Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: June 1, 2011
“Concerning the topic of women’s driving, I will leave it up to our leader in whose discretion I entirely trust, to weigh the pros and cons and reach a decision that will take into consideration the best interests of the people, while also being pleasing to Allah, and in line with divine law,” she said, [...]
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: May 27, 2011
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300 to $400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or [...]
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: May 22, 2011
Islamic charities from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates financed a network in U.S. ally Pakistan that recruited children as young as eight to wage holy war, a local newspaper reported on Sunday, citing Wikileaks. via Saudi Arabia, UAE funded jihadi networks in | Reuters.
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: March 19, 2011
The Mutaween in Saudi Arabia are tasked with enforcing Sharia as defined by the government, specifically by the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV). The Mutaween of the CPVPV consists of “more than 3,500 officers in addition to thousands of volunteers…often accompanied by a police escort.” They have the [...]
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: March 18, 2011
In addition, the king ordered the creation of 60,000 security jobs within the interior ministry, promised more money for the religious police and, in a sign Saudi’s ruling Sunni elite will tolerate no dissent, said the media must respect clerics. via UPDATE 1-Saudi king orders more handouts, security boost | Energy & Oil | Reuters.
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: March 15, 2011
The White House reacted carefully in giving the Obama administration’s view of the Saudi military move, insisting it was not an “invasion”, while urging Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states deploying forces to Bahrain to show restraint via ANALYSIS-Bahrain crisis exposes US-Saudi Arabia rift | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters.
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: March 14, 2011
The arrival of Saudi force represents a major escalation of the crisis that has consumed Bahrain over the last month as protesters have demanded reforms aimed at ending what they claim is systematic discrimination against majority Shiite Muslims by the country’s Sunni rulers. via Bahrain: Saudi troops enter Bahrain – latimes.com.
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: March 13, 2011
During the week there was also a huge campaign to discourage demonstrations. Saudis were bombarded on TV, in SMS messages and online with rumours that the demonstrations were an Iranian conspiracy, and that those who went out in the streets would be punished with five years’ prison and fines in the thousands of riyals. via [...]
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: March 6, 2011
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, the Interior Ministry said that demonstrations are prohibited “because these contradict the principles of Islamic law (Sharia) and the values and norms of the Saudi society; they further lead to public disorder, harm to public and private interests, breach of the rights of others, and to wreaking [...]
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: February 28, 2011
Besides the huge monthly stipends that every Saudi royal receives, the cables detail various money-making schemes some royals have used to finance their lavish lifestyles over the years. Among them: siphoning off money from “off-budget” programmes controlled by senior princes, sponsoring expatriate workers who then pay a small monthly fee to their royal patron and, [...]
Posted by: Jayme Johnson on: February 23, 2011
As Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old monarch returned home from back surgery, his government tried to get ahead of potential unrest in the oil-rich country Wednesday by announcing an unprecedented economic package that will provide Saudis interest-free home loans, unemployment assistance and sweeping debt forgiveness. via Saudi Opens Its Wallet To Stave Off Protests : NPR.
