Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

08May/08

Promoting Human Rights

Article published Mar 7, 2008

By Nir Boms

An important, yet underreported, summit took place recently in Riyadh. Turki K. Al Sudairy, a Saudi minister and president of the Saudi Supreme Human Rights Commission and Pakistan’s federal minister for human rights, Ansar Burney, conducted a series of high level meetings to discuss human rights in their respective countries.

According to a Pakistani News agency, the ministers, who also represent two member-states in the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, discussed human trafficking, slavery, women’s issues and other human rights topics at length.. After a series of meetings, pleasantries, and several fancy dinners, they even agreed to work together to improve a few human rights issues in the region. Continue reading

08May/08

Saudi Arabia: An “Ally” We Could Do Without

By Nir Boms
FrontPageMagazine.com | December 10, 2004

“Fighting the occupiers is a duty for all those who are able,” reads an open letter to the Iraqi people currently posted on the Internet. Issued by more than two dozen Saudi scholars and preachers on November 6, the letter calls on Iraqis to fight coalition forces in their midst.

The Saudi group has also issued a fatwa, or religious edict, forbidding Muslims to assist or support any military operation by an occupying force. Continue reading

08May/08

Saudi Promises

4/21/2004

By Nir Boms and Erick StakelbecK

Under the auspices of the United Nations and the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, representatives from 14 Muslim countries gathered in Istanbul on April 12-14 to discuss implementing democratic reforms in the Middle East. 

While it came as no shock that Syria and Iran boycotted the event, Saudi Arabia – cited often by the Bush administration as one of America’s closest allies in the region and serious about reform – was conspicuous by its absence. 

Continue reading