Saudi Views on Lebanon

A Hezbollah takeover of Lebanon is a Saudi dream come true at this juncture. The Saudis consider the Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah alliance as a looming threat to their influence, image and security in the region and at home. This is why the Saudi autocratic monarchy and its religious zealots wish to see Hezbollah control Lebanon, despite their overt declarations. Why? Because the Saudis know that if Hezbollah controls all of Lebanon, the Israelis (with encouragement and military help from the United States) will attack Lebanon, strike Syria if it interferes, and take out Iran's nuclear installations. All of this works to the benefit of the Saudi oligarchs. Publicly, the Saudis will condemn the "Zionists," send food and medicine to Iran and Lebanon, and after the dust settles, rebuild Lebanon's infrastructure and attempt to implement Shariah law.

The immediate losers in this debacle would be the defenseless Lebanese Christians, most of which, if not all, would leave the country instead of being enslaved by backward Arab dictators and theocrats. Another loser would be the U.S., as it would be depicted in the new Arab government- controlled media as an anti-Arab and anti-Muslim Israeli puppet. This is a tragedy in the making. In the long run, Israel will not benefit from this scenario either, and U.S. influence will vanish from the region. This is what the Saudis and Iranians are striving for. Until this happens, the Saudis and the Iranians will continue to work together to unite all Muslims against the infidels.

corp.gulfinthemedia.com/gulf_media/view_article_en_print.php?action=print&id=401980

A Saudi blogger in prison

Fouad Alfarhan is a Saudi blogger who has been languishing in a maximum-security prison in Saudi Arabia, without charge, for the past four months. His arrest has generated international condemnation of the Saudi government’s heavy-handed censorship of all forms of free expression, as well as substantial criticism of members of the royal family.

Mr. Alfarhan did not commit any crime other than expressing his desire, shared by millions of Saudi men and women, for more freedom, transparency, accountability, and free press. The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia condemns the arbitrary arrest and lack of any justifiable charges against Mr. Alfarhan. Please watch his young daughter's video, where she tells her father how much she loves and misses him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH7sflcUGj8

A Courageous Saudi Blogger languishes in Saudi Prison

When the courageous and well known Saudi blogger, Fouad Al-Farhan, was arrested on December 11^th, 2007, by Prince Naif’s Ministry of Interior, many Saudis knew it was because he had posted blogs demanding reforms in Saudi Arabia. Another belief is that his arrest was the immediate result of his refusal to retract some of his blog posts criticizing Saudi officials. Although the government denied these allegations, it has become clear that Fouad’s criticism and demands were what led to his unjustified and arbitrary arrest, because no other charges have been brought against him.

The Al-Farhan case is similar to those of other courageous Saudi citizens, who called on and petitioned their government for democratic reforms and political inclusion. Prominent among Saudi reformers who faced the same fate as Al-Farhan are poet and author Al-Doumaini, and doctors Al-Faleh and Al-Hamid. They, too, were rounded and thrown in Saudi penitentiary cells for over a year, and when pardoned by King Abdullah after he inherited the throne in August of 2005, they were forbidden to travel, talk to the media, or find jobs.

Fouad Al Farhan is considered to be the godfather of Saudi blogging. He is widely respected for sharing his views and ideas about certain values that he believes the citizens of Saudi Arabia should be entitled to, like the rest of the world. However, since his arrest, Al Farhan has been subjected to treacherous conditions. Aside from one exception on February 12^th, Al-Farhan’s family has been denied visitations and phone calls for the past three months. This is indicative that Al-Farhan is enduring tortuous interrogation, with the hope that he might confess to false allegations that the government has placed against him, such as spying for the CIA and complying with Zionist agencies and terrorist organizations.

This is the method used by Saudi authorities to silence any critique against them and to terrorize anyone who might be aspiring to make the same demands as Al-Farhan, notably to ask for accountability, transparency, rule of law, an independent judicial system, women’s rights, minority rights, privileges for expatriates, and respect for other people’s beliefs. The international community, especially the United States, has moral and practical obligations to demand that Al-Farhan be released, or at least that an open trial be held in a court of non-religious law, with the presence of a defense attorney. The Saudi-Wahhabi ruling elites should not be allowed to transgress international declarations on human rights, especially when they have signed them.

Source:

http://www.arabnews.com/services/print/print.asp?artid=107122&d=24&m=2&y=2008&hl=Blogger’s%20Family%20Urges%20Authorities%20to%20Allow%20Prison%20Visits

When a Cup of Coffee sets off Religious Oppression

In this day and age, nowhere in the world do government police snatch an innocent educated businesswoman, interrogate her, confiscate her phone, and throw her in a penitentiary for having a cup of coffee with a business colleague in a crowded public coffee shop. Nowhere except for Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to the 1.3 billion Muslims' holy shrines. Despite its ubiquity in Saudi Arabia, this kind of behavior is not only morally abhorrent and in utter disrespect for basic human rights, but an insult to the same Muslim faith that Saudis and Muslims worldwide depict and defend as a faith of tolerance, civility, equality and justice. The gender apartheid system in Saudi Arabia is institutionalized and severely enforced by a ferocious government-hired and trained religious police ("Matawaein" or "domesticators"), who are authorized to terrorize, humiliate and treat Saudi citizens and residents with sheer contempt. Though they claim to be defending Islam, the Saudi-Wahhabi families merely use religion as a pretext to justify their appalling treatment of women, religious minorities, and non-Muslims. Humiliating women and denying them the right to drive, work, buy property and travel without being accompanied by a male relative, are state policies and daily occurrences. The unlimited power bestowed upon the institutionalized religious extremists is not only a dire threat to the future and prosperity of the Saudi people—stifled and lagging in social and political development—but also to Muslims worldwide, especially women, and to the international community. Pretending that religious extremism can be washed away by simply ignoring it is a colossal mistake for which the world has paid dearly. It will only get worse from here.

Source:
http://www.arabnews.com/services/print/print.asp?artid=106499&d=5&m=2&y=2008&hl=Coffee%20With%20Colleague%20Lands%20Woman%20in%20Trouble

Release Fouad Al-Farhan

The Center for Democracy and Human Rights, located in Washington, DC

Reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of the innocent Saudi blogger,

Fouad Al-Farhan

Saudi Arabia is considered one of the most censored societies on earth. All forms of free expression are banned, independent civil society is prohibited, and men and women are severely segregated and deprived of many of the same rights, benefits and social norms that are accepted and valued worldwide. The press is government-controlled and all editors of print and visual media are appointed by the government. The oppressive conditions present in Saudi Arabia, including the lack of freedom of speech, assemblage, and public debate, have forced Saudis to be creative and seek other means of communicating with one another, including sign language between men and women who know very little about one other due to their lifelong segregation. However, nothing can compare to the use of the internet by Saudis to express their feelings and views, particularly through the blog. Most Saudis, especially young men and women, who are denied their divine and natural rights to meet face-to-face in schools, public places, or entertainment houses may spend more time on their computers and phones exchanging romantic messages than they do studying, working, or doing household chores.

As Saudis became aware of blogging’s potential to work wonders in a stifling society such as their own, the new internet medium gained widespread popularity. The use of the internet became an empowering tool for oppressed Saudis because they could use it at anytime, anywhere they happened to be. Today, Saudis can use the internet at home, abroad, via mobile phones, Blueberries, and Bluetooth. More importantly, they can use it without the omnipresence of the Saudi government’s layers of ruthless spying agents. This empowerment gave the Saudi internet users, especially the bloggers, a profound sense of freedom to talk about politics, corruption, oppression, religion, sex, and individual liberty.

One such blogger is the courageous Fouad Al-Farhan of Jeddah, a major liberal and cosmopolitan city in the Hijaz region, by the Red Sea. Al-Farhan was one of the first Saudis ever to blog under his real name. He broke free from the self-regulated pattern, which most Saudi journalists and citizens are forced to embrace if they want to avoid imprisonment, the loss of their jobs, and stigmatization. Al-Farhan began to write about liberty, codified civil laws, accountability and transparency. Such topics are depicted by the Saudi government and its educational and judicial systems, as well as its extremist religious agents, as morally corrupting and un-Islamic infidel creations designed to destroy Islam and its adherents. These topics are deemed to be security risks and against God’s will, as well as an insult to the good judgment of Wali Elimr, the king.

Fouad Al-Farhan put his life at risk through his actions and opinions. It is for this reason that he is known as the godfather of Saudi blogging. On December 11th, 2007, Al-Farhan was snatched by the dreaded agents of Prince Naif’s Ministry of Interior, ostensibly for reasons other than his demands for better governance. Saudis know his arrest was the immediate result of his refusal to retract some of his blogposts criticizing Saudi officials. In order to avoid domestic and international condemnation, such as that which occurred in the case of the gang-raped bint Al-Qatief in December, the loathed Minister of Interior, Prince Naïf, did not close Al-Farhan’s blogging activities. However, Al-Farhan has been languishing in the notorious Saudi penitentiary, Dahban, since December 11th, 2007, and apparently has yet to be informed of the charges pressing against him.

The question is, why was Fouad Al-Farhan really arrested? If his arrest was due to his writings, which most Saudis seem to suspect, then this is direct proof that the reform King Abdullah and his hired propagandists in the West brag about is a farce. Why is it a crime for the new generation of young citizens to discuss issues that shape and affect every aspect of their daily lives, as well as the future of their society and fragile country?

On January 5th, 2007, Al-Farhan’s father-in-law was allowed to meet with him for one hour inside Jeddah’s Dahban Prison. The next day, blogs across the Middle East and around the world observed a “Day of Blog Silence” in protest of Al-Farhan’s detention. The New York Times also weighed in with a staff editorial condemning the arrest and calling for Al-Farhan’s release. Fouad Al-Farhan was once a minor celebrity within the limited scene of Saudi Arabian bloggers. Now, he is an internationally-known dissident with leading newspapers, organizations, and diplomats calling for his release. Over 1,000 people have already sent letters to Saudi and American officials calling for Fouad Al-Farhan’s immediate release.

CDHR urges you to do the same, because without global exposure and condemnation of harsh Saudi policies, the infringement of basic individual liberties and gross violations of human rights will continue under the autocratic political and religious policies of the Saudi-Wahhabi system.

Ali H. Alyami, Ph. D.
Executive Director, The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
1050 17 St. NW Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 558-5552; (202) 413-0084; Fax: (202) 536-5210
ali@cdhr.info; www.cdhr.info

About CDHR

About CDHR

Mission Declaration:

The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) is a (501)(c)3 non-profit organization established to promote timely and irreversible transformation of the existing Saudi autocratic institutions to a system whereby all Saudi citizens are empowered to chart a peaceful, prosperous, tolerant and safe future for themselves and for their religiously and economically influential country.

Implication for the International Community

Due to its centrality to Islam and position as the largest exporter of petroleum, Saudi Arabia plays major roles in the lives of Muslims and non-Muslims worldwide. Stabilizing Saudi Arabia under pluralistic institutions will ensure peace and prosperity for the Saudi people, the Greater Middle East and the international community.

What We Do

CDHR gathers information from a wide range of sources about current events in Saudi Arabia and analyzes and interprets their impact on Saudi society, the Greater Middle East and the international community. These unique findings are disseminated to policy makers, the public, media, educational institutions and a variety of nongovernmental organizations. The distribution of CDHR’s information is widely dispersed via our newsletter, website, Blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts. In addition, CDHR’s staff organize educational conferences, Congressional briefings and participate in a multitude of public and official events. CDHR promotes: freedom of worship and expression, transparency, accountability, empowerment of women, protection of migrant workers, establishment of and adherence to non-sectarian laws and compliance with all international declarations on human rights. CDHR rallies support for Saudi democratic reformers, highlights their initiatives and exposes the Saudi government’s heavy-handed responses to them.

CDHR Promotes:

Political Reform: Transformation of the Saudi political structure from its current autocratic one-family-rule to a participatory political structure where all citizens’ and expatriates’ civil liberties and full rights are protected under the rule of codified non-sectarian laws. Find Out More!

Religious Freedom: Freedom of worship, religious thoughts, practices and choices. Find Out More!

Women’s Rights: Equal rights for all Saudi women, the eradication of child and forced marriages, honor killings, stoning, genital mutilation, pleasure (mit’ah) marriage, the four wives system and the removal of gender segregation rules throughout society. Find Out More!

Minority Rights: Full and equal rights for Muslim and non-Muslim religious minorities under the rule of law. Find Out More!

Economic Reform: Privatization of government owned industries, public utilities and independent economic institutions. Find Out More!

US Legislation: Learn about current U.S. legislation affecting human rights and democracy in Saudi Arabia, and encourage your Congressional Representatives to support these important initiatives. Find Out More!

A Non-sectarian Judicial System: An independent court system staffed by highly qualified jurists who interpret and apply publicly approved non-sectarian laws where the rights and dignity of all citizens, regardless of status, and expatriates are equally protected under the rule of law.

Transparency and Accountability: Creation of an independent national treasury where all national revenues and disbursements are accounted for and open to public scrutiny.

Reformed Education and Religious Institutions: The management of all educational and religious institutions should be turned over to non-governmental bodies. As required by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights Dec. 10, 1948, courses about women, human rights and other religions must be part of all educational levels in Saudi Arabia.

Freedom of the Press and Flow of Uncensored Information: Abolition of censorship of all forms of expressions and information in and outside of the country.

CDHR’s Activities:

1) Provides thought provoking and accurate information and analysis of Saudi events and policies via its widely read website and 5,000 strong newsletter recipients worldwide. CDHR’s director analyzes current Saudi news and policies for the benefit of the readers who would otherwise take the highly censored Saudi news for face value.

2) Operates a Blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts to spread information and engage readers in open discussions about issues that affect them, but which they cannot initiate from or discuss openly in Saudi Arabia.

3) Organizes in-depth public and official conferences and round table discussions in which qualified speakers present current different prospective and analysis about Saudi policies, US-Saudi relations and the Saudi role in the financing and spread of its austere brand of Islam, Wahhabism.

4) Monitors and conducts research on human rights, women’s and minority rights, rights of expatriates, religious tolerance and freedom of worship and expression.

5) Networks with other groups, think tanks and Congressional staffers in Washington, to provide them with current information about Saudi Arabia as it relates to the US and its interests.

6) Networks with pro-democracy and human rights groups in the US, Europe and individuals in the Arab and Muslim communities.

7) Provides presentations at conferences and other events, utilizing the knowledge of the Executive Director as a native of Saudi Arabia and an expert intimately familiar with its history, composition, and peoples.

Subscribe to our newsletters!

CDHR sends out regular newsletters twice a month to our readers with analysis of events in Saudi Arabia, upcoming CDHR events, and reports on the progress of our ongoing campaigns. Subscribe Now!

Please donate online or by mail

The Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered in Washington, DC. Your donation is tax deductible and will help CDHR continue its democratic, nonviolent activities. Donate easily online to CDHR using PayPal or send a donation by mail to:

The Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
1050 17th Street NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036 USA

Recommended Readings

In the News

1. PBS Frontline: Saudi Time Bomb?
2. Interview with Prince Talal from Financial Times
3. Is the Military Bulwark Against Islamism Collapsing? from Middle East Forum
4. Losing My Jihadism from The Washington Post
5. The Jihadi Who Kept Asking Why from The New York Times

News Sources

1. Arab News
   
   

Reports

1. 9/11 Five Years Later: Successes and Challenges from the US National Security Council

1. The 9/11 Report from the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
2. Human Rights Watch Report from 2001 on Saudi Arabia
3. Saudi Arabia Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004 from the US State Department.
4. International Religious Freedom Report 2005: Saudi Arabia from the US State Department
5. Report on Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, Saudi Arabia section from Freedom House

1. International Religious Freedom Report 2008 on Saudi Arabia from US State Department
2. Perpetual Minors: Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Male Guardianship and Sex Segregation in Saudi Arabia from Human Rights Watch, April 2008
3. Universal Periodic Review of Saudi Arabia from Human Rights Watch

1. Human Rights and Saudi Arabia’s Counterterrorism Response: Religious Counseling, Indefinite Detention, and Flawed Trials from Human Rights Watch, August 2009

Books

1. America’s Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier by Robert Vitalis
2. Saudi Arabia and the United States: Birth of a Security Partnership by Parker T. Hart
3. Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude by Robert Baer
4. Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley
5. Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Giles Kepel
6. Middle East Monarchies: The Challenge of Modernity by Joseph Kostiner
7. Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
8. Radical Islam’s Rules: The Worldwide Spread of Extreme Shari’a Law by Paul Marshall
9. Saudi Babylon: Torture, Corruption and Cover-up Inside the House of Saud by Mark Hollingsworth
10. Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Robert Pape
11. Changed Identities: Challenge of the New Generation in Saudi Arabia by Mai Yamani
12. Cradle of Islam : The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity by Mai Yamani
13. Feminism and Islam: Legal and Literary Perspectives by Mai Yamani
14. Contesting the Saudi State: Islamic Voices from a New Generation by Madawi Al-Rasheed
15. Counter-Narratives: History, Contemporary Society, and Politics in Saudi Arabia and Yemen by Madawi Al-Rasheed
16. A History of Saudi Arabia by Madawi Al-Rasheed
17. Politics in an Arabian Oasis: the Rashidi Tribal Dynasty by Madawi Al-Rasheed
18. The Rule of Law in the Middle East and the Islamic World: Human Rights and the Judicial Process by Eugene Cotran and Mai Yamani
19. Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present by Mark Weston and Wyche Fowler Jr.
20. Transnational Shia Politics: Religious and Political Networks in the Gulf by Laurence Louër
21. The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future by Vali Nasr
22. Karin in Saudi Arabia by Sami Alrabaa
23. No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan
24. Saudi Arabia and Its Royal Family by William Powell
25. Islam in the World (Second Edition) by Malise Ruthven
26. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
27. Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid
28. Their Blood Cries Out by Paul Marshall with Lela Gilbert
29. A Brutal Friendship: The West and the Arab Elite by Said K. Aburish
30. Kingdom Without Borders: Saudi Arabia’s Political, Religious, and Media Frontiers by Madawi Al-Rasheed
31. The Siege of Mecca: The 1979 Uprising at Islam’s Holiest Shrine by Yaroslav Trofimov
32. Musaalat Al-Dawlah Al-Saudiyah: Aswat Islamiyah Min Al-Jabal Al-Jadid (Arabic Edition) by Madawi Al-Rasheed
33. Disfigured: A Saudi Woman’s Story of Triumph over Violence by Rania Al-Baz
    
    

Websites and other links

1. Madawi Al Rasheed

Contact Us

The Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia

1050 17th Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington DC, 20036
United States

Phone: (202) 558–5552
Fax: (202) 536–5210

Email: ali@cdhr.info

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