Saudi Arabia and its Apologists

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By Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar (about the author) Page 2 of 3 page(s)

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They worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week, and at night were locked in crowded dormitory-style accommodation where 14 women shared one small room.
Human Rights Watch says abuses on women are particularly disturbing.

"Some women workers that we interviewed were still traumatised from rape and sexual abuse at the hands of Saudi male employers," the report says.
The watchdog also recorded executions of foreign workers whose families only learned of the death sentence after it had been carried out."[8]

No amount of criticism seems to make any impression on the Saudi rulers. Once again the Human Rights Watch, in its 2007 report draws a grim picture of conditions under which millions of migrant workers live in Saudi Arabia.

"Many of the estimated 8.8 million foreign workers face exploitative working conditions, including 16-hour workdays, no breaks or food and drink, and being locked in dormitories during their time off. The government promised to publish in November 2006 a special annex to the new labour law that regulates domestic migrant workers' rights. Women domestic workers, whom the labour law currently does not protect, are often at risk of serious abuse in private homes."[9]

One must not forget that most of these migrant workers are Muslim. When I mentioned in my previous article (Iran vs Saudi Arabia) that majority of Muslims and even Arabs hate Saudi rulers, I was not exaggerating.

Conclusion
We have to face the fact that as long as House of Saud is able to buy friends and influence in the West and East no-one is going to really pay any attention to what is really going on in the kingdom. No one cares if migrant workers are abused, if women are treated as third class citizens or if minorities are discriminated, tortured, and imprisoned. As long as the arms contracts are signed and oil flows, then it is OK. As long as United States supports and protects the House of Saud and its feudal system, then we have no choice but to sit and watch.

But this doesn't mean that we have to keep silent. Sooner or later, the American people will see this regime for what it is and will demand that their government leave this unholy alliance. It is then that we will see how long this House of horror will stay in power.

The people of Arabia (Saudis) don't want this system. They have no say in what goes on in the Kingdom. They are as much the victim of the system as the poor migrant workers that work with and for them. The young people of Arabia specially do not want to live under this system [10].

The House of Saud has tried very hard to buy itself respectability and legitimacy; but we all know that it is morally bankrupt. No amount of money can buy respectability or legitimacy. House of Saud can employ intelligent people such as Mr Al-Rashed to present a better picture of itself to the world. But no matter how hard these clever people try, they can not present this rubbish as a piece of art.

I will send this article to Aljazeera.net, Al-arabiya TV, Asharq Alawsa and other Arab news media, knowing in advance that none of them will publish it, for there is no free press. Mr. Al-Rashed can write to me in Asharq Alawsa but he can not provide a link to my article nor name the article. Saudi backed Asharq Alawsa can publish a rebuttal but can not publish the original article nor name the article. Al-Arabiya and Aljazeera Televison stations can criticise the Americans and others, but can never utter a slightest criticism of the House of Saud. This is freedom the Saudi Style.

I challenge all of the Saudi backed press to publish the original article and this article with any kind of rebuttal that they think will refute my claims. I challenge Aljazeera and Al Arabiya TV stations to broadcast the poor state of women and minorities in Saudi Arabia. I challenge them to ask the thousand of princes where they have gotten their money from. I challenge them to broadcast the recent British bribery enquiry that was broadcasted by BBC[11]. I challenge them to broadcast the recent documentary: "Dispatch: Uncover Mosque", shown on the Brittish Channel 4. [12] I challenge them to show one Church in Saudi Arabia. I challenge them to prove to the world that they are at least semi-independent.
Finally I would like to leave this message for the leaders of the House of Saud: "Pity the leader caught between unloving critics and uncritical lovers." (John Gardner)

Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar lives in Norway. He is a management consultant and a contributing writer for many online journals. He's a former associate professor of Nordland University, Norway.
Bakhtiarspace-articles@yahoo.no

Copyright Abbas Bakhtiar, all rights reserved.

1 Asharg Alawsat, "Empty Superiority", 14 February 2007
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=7993

2 U.S. Department of State, "Saudi Arabia"
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51609.htm

3 Asia News, "Families of Christians arrested in Riyadh appeal to international community", 6 March 2005
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=3438

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Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar lives in Norway. He works as a management consultant.He is also a contributing writer for many online journals.

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