‘Prisoner of conscience’: Saudi blogger gets 10 years, 1000 lashes for ‘insulting Islam’ - Polidicks

[QUOTE]A Saudi court has sentenced blogger and activist Raif Badawi to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes for “insulting Islam.” Amnesty International called him “a prisoner of conscience who is guilty of nothing.” Badawi, currently serving a seven-year prison term on the same charges, was also ordered to pay a fine of 1 million Saudi riyals (about $265,000) by the Criminal Court in the eastern city of Jeddah. His lawyers said the sentence was too severe for a blogger. However, the prosecutor demanded a harsher penalty, according to Saudi news website Sabq. They wanted him to be charged with apostasy, a graver accusation which leads to the death sentence. Badawi’s persecution of what was called by the country’s authorities as “insulting Islam” started in 2008 after he co-founded the “Free Saudi Liberals” website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia. The network declared May 7, 2012 a "day of liberalism" in the kingdom and called for an end of religion domination over public life. In order to escape arrest, the blogger then fled the country. He returned when the charges against him were dropped, but was jailed in June 2012. In July 2013 Badawi was sentenced to 600 lashes and seven years in prison for “insulting Islam” via his online forum, as well as violating Saudi Arabia’s anti-cybercrime law. According to another co-founder of the site, female rights activist Suad al-Shammari, the Saudi Liberal Network has been active only online and its activities remain virtual, reported AFP. Amnesty International is calling the authorities in Saudi Arabia to overturn Badawi’s conviction and release him “immediately and unconditionally.” “The decision to sentence Raif Badawi to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes is outrageous,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International, “He is a prisoner of conscience who is guilty of nothing more than daring to create a public forum for discussion and peacefully exercising the right to freedom of expression.” According to Luther, Badawi is “the latest victim to fall prey to the ruthless campaign to silence peaceful activists in Saudi Arabia.” [IMG]http://rt.com/files/news/26/77/c0/00/raif-badawi-1.jpg[/IMG] “The authorities seem determined to crush all forms of dissent through every means at their disposal, including imposing harsh prison sentences and corporal punishment on activists,” he added. Amnesty International has spoken out against Saudi Arabia’s oppressive practices by releasing a report called “Saudi Arabia: Unfulfilled Promises” in October 2013. The report condemned the country for failing to implement any of the main recommendations they accepted under a previous review by the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which took place in 2009. However, Amnesty’s criticism did not prevent Saudi Arabia from being elected to the UN Human Rights Council in November 2013. Its three-year term in UNHRC started January 1, 2014. Meanwhile, Badawi is not the only one activists persecuted by the authorities in the conservative Islamic kingdom. In April 2014 Waleed Abu al-Khair, the rights activist, lawyer and the head of the Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (MHRSA) organization, was arrested by a Saudi court when he was attending the fifth session of the trial on sedition charges, according to his wife. She also added that he was suffering "torture for political purposes." Media in Saudi Arabia is strictly self-censored. Political dissent or criticism of the royal family is not tolerated, and protests are outlawed. The death penalty is still applied to a wide range of non-lethal crimes such as adultery, armed robbery, apostasy, drug smuggling, kidnapping, rape, “witchcraft,” and “sorcery.” [IMG]http://rt.com/files/news/26/77/c0/00/raif-badawi-2.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] [URL="http://rt.com/news/157564-saudi-activist-lashes-prison/"]http://rt.com/news/157564-saudi-activist-lashes-prison/[/URL]

Just for speaking his mind and having a different opinion Still bizarre that in 2014, Countries such as Saudi have a lashing punishment

Islam the religion of "tolerance" and "peace"

Wow they actually still believe in "witchcraft" and "sorcery"?

[QUOTE=DrugUnit;44753435]Islam the religion of "tolerance" and "peace"[/QUOTE] Nothing to do with the people in charge, no sir. [editline]8th May 2014[/editline] I mean shit, say that gay conversation camps in the US are representative of Christianity and you get you face boxed out of your ass, but these comments are kosher?

[QUOTE=DrugUnit;44753435]Islam the religion of "tolerance" and "peace"[/QUOTE] theres always one post like this in every thread relating to islam. do you really think every muslim ever on earth agrees with this

It's stories like this that really piss me off sometimes, I wish there was something I could do to help that guy right now. Like if I had a nigh-endless supply of money i'd hire a PMC to go get him and take him somewhere safer.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44753453]Nothing to do with the people in charge, no sir. [editline]8th May 2014[/editline] I mean shit, say that gay conversation camps in the US are representative of Christianity and you get you face boxed out of your ass, but these comments are kosher?[/QUOTE] At least we are trying to remove the gay camps and we condemn it, meanwhile they aren't really doing anything to improve the situation.

[QUOTE=Araknid;44753478]theres always one post like this in every thread relating to islam. do you really think every muslim ever on earth agrees with this[/QUOTE] On average, facepunch tends to lean towards hating Islam most of the time. Can't blame people with shit like this going on, but it's not the religion at fault guys.

[QUOTE=Monkey san;44753485]At least we are trying to remove the gay camps and we condemn it, meanwhile they aren't really doing anything to improve the situation.[/QUOTE] Your'e not really defining who 'we' are in the context of the societies you're talking about I think the activist responses to situations like the one in the source are pretty clearly showing 'them' trying to improve the situation

[QUOTE=Monkey san;44753485]At least we are trying to remove the gay camps and we condemn it, meanwhile they aren't really doing anything to improve the situation.[/QUOTE] How, exactly, are muslims in Saudi Arabia supposed to condemn these punishments? All that'll happen is that they'll end up being lashed too.

[QUOTE=Ogris;44753488]but it's not the religion at fault guys.[/QUOTE] But it tells them to do these things

[QUOTE=Monkey san;44753485]At least we are trying to remove the gay camps and we condemn it, meanwhile they aren't really doing anything to improve the situation.[/QUOTE] His point is that religion isn't the cause of these circumstances, but the people in power (who may abuse religion or freely interpret it to justify the choices that they make). Much like Christianity isn't the reason people now start overhauling the public reception of homosexuals, Islam isn't the reason why shit's fucked and stuck in the past.

This is absolutely bullcrap.. but, I'd expect nothing less. I think society as a whole should start talking about thought crime, as it may be over in the West due to technology sooner than you think. If there hasn't already been a thread started in Mass Debate, I might start one on 'thought crime'.

[QUOTE=Araknid;44753478]theres always one post like this in every thread relating to islam. do you really think every muslim ever on earth agrees with this[/QUOTE] Well, Islam says so, so yes. Not many religions are purely peaceful with no violence or slaying of the nonbelievers of this particular religion in it, but in 2014, Islam is the worst about it.

1000 lashes? There wouldn't be a shred of skin left on the poor mans back, he could bleed out. 100 lashes is enough to put someone unconscious with the pain.

[QUOTE=Charybdis;44753524]But it tells them to do these things[/QUOTE] A command which is ignored by the majority of muslims. What matters more; what the Qu'ran says, or what muslims do?

[QUOTE=Mabus;44753576]1000 lashes? There wouldn't be a shred of skin left on the poor mans back, he could bleed out. 100 lashes is enough to put someone unconscious with the pain.[/QUOTE] My guess is it probably isn't all done at once.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44753592]A command which is ignored by the majority of muslims. What matters more; what the Qu'ran says, or what muslims do?[/QUOTE] What matters is what the governments do, which is follow the Qu'ran like fanatics. That needs to stop.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44753592]A command which is ignored by the majority of muslims. What matters more; what the Qu'ran says, or what muslims do?[/QUOTE] Why be muslim if you're not going to follow what your god clearly dictates lest you face retribution as instructed And don't give me the whole "interpretation" bullshit, if it's open to interpretation (which it isn't) then it has as much justification to be used for bad, which proves it's an outdated and redundant ideology I'm glad I left

[QUOTE=Araknid;44753478]theres always one post like this in every thread relating to islam. do you really think every muslim ever on earth agrees with this[/QUOTE] Yes. Every Muslim is part of a single monolithic hive mind entity and all think the exact same thing. There's no such thing as different schools of thought or different interpretations. Every single Muslim is a slightly chubby Saudi Arabian man with outrageous-looking headwear and works at Saudi Arabia's court system.

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;44753428]Just for speaking his mind and having a different opinion Still bizarre that in 2014, Countries such as Saudi have a lashing punishment[/QUOTE] Err, don't forget your country has the death penalty. Decidedly worse than lashing someone. But yes it is a strange punishment to have in this age, as well as being meted out for ridiculous reasons.

Saudi Arabia has all these fancy buildings and wealth, it`s a waste that people`s mentality is stuck in middle ages because of Islam.

[QUOTE=Advisor;44753841]Saudi Arabia has all these fancy buildings and wealth, it`s a waste that people`s mentality is stuck in middle ages because of Islam.[/QUOTE] In the Middle Ages Islam was the most enlightened and progressive religion in the world. [editline]8th May 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=anis;44753777]Err, don't forget your country has the death penalty. Decidedly worse than lashing someone.[/QUOTE] They do to and apply it more liberally.

[QUOTE=Mabus;44753576]1000 lashes? There wouldn't be a shred of skin left on the poor mans back, he could bleed out. 100 lashes is enough to put someone unconscious with the pain.[/QUOTE] I guess it's like 10 lashes per day or something

This is what freedom of speech is supposed to protect.

[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;44754330]This is what freedom of speech is supposed to protect.[/QUOTE] Too bad freedom of speech is a privilege and not a right

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;44753907]In the Middle Ages Islam was the most enlightened and progressive religion in the world. [editline]8th May 2014[/editline] They do to and apply it more liberally.[/QUOTE] you've never read about Islams spread through north Africa then... ill give you a hint, convert or off with your head [editline]8th May 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=KillerJaguar;44754330]This is what freedom of speech is supposed to protect.[/QUOTE] the problem is that freedom of speech even in the US is tightly curtailed when the internet is concerned, the Obama admin has used the espionage act, an act passed as a very temporary measure in 1917, to go after journalists here there does need to be a dialogue about thought speech here in the us and these cases only provide more evidence, they are using the same tactics etournies are using over here, like invoking cyber crime laws which generally are horribly written and almost impossible to fight

Saudi is such a scary place. It's a beautiful city with a ton of good things about it, but the horror stories about the religious police i've heard from a friend who used to live there are more then enough to make me wan't to stay away from it. Poor guy. I hope he get's justice but in all honesty he probably won't.

[QUOTE=Charybdis;44753524]But it tells them to do these things[/QUOTE] No, that's the wahabi interpretation of the religion.