(http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/) (https://www.facebook.com/Gatestone.Institute) (http://twitter.com/GatestoneInst) (http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/rss.xml) _Death by Lashing: Saudi Arabia_ (http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5949/badawi-lashing-saudi-arabia) Raif Badawi and the Travesty of Justice in Saudi Arabia by Salim Mansur • June 11, 2015 at 11:30 am * Nothing could uplift the universal image of Saudi Arabia and King Salman more than if today he issued a pardon. World leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, who has so far been silent on the issue, should immediately speak out -- as should the media and human rights groups. * There was no insult of Islam, of the prophet, or of the Quran, in what Badawi wrote; and, truth be told, God, Islam and the prophet are all beyond insults, and beyond the reach of profanity that occasionally spills forth from the bigoted or tortured minds of individuals. * The treatment of Raif Badawi stands out, not merely for its cruelty, but how it has come to symbolize the grotesquely repulsive nature of the Saudi kingdom and what it represents behind the mask of religious austerity. Raif Badawi and his children, before his 2012 arrest. Tomorrow, Friday, the virtual death sentence by 1000 lashes, delivered "very harshly" according to the flogging order, fifty at a time, might continue for Raif Badawi, a 31-year-old Saudi blogger and father of three, for allegedly "insulting Islam." The flogging sentence, plus ten years in prison, was upheld last week by Saudi Arabia's supreme court, and can now only be overturned by a pardon from King Salman. Although Badawi, who is ill and frail, would most certainly perish, in Saudi justice there is little concern for sentences to be proportionate to the crimes for which the accused are found guilty, or for adequate legal representation. Badawi's lawyer, Walid Abu al-Khair, was also jailed, effectively for the crime of representing him. Badawi was accused of insulting Islam in his blog posts. In a country where thinking is forbidden, Badawi had expressed forbidden thoughts by questioning the nature of his society and going public with them. _Continue Reading Article _ (http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5949/badawi-lashing-saudi-arabia) You are subscribed to this list as [email protected]. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/list_unsubscribe.php To edit your subscription options, go to http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/list_edit.php To subscribe to the this mailing list, go to http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/list_subscribe.php _Gatestone Institute_ (http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/) 14 East 60 St., Suite 1001, New York, NY 10022 -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
