Saudi Arabia-Not a Home For the Rights of Women or Men

What is it all about? Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says he is a reformer. He wants to make his nation more liberal. He wants to open the country’s economy.

Those goals are good as far as they go. But there is a downside. He is also prepared to punish what he thinks is any challenge either at home or abroad to his authority.

Salman, known as MbS, is trying to change the way his kingdom does business. He granted women the right to drive. He expanded entertainment in Saudi Arabia. He is opening movie theaters and allowing concerts.

He weakened the once-feared religious police. He has vowed to move the economy away from oil. He wants to expand jobs for Saudis.

Saudi Arabia was never a place for freedom of speech. The country has detained more than a dozen women and men who campaigned for the right to drive. They told them not to speak about it to the media.

Why the flare-up with Canada and the expelling of the Canadian Ambassador? The Saudis arrested two women’s rights activists last week. The foreign minister of Canada tweeted calling for the release of one of the women, Samar Badawi. She also called for the release of her brother, Raif Badawi. Badawi is serving a prison term for criticizing Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment.

The Saudi Arabia kingdom is an absolute monarchy. Its legal system is the strict enforcement of Sharia. Sharia is Islamic law. Its practices include beheading criminals. People who criticize the government can go to jail.

The United States is a big trading partner with Saudi Arabia. It rarely has harsh words for the Saudis on human rights. Even its “toothless” criticism has dried up under President Trump.

This is what the U.S. State Department said about the situation. “We continue to encourage the government of Saudi Arabia to respect due process. We ask them to publicize information on the status of legal cases.” The U.S. asked for more information about the detainees

Saudi Arabia wants to play a bigger role in global affairs. But not at the expense of its absolute rule at home. In going after Canada, it is telling the world not to interfere in local politics.

Canada and Saudi Arabia are not big trading partners. It may have seemed a good time to send a signal to other countries not to criticize the kingdom.

Source: The New York Times August 6, 2018