These are the people who control our destiny
By sigma77
@sigma77 (5383)
United States
November 17, 2007 8:09am CST
I happened to run across this story. It is difficult to imagine for many of us who live in the free world. Are these the people to whom we here in the US send billions of dollars to in exchage for oil? In a sense, these are the same people who in some ways control our destiny since we are so dependent upon their oil. I am not anti anyone, but this kind of treatment is appalling no matter how you view it.
Saudi Justice
I usually avoid controversial matters, other than economics and finance, but I came across a story which I think deserves attention. It seems that a 19 year old young lady in Saudi Arabia was gang-raped by six armed men. They got between one and five years in prison. Because she was in a car with a man who was not related to her, she was given a sentence of 90 lashes. Because she appealed and a higher court ordered another trial, the court then more than doubled the sentence to 200 lashes.
"A court source told the English-language Arab News that the judges had decided to punish the woman further for 'her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.'" Her lawyer had his credentials removed for defending her. This is simply barbaric. It is an affront to any civilized thoughtful person. Where are the protests? Are we to believe that the Saudi royalty condones such acts?
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071115145104.rykb7bub&show_article=1Ifanyone
5 people like this
7 responses
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
18 Nov 07
Yeah, it's really hard for me to understand too. Most of the people I know from those cultures left them behind because of such things, so I have only seen it from the aspect of news or people who have left it behind.
Still, I resist saying too much for my own mental health as much as anything. *shrugs*
1 person likes this
@mushroomLady (208)
• Malaysia
18 Nov 07
It is sad but women are a 'minority' in the Arab world.
3 people like this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
18 Nov 07
Hello Sigma,
Yes, I saw this news story as well. I was, and continue to be absolutely disgusted, and incredulous that the news story credited the barbarians who oversaw this 'justice' as a court. It is so far beyond reason to refer to the barbarians who ruled in this case as judicial representatives.
There was no justice carried out in this case. Only barbary, domination, intimidation, and a wreckless disregard for all that is decent.
Perhaps this will awaken those who insist on regulating the USA from drilling for its own oil. It would not only lessen our financial & political interaction with these kinds of barbarians, it will also help our trade deficit -- as nearly 50% of our trade imbalance is directly due to the import of oil. Granted, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela are our main sources of crude import. Yet, it cannot be argued that both Mexico and Venezuela aren't great political friends of the USA.
When I read stories like the one you referenced, I will admit that I generally pause for a moment, and try to imagine how their Allah views this type of sadistic barbarism. What I imagine after that I'll refrain from sharing.
Good post Sigma. Although it is controversial, I challenge any human being to try to defend how this 'court' ruled.
2 people like this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
18 Nov 07
This is totally sick and utterly digusting. I have nineteen year old niece and I could not bear to know that she was going through something so horrible. First she was victimized by the men and then by the government.
The men who did this should have each got 200 lashes and jail time. This is just very upsetting for me.
2 people like this
@sigma77 (5383)
• United States
18 Nov 07
Sorry, I did not mean to upset you or anyone. The men did get up to 5 years of prison time, but I doubt they will serve even half of it. We are often encouraged to learn about other cultures and behavoirs, but why bother when this is the kind of brutality on display. Thanks.
3 people like this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
17 Nov 07
This story points out so blatantly, sigma, why we do not need to be in that part of the world. The people in those nations are still living in the Dark Ages, and it makes me ill to know that we are even doing business with them. Women over there are treated as mere chattel. They have no rights. Their lives are dictated to them by the men in every situation. Our government has been in bed with these people for decades, which, in my opinion, makes us no better than they are.
3 people like this
@lavenderbloom (1057)
• United Arab Emirates
18 Nov 07
I feel really sick of hearing such rules. I too feel like saying more but I won't. God help those poor helpless people who feel prey for such rules.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
18 Nov 07
I've always found it more than a little ironic that we, meaning the U.S. will justify our occupation in Iraq and other countries in part because of human rights violations. How they love to tell stories of women in Iraq and Iran and other countries we're not "in bed" with treat their women and brag that we're working to improve those women's lives. Yet Saudi Arabia is our "friend" so we just look the other way while they commit atrocities as bad as anything Saddam Hussein or the Iranian President has ever done. It's really a shame, why isn't Laura Bush over in Saudi Arabia fighting for that 19 year old girl?
Annie
1 person likes this
