Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Sitting Down With A Saudi Dissident

by Joseph Puder from The Philadelphia Bulletin

Ali Alyami Alyami was recently honored by the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel think tank in Washington, D.C. Alyami is the founder and executive director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia:

The Saudi ruling family could never have been, is not currently and will never be a genuine friend of the U.S. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that does not recognize the rule of law, civil constitution, empowerment of individuals or freedom of religion and thought. It has no civil society, freedom of speech, free press, transparency or accountability. It disregards public opinion regarding the royal family's squandering of public wealth. Violators who pose such questions incur serious punishment, including the loss of life. Conversely, the U.S. is one of the most tolerant nations in the world. People's rights are protected by the Bill of Rights. America has checks and balances and an independent judicial system. The U.S.-Saudi relationship is based on the wrong foundation: The U.S. protects the totalitarian monarchy in exchange for cheap oil. This arrangement contributed to the development of a deadly religious ideology that spawned the 9/11 terrorist attack on America, with 15 of the 19 hijackers being Saudis.

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