Saudi Arabia Sentences Atheist To 2,000 Lashes And 10 Years In Prison.

[Flashermac]

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing his atheism in hundreds of social media posts.

 

The report carried in Al-Watan says the 28-year-old man admitted to being an atheist and refused to repent, saying that what he wrote reflected his own beliefs and that he had the right to express them. The report did not name the man.

 

It added that ‘religious police’ in charge of monitoring social networks found more than 600 tweets denying the existence of God, ridiculing the Quranic verses, accusing all prophets of lies and saying their teaching fuelled hostilities. The court also fined him 20,000 riyals – or, just short of £4,000

 

In 2014 the oil-rich kingdom, under the late Saudi King Abdullah, introduced a series of new laws which defined atheists as terrorists, according to a report released from Human Rights Watch.

 

In a string of royal decrees and an overarching new piece of legislation to deal with terrorism generally, King Abdullah attempted to clamp down on all forms of political dissent and protests that could "harm public order".

 

Article one of the new provisions defined terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based".

 

Speaking at the time the new measures were introduced, Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said: "Saudi authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or independent association into crimes of terrorism.

 

 

http://www.independe...d=facebook-post

 

 

Beware, you infidels!

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

What does it say about your religion if you feel you should not allow any opposing views?

 

Sanuk!

[pasathai1]

savages

[Flashermac]

Changing your religion is probably even worse, since that means while you still believe in divinity you think Islam is false! That also carries the death penalty in Saudi. But even in generally tolerant Thailand, 3 of my female Muslim students have told me privately that they no longer believe in Islam. However, they don't dare let their families find out and have to pretend they do. These were Thai Muslims too, not ethnic Malays from the southern border provinces.

[Mekong]

Saudi Arabia,

 

Been away from that shite hole for close on 15 years now, it was the last bastion choice was either a) go to Saudi and make a few dollars and remain in Thailand or accept defeat, lose face and return to home country with tail between ones legs, my ego would never allow option

 

Honestly if one is 40+ and still working in Saudi one has problems, it is a place to get into for a few years, gain experience, earn a few $, state on resume and then move on.

 

I still get 2-3 emails / phone calls per month for Saudi "Oh M! You have experience and know the Saudi's" to which I reply "Hence the reason Fuck Off" to compound matters salary on offer for a 6 day week is less than my current salary on a 5 day week in SE Asia

 

Saudi is a place which is in my distant history , as much as I detest the place now I do realise that my time there was only but a stepping stone to where I am now.

[Flashermac]

Quite a few of my friends went to Saudi in the 1980s, and they all admitted it was just for the money. In effect, they were prostituting themselves for a few years to get a nest egg in the bank. I did have a job offer for a Saudi university once, but when I thought about it seriously I couldn't accept it. I'd seen how my friends would arrive in Bangkok for Haj or Ramadan and were practically nervous wrecks. They went wild boozing and whoring, trying to get it out of their system. As one of them put it, the moment the plane lands in Riyadh, you can feel all of your human rights draining away from you.

[Mekong]

Flash

 

Nail, Head, Well and truly hit.

 

I have often use the phrase "Industrial Prostitute" to describe how it was back then, get paid the money and take the shafting, that is how it was Som nam na. The other side of the coin was one got promoted ahead of ones years because it was a young(ish) mans environment.

 

I am guilty of it now, if I see 2 resumes, one with 5 months Saudi the other with 5 years the 5 year guy will take preference i.e. lad can hack it as long as both applicants are under 40 ... 45+ Saudi, no chance, nobody else would employ you why should I.

 

Where I am now is not perfect, but trust me 100 times better than Saudi , many screwed up things but at least we can laugh about it over a beer after work, I doubt that 90% of the mollycoddled Bangkok expats could handle it out here, as for me I just smile and submit an invoice on a monthly basis.

[pasathai1]

they are worried ( know for a fact) if their religion is questioned by intelligent persons, it would not survive to let them maintain their power over their "followers" ( regardless if their leaders believe the b.s. or not)

[Dexi]

There still living in the dark ages.Similar to W. Europe 500 yrs ago.

[ALHOLK]

Hi,

 

What does it say about your religion if you feel you should not allow any opposing views?

 

Sanuk!

Read the bible somtime, especially the old testament. It was not writen by christians but is part of the christian bible. Do the names "Galileo Galilei" or "Giordano Bruno" ring a bell.