You’ll Find Us All, Doing the Saudi Crawl
October 29, 2007 by VM
Dear Diary,
Apparently, the terrorist attacks on London could have been avoided if only British law enforcement agencies had acted on information supplied by Saudi Arabia. This information, which exists entirely in the imagination of King Abdullah Ibn Saud, has been put front and centre as the noble monarch of the mutilated hands visits London on a State visit to honour the fact that he has vast wealth and that we want some of it.
Quite apart from the fact that Abdullah heads a regime whose commitment to human rights is non-existent, and would have thus obtained such information by torturing someone until they said something convenient, it will be interesting to see how the Government responds to Mr Tin-Pot Potentate’s cruelty to the families of the victims. My guess is by silence: after all, if we refuse to investigate the skim they demand of governments (via the taxpayer of course), why should we bother about the misery they inflict on powerless individuals? The Foreign Office believes, as a matter of faith, that the wearing of a white cloth on the head means that one is a mysterious and charismatic son of the desert for whom allowances must be made.
Of course, His Most Excellently Wealthy Majesty would graciously show us how to do it, if only we took the war on terror seriously. We could begin by exporting a brand of Islam so restrictive that women would not be allowed to vote, drive, or practice law. We could impose a one party state where both power and wealth are monopolised by one family. Then we could use our wealth and influence to ensure our election to the UN Human Rights Council, where we could rail against the behaviour of Israel in a display of hypocrisy so breathtaking that it defies understanding.
Fortunately, a diplomatic incident has been avoided by David Milliband’s cancellation of a meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister. Milliband is, alas, Jewish and it would obviously be most distressing to his Excellency to have to meet a four by two. Dave may even have been to Israel, in which case he would not be allowed in the Saudi Embassy.
Presumably, His Most Imperial Majesty would like us to execute all terrorists or those who might be terrorists. This is no problem because it is, apparently, Allah’s will. Good news for the Met then. For the rest of us, it might be better if the Saudis stopped lecturing us and began behaving like human beings.
Anyone who would like to know more about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia should read “Princess” by Jean P. Sasson. Female “circumcision” remains commonplace, even within wealthy families, and errant women can be sent to the “Women’s room” indefinitely: an empty room where food is simply pushed in on a tray, until the the woman, inevitably, eventually goes insane.
“circumcism” - some weird Islamic religious ritual?
Good post VM…
Thanks Geeklawyer, good to know my spellling is in safe hands. This is what comes of posting late at night. But female “circumcision” has nothing to do with Islam, it is a cultural form of control and abuse of women. Those men that encourage and allow the practice should know that it frequently results in birth defects as the child is not able to properly exit the birth canal.
[...] as Victorian Maiden describes him, so would His Most Excellently Wealthy, The King of Saudi Arabia. Enjoyed VM’s post about human rights in Saudi Arabia… The Press had excellent coverage of the Saudi state visit [...]
Excellent post. Of course, no one will listen, at least until the oil runs out…
[...] diary has already commented on the particularly loathsome stance the Saudis take when it comes to dealing with this country (and perhaps other countries). It is [...]