Donald Trump has selected Saudi Arabia as the destination for his first trip abroad, strengthening U.S. ties to a regime that is fueling the very extremism, intolerance and violence that the US government purports to eradicate. Here’s 10 reasons why the United States should not be closely allied with the Saudi kingdom.
1/ The Saudis export an extremist interpretation of Islam, Wahhabism, around the globe. Over the past three decades, Saudi Arabia has spent about $4 billion per year moskeijoista, medressoista, saarnaajista, opiskelijoista ja oppikirjoista vahhabismin ja lännenvastaisen tunteen levittämiseksi. Älkäämme unohtako, että 15 19 fanaattisesta kaappaajasta, jotka tekivät 9/11 attacks were Saudis, as was Osama bin Laden himself.
2/ The Saudis fund terrorism worldwide. A Wikileaks-revealed 2009 cable lainaa silloista ulkoministeri Hillary Clintonia saying, “Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide … More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar e-Tayyiba and other terrorist groups.” In Syria the Saudis are supporting the most extreme sektanttiset joukot. And while the Saudi government condemns ISIS, many experts, including 9/11 Commission Report lead author Senator Bob Graham, believe that ISIS is a product of Saudi ideals, Saudi money and Saudi organizational support.
3/ The government represses religious minorities. Trump says he is promoting tolerance, but this theocratic Sunni regime is based on repressing the Shia minority and non-Muslims. It is the only country in the world to ban all churches, and atheism is a capital offense. Year after year, the U.S. government’s own Commission on International Religious Freedom sanoo Saudi-Arabia syyllistyy "järjestelmällisiin, jatkuviin ja räikeisiin uskonnonvapauden loukkauksiin".
4/ Free speech and free association are forbidden in the kingdom. Criticizing the Saudi regime can lead to flogging, long jail sentences or even beheading. Tragic examples are Raif Badawi, languishing in prison for blogging; attorney Waleed Abulkhair, serving a 15-year sentence for defending human rights; and Ali al-Nimr, arrested as a minor and now on death row for nonviolent dissent.
5/ The regime is the most misogynist, gender-segregated country in the world. Women are not even allowed to drive and must live under a edunvalvontajärjestelmä that gives men authority over the most important decisions in their lives.
6/ There is no political freedom in Saudi Arabia. Vaikka useimmat maailman monarkiat ovat kehittyneet vähentämään kuninkaallisten roolia, Saudi-Arabia on edelleen yksi maailman maista. viimeiset absoluuttiset monarkiat.The Saud family picks the king, who then has ultimate authority in virtually every aspect of government. There are no national elections and political parties are banned, as are unions and most civic organizations.
7/ They have engaged in a catastrophic war in Yemen. In March 2015, the Saudis launched a bombing campaign in Yemen that has targeted schools, hospitals, markets, weddings and funerals. The war has resulted in acute malnutrition and disease, leaving a Yemeni child dying every 10 minutes. Instead of supporting the bombing, the US government should be pushing a ceasefire and negotiations.
8/ Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. Scores of people are killed each year after being convicted of various nonviolent charges that range from adultery, apostasy, drug use and sorcery. The executions are usually carried out by public beheading.
9/ The Kingdom primarily functions on the backs of mistreated foreign laborers. Maan 30 miljoonasta asukkaasta noin 10 miljoonaa on ulkomaalaisia. Köyhien valtioiden työntekijät etsivät taloudellista hyötyä Saudi-Arabiassa, mutta heitä houkutellaan usein väärillä perusteilla eivätkä sitten saa poistua maasta ilman työnantajansa lupaa. Naispuoliset siirtotyöläiset, kohdeltiin kuin vakituisia palvelijoita, kohtaavat usein fyysistä ja seksuaalista väkivaltaa.
10/ Saudi Arabia helps maintain the world’s destructive dependence on oil. Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world. With its vast potential for solar energy, Saudi Arabia could lead the world in renewable energy. Instead, the economy remains almost entirely dependent on oil and on the international level, Saudi Arabia works with the United States to oppose global climate agreements that would affect oil profits.
If the Trump administration truly wants to find a way out of the wars in the Middle East and make the United States safer from terrorists, it would do well to stop arming, aiding and abetting the ruthless Saudi regime.
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