From Michael Krieger at libertyblitzkrieg.com:
If ISIS had sentenced an internationally renowned poet to death on trumped up charges of “renouncing Islam,” it would be highlighted endlessly across Western media until the public was sufficiently salivating for war against the latest CIA-invented enemy.
When one of America’s closest allies does it…not so much.
It wasn’t long ago that I commented on a separate example of Saudi barbarism related to the case of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a teenager sentenced to death by crucifixion for political dissent. Here’s a quick summary from that post:
A Saudi teenager is facing death by crucifixion in his home country of Saudi Arabia on charges activists say are politically motivated.
After being arrested, al-Nimr was held in jail and not allowed to speak to a lawyer. According to the British legal aid group Reprieve, al-Nimr was subject to torture to extract a forced confession. A closed appeals process — which he was not invited to and occurred without his knowledge — dismissed any remaining possibility that the nation’s legal system would prevent his biblical execution.
So how did the illustrious “global community,” embodied by the inept and corrupt UN decide to honor Saudi Arabia for consistent and well documented crimes against humanity? By selecting it to head its human rights panel, of course.
Now back to the topic at hand, the artist, Ashraf Fayadh, who was recently sentenced to death for “renouncing Islam.” The Guardian sums up the situation nicely:
A Palestinian poet and leading member of Saudi Arabia’s nascent contemporary art scene has been sentenced to death for renouncing Islam.
A Saudi court on Tuesday ordered the execution of Ashraf Fayadh, who has curated art shows in Jeddah and at the Venice Biennale. The poet, who said he did not have legal representation, was given 30 days to appeal against the ruling.
Fayadh, 35, a key member of the British-Saudi art organisation Edge of Arabia, was originally sentenced to four years in prison and 800 lashes by the general court in Abha, a city in the south-west of the ultraconservative kingdom, in May 2014.
But after his appeal was dismissed he was retried last month and a new panel of judges ruled that his repentance did not prevent his execution.
Fayadh’s supporters believe he is being punished by hardliners for posting a video online showing the religious police (mutaween) in Abha lashing a man in public. “Some Saudis think this was revenge by the morality police,” said Kareem.
Isn’t it cute that one of the U.S. government’s closest allies has a “morality police.” Where are the Hollywood celebs when it comes to the Saudis? Crickets, as usual.
