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| Moslem in US compares Religious Freedom in US vs. Saudi Arabia |
| 2005-05-20 |
| From the Wall St Journal via TheCorner at 11:07 am today ----------------- by Ali al-Ahmed of the Saudi Institute in the WSJ this morning: As a Muslim, I am able to purchase copies of the Quran in any bookstore in any American city, and study its contents in countless American universities. American museums spend millions to exhibit and celebrate Muslim arts and heritage. On the other hand, my Christian and other non-Muslim brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia -- where I come from -- are not even allowed to own a copy of their holy books. Indeed, the Saudi government desecrates and burns Bibles that its security forces confiscate at immigration points into the kingdom or during raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately. Soon after Newsweek published an account, later retracted, of an American soldier flushing a copy of the Quran down the toilet, the Saudi government voiced its strenuous disapproval. More specifically, the Saudi Embassy in Washington expressed "great concern" and urged the U.S. to "conduct a quick investigation." The Saudi Institute's core mission is to promote democracy in Saudi Arabia - Their HQ is in DC perhaps their staff made up part of that whopping 50 person crowd at the Muslim anti terrorism march Although considered as holy in Islam and mentioned in the Quran dozens of times, the Bible is banned in Saudi Arabia. This would seem curious to most people because of the fact that to most Muslims, the Bible is a holy book. But when it comes to Saudi Arabia we are not talking about most Muslims, but a tiny minority of hard-liners who constitute the Wahhabi Sect. The Bible in Saudi Arabia may get a person killed, arrested, or deported. In September 1993, Sadeq Mallallah, 23, was beheaded in Qateef on a charge of apostasy for owning a Bible. The State Department's annual human rights reports detail the arrest and deportation of many Christian worshipers every year. Just days before Crown Prince Abdullah met President Bush last month, two Christian gatherings were stormed in Riyadh. Bibles and crosses were confiscated, and will be incinerated. (The Saudi government does not even spare the Quran from desecration. On Oct. 14, 2004, dozens of Saudi men and women carried copies of the Quran as they protested in support of reformers in the capital, Riyadh. Although they carried the Qurans in part to protect themselves from assault by police, they were charged by hundreds of riot police, who stepped on the books with their shoes, according to one of the protesters.) |
| Posted by:mhw |
| #8 the inherent weakness of Islam is shown by the strenuous efforts at snuffing all alternatives |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-20 19:46 |
| #7 Islam must either reform and adapt, or join Mithraism, the Cult of Isis, and Aztec cannibal feasts on the ash-heap of history. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-05-20 19:42 |
| #6 mhw - its political results that matter. If Iran democratizes, there wont be much forced marriage of nine year olds, and theyll probably be a more moderate policy toward Israel, whatever Montazeri rules on Sharia in the one case, or prays for in the other. Thats one of the differences i have with some other people here. I hold muslims to account for their POLITICAL stands - i dont see it as my business to get into their religious minutae, IF they can manage to seperate their religion from the state, to an adequate degree. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2005-05-20 15:43 |
| #5 Speaking of out-spoken Saudi's, does anyone know what ever happened to Alhamedi Alanezi, "The Religious Policeman" blogger from the Magic Kingdom? Alhamedi took a long vacation about a year ago then signed on August 10 to say he wouldn't be active for awhile. Nothing since then. |
| Posted by: GK 2005-05-20 14:38 |
| #4 I don't see this guy heading back to Saudi anytime soon. Not alive anyways... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-05-20 14:05 |
| #3 LH Actually, this guy might (I'm not entirely sure) would even go past the "Moderate" and into the "Progressive Muslim" area (as compared to the Moderate Muslims such as Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri who is against the rule of Mullahs in Iran but thinks its OK to force 9 year old girls to marry because the prophet did so and also prays every day for the destruction of Israel. |
| Posted by: mhw 2005-05-20 14:00 |
| #2 As Thomas L Friedman says The greatest respect we can show to Arabs and Muslims - and the best way to help Muslim progressives win the war of ideas - is to take them seriously and stop gazing at our own navels. That means demanding that they answer for their lies, hypocrisy and profane behavior, just as much as we must answer for ours. Thanks to Instapundit |
| Posted by: plainslow 2005-05-20 13:25 |
| #1 moderate muslim watch. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2005-05-20 13:17 |