the great nations of democracy. Something they will never understand. However we didnt pay for his ride.

Debbie · 11-01-2007, 14:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

Ray,
Sir, IMO They are doing nothing more then showing just how great their country is and their diplomacy in motion. One thing great countries do is allow those that sometimes have noting better to say then criticism a chance to speak their minds.

Look at us we allow the fool from Iran to come here and give his rant. It means nothing more to us except that we are still one of the great nations of democracy. Something they will never understand. However we didnt pay for his ride.

Very nice

smilingassassin · 11-01-2007, 18:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ucar

If you remove the sarcasm brackets, the post would be right on spot !

Gee what a surprise, another Turk who likes to blame America....

Adux · 11-01-2007, 18:24 PM

Oh, get over it.

He is on our side, and we arent for protecting world citizens, but our own citizens. We havent reached the stage of a united world(wait for Alien attack) till then we will have double standards to make sure we are in advantegeous position. I compeltely loathe this fake moral grand standing

Adux · 11-01-2007, 18:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

Why should the UK pay for the trip of the Saudi chap and that too to be badmouthed by him just before he arrives, that too through the BBC!

It was real interesting to hear him state that other countries are not doing much towards containing terrorism.

Maybe, he is right.

Nothing has been done to contain Saudi Arabia, the home of the Salafis/ Wahhabis!

Sir,

UK Paid for making the movie Mangal Pandey, compeltely anti-Brit movie.

Feanor · 11-01-2007, 20:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smilingassassin

Gee what a surprise, another Turk who likes to blame America....

Hey I'm Russian and I blame America. Well sometimes.

Dreadnought · 11-02-2007, 09:58 AM

To any nation out there that wants the job we have as America then please by all means step up. See what its like to shoulder that responsibility and rhetoric on a constant basis. Any takers? I thought not.

10-30-2007, 18:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trooth *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 11-23-03 Posts: 2,110 Country:	I can't believe King Abdullah said with a straight face that the UK needs to do more to stop terrorism. I am not sure following the Saudi lead would help .... __________________ The world as it should be at surrealscoop.blogspot.com

10-31-2007, 03:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ucar *Military Professional* Join Date: 06-19-07 Posts: 298 Country:	To Feanor If you remove the sarcasm brackets, the post would be right on spot !

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10-30-2007, 19:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
dave lukins *Military Professional* Join Date: 01-04-07 Location: cheshire uk Posts: 5,135 Country:	He arrived with 6 jumbo jets and 400 lackies to look after him, no doubt all paid for out of the British coffers.

10-30-2007, 21:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ray Postmaster General *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-20-03 Posts: 27,117 Country:	Why should the UK pay for the trip of the Saudi chap and that too to be badmouthed by him just before he arrives, that too through the BBC! It was real interesting to hear him state that other countries are not doing much towards containing terrorism. Maybe, he is right. Nothing has been done to contain Saudi Arabia, the home of the Salafis/ Wahhabis!

10-30-2007, 22:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
Feanor Banished Join Date: 06-12-07 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,385 Country:	[sarcasm]Hey this is the same guy that managed to buy M1's from the U.S. He's a key ally of the west. You have to realize that the oil needs of the rest of the world sometimes supercede human rights for a few million people in a far away 3rd world country.[/sarcasm]

10-31-2007, 06:10 AM	#7 (permalink)
Feanor Banished Join Date: 06-12-07 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,385 Country:	The sarcasm is there to show that I don't really think that way, Gordon Brown does.

11-01-2007, 18:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
Adux Banished Join Date: 07-29-05 Location: Cochin Posts: 2,931 Country:	Oh, get over it. He is on our side, and we arent for protecting world citizens, but our own citizens. We havent reached the stage of a united world(wait for Alien attack) till then we will have double standards to make sure we are in advantegeous position. I compeltely loathe this fake moral grand standing

11-02-2007, 09:58 AM	#15 (permalink)
Dreadnought *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 05-12-05 Posts: 5,506 Country:	To any nation out there that wants the job we have as America then please by all means step up. See what its like to shoulder that responsibility and rhetoric on a constant basis. Any takers? I thought not.

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