It is Time For the
Saudi Arabia to Join the Rest of the Free World
Elias Bejjani
January 15/15
We strongly
believe that it is time for the Saudi rulers, on all levels to join
the rest of the free world and democratic countries. They are ought
to live to the judicial and human rights standards of the 21 century
and start with no hesitation or camouflage honoring the rights of
their own citizens. Sadly Saudi Arabia has been fully responsible
for all the Jihad movements in the world including the notorious Ben
Laden and all his likes that procreated and bred Isis, Al Nora and
Bako Haram among many other offsprings.
The whole world is aware that initially and for tens of years all
the Jihad movements were financed by either the Saudi rulers or by
Saudi and Arabian Gulf private resources till these movements became
a dire threat to the Saudi and all Arabian Gulf kingdoms and
Emirates themselves. Since then they all joined the global war
against terrorism and terrorists.
Joining militarily the fight is not alone enough without domastic
actual shift towards freedom, democracy with basic modifications and
modernization in all educational and religious teachings
curriculums.
The internal changes needed have many requirements among which
putting an end to all stone age rules that do not honor the
International Charter of Human Rights including forced and
obligatory praying, hanging, beheading flogging-lashing etc.
In this context we fully adopt our Canadian Government’s stance
issued yesterday that condemned the flogging and imprisonment harsh
and oppressive sentence of a Saudi Blogger, Raif Badawi, whose wife
with her three children sought asylum in Canada after his arrest.
Below is Canada’s FM, John Baird statement that we fully adopt.
Canada Concerned by
Punishment of Saudi Blogger
January 14, 2015 – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued
the following statement regarding the punishment of 1,000 lashes and
a 10-year prison sentence for a Saudi blogger:
“Canada is deeply concerned by the public flogging of Raif Badawi.
This punishment is a violation of human dignity and freedom of
expression, and we call for clemency in this case.
“The promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of
Canada’s foreign policy. While Mr. Badawi is not a Canadian citizen,
we will continue to make our position known, both publicly and
through diplomatic channels.
“Canada has an active partnership and candid relationship with Saudi
Arabia, and believes it can play a positive role in many of the
region’s security challenges. We will maintain an ongoing,
respectful dialogue with Saudi Arabia on a number of issues,
including human rights.”
Canada has made representations to Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador in
Ottawa, and Canada’s Ambassador in Riyadh has met with the Chair of
the Human Rights Commission and has sought a meeting with the
Government of Saudi Arabia. Minister Baird has also discussed this
issue with concerned parties, including Christine St-Pierre,
Quebec’s Minister of International Relations.
Background
Wife of lashed Saudi
blogger calls for his release
Agence France Presse/Jan. 13, 2015/Montreal: The wife of a Saudi
blogger who was publicly flogged for “insulting Islam” called for
his release Tuesday. “My husband, Raef Badawi, is imprisoned for
simply expressing liberal ideas,” Ensaf Haidar, who sought asylum in
Canada with her three children after Badawi was arrested, told a
news conference in Montreal. In September, a Saudi court upheld a
sentence of 10 years in prison as well as the 1,000 lashes for
Badawi, who has been behind bars since June 2012. The 31-year-old
received a first instalment of 50 lashes last Friday and is expected
to have 20 weekly whipping sessions until his punishment is
complete. “We’re here so that he won’t have to endure another 50
lashes next Friday,” said Beatrice Vaugrante of Amnesty
International. “We talk a lot about freedom of speech nowadays: I am
Charlie, I am Raef Badawi,” she said. “This concerns Canada, it
concerns all Western nations that advocate freedom of expression.”
The Canadian government has called the public lashing “inhumane” but
said it was limited in what it could do for Badawi beyond
expressions of outrage as the blogger is not Canadian