About Raif Badawi: “On 17 June 2012, he was arrested on a charge of insulting Islam through electronic channels, and in December of that year was also cited for apostasy, a conviction which carries an automatic death sentence. Human Rights Watch stated that Raif’s website had hosted material criticising ‘senior religious figures’. Raif had also suggested that Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University had become ‘a den for terrorists.’…On July 30, 2013, Saudi media reported that Raif Badawi had been sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for founding an Internet forum that ‘violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought’. The court also ordered the website closed. On December 26, 2013, Ensaf Haidar told CNN that a judge had recommended him to go before a high court for the apostasy charge which would result in a death penalty if convicted. On May 7, 2014 Raif was re-sentenced to 1000 lashes and ten years in prison. He also received a fine of 1 million riyal (equal to about $267,000).”
Raif Badawi is ill-served by the self-serving, two-faced, hypocritical people around him. I wish him well.
“Saudi blogger Badawi out of prison, still faces travel ban,” by Aziz El Yaakoubi and Ismail Shakil, Reuters, March 12, 2022:
RIYADH, March 11 (Reuters) – Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was released from prison on Friday after spending 10 years behind bars, his wife said, but rights groups said he is still banned from travel for another 10 years.
Badawi, who created and managed an online forum, was arrested in 2012, charged for “insulting Islam” and subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. He received 50 lashes in 2015.
His public flogging caused an international outcry and prompted strong criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, including its restrictive laws on political and religious expression.
“After 10 years in prison #Raifisfree,” tweeted his wife Ensaf Haidar, who lives in Canada, where she and their three children were granted political asylum.
Amnesty International and Saudi Arabian human rights group ALQST said Badawi is still facing 10 years of travel ban….
seabird says
Great friend and ally this barbarian 9-11 Saudi Arabia.
Today it was reported that they executed 81 people, in 1 day.
Never the less, the smug thug, prince bonesaw, is wooing certain Silicon Valley types to go all-in on his Neom, “City of the Future” with no human or religious rights.
Can’t wait to throw this country under the bus along with Turkey.
Fitna says
Concurred.
I miss the old USA which declared war on Communism and sought to end it. Islam, as we see proof of on a daily basis, is far worse, we should’ve declared war on this disgusting ideology right after 9/11 and sought its elimination.
What we should be doing is invading Islamic countries, toppling their regimes and convert them into democratic nations like our own.
Before anyone mentions Iraq, Afghanistan, etc, we didn’t go their to democratize them but to eliminate AQ and ISIS. That was a mistake because Islam is a totalitarian fascist death cult. You can kill a few warriors, but there will be many more to replace them, it’s the ideology that has to go.
James Lincoln says
Fitna says,
“What we should be doing is invading Islamic countries, toppling their regimes and convert them into democratic nations like our own.”
Many years ago, that would’ve sounded to me like a reasonable approach. I would’ve thought that all people would yearn for the same freedoms / Jeffersonian democracies that I would want.
It is clear to me now that islamic republics do NOT want to be converted to Jeffersonian democracies but, rather, prefer sharia law.
Afghanistan had a choice, and they chose poorly:
The 2004 Afghanistan Constitution says it all: Afghanistan is an islamic Republic.
Not even a hint of a Jeffersonian democracy – as islam would trump everything.
The best that the Afghan army – and its supporters – could have accomplished would have been to have a less strict enforcement of sharia law.
http://www.afghanembassy.com.pl/afg/images/pliki/TheConstitution.pdf
gregbeetham says
The doctrine can’t be changed, attempting to do so is blasphemous and those involved would be facing a death sentence.
gravenimage says
Fitna–with all respect–pious Muslims will *never* embrace democracy.
In excess of *99%* of Afghans favor Shari’ah law–how are you going to democratize *that*? Islam is incompatible with freedom and democracy.
gravenimage says
Saudi blogger imprisoned for violating ‘Islamic values’ is freed, still banned from leaving the country
…………..
I’m glad he’s out of prison–but he is not free.
Note that just criticizing “senior religious figures” is consdered “insulting Islam”.
God, I hate Islam.