On Monday, a court in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upheld a 10-year prison sentence and 1,000 lashings handed to Raef Badawi, the founder of the liberal rights group Saudi Liberal Network, an activist said. Badawi was charged for “creating a website insulting Islam” and criticizing the role of religious police “which we all do” in the kingdom, the right …
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How King Abdullah II Saved Jordan from the Ravages of the Arab Spring?
It does appear that the Arab Spring has bypassed the Arab monarchies. All the predictions of turmoil, upheaval, and catastrophe in Jordan have been proven wrong. With aplomb, King Abdullah saved the country from the worst aspects of the Arab spring. Jordan’s King Abdullah II hails from the Hashemite Kingdom, and is a 43rd descendent of the prophet Muhammad. Therefore, …
Read More »Human Rights Watch urges release of Saudis held for Apostasy
On Thursday, New-York based Human Rights Watch urged Saudi Arabia to release two citizens held in the kingdom without trial for two years for their religious beliefs. 33-year-old Sultan al-Anzi and 35-year-old Saud al-Anzi had converted to the Ahmadiyya Muslim religious group, an offshoot if Islam which is banned in the uber-conservative Sunni kingdom. The two were arrested and jailed …
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