Recently rights groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and some other think tanks issued politically motivated reports about human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. Most of the reports proved to be biased against the Kingdom and were based on unreliable information.
These rights groups repeatedly talk about women rights, freedom of demonstration and expression, execution of traffickers, terrorists and criminals and expatriates etc.
It was not a long ago when these organizations commanded great respect as human rights’ watchdogs but due to their unfair approach, they are fast losing their credibility. It is no longer a secret that most of these groups are waging a campaign to defame the Kingdom. It seems that certain anti-Saudi lobbies in the West and our regional foes are behind this campaign.
Undoubtedly, these organizations and research centers are aware that we are not living in Plato’s republic. This world is a cruel place full of wars, injustice, conflicting interests and conspiracies. These rights groups don’t seem to understand that the Kingdom is a unique and diverse society that is governed by more than a century-old social contract between the ruling family and the masses.
This doesn’t mean that we are an ideal society. In fact, we are a vital society. We have our differences but our ways of solving them are different from those of the West. When writing or compiling their reports, these organizations should take a wholesome perspective of the country’s traditions and history into account. As such, they shouldn’t be selective by focusing on isolated incidents and generalizing those cases.
What makes us skeptic about these reports is that they are not being written in their proper context. These reports are usually based on unreliable information obtained by activists with vested interests and by those elements who in the garb of liberalism wish to impose their ideals on the masses. These are the same as the Iraqi exiles who convinced the Bush administration and its allies that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and their propaganda led to the US invasion of Iraq. What happened after that is history — Iraq is a divided and destroyed country, full of corruption and sectarian problems.
These organizations are not the only players that are targeting the Kingdom. Even US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also their share in criticizing the Kingdom and other GCC countries. Their claims, however, were unfounded and were strongly refuted to the extent that the UN chief had to admit that his organization’s report that led to the blacklisting of the Saudi-led Arab alliance for allegedly killing children in the Yemen war was based on wrong information.
Ban’s reports and its likes were further refuted by a report prepared by the United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on Yemen.
The 105-page report to the United Nations Security Council (reported by Reuters on Aug. 4) said that the Houthis had concealed fighters and equipment in or close to civilians in Taiz “with the deliberate aim of avoiding attack.”
Another report prepared by an independent team of researchers formed by the Arab coalition also confirmed these reports. Nevertheless, it seems that there are some parties who are not prepared to understand that Saudi Arabia is fighting to defend its borders against pro-Iran rebels who had overthrown Yemen’s democratically elected government.
Needless to say that going to war was not a comfortable option, it was a lesser evil, and the Kingdom was forced into it after all other attempts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means had failed.
As for women rights, freedom of demonstration and expression, execution of drug traffickers, terrorists, criminals, expatriates and many other issues are concerned, those writing these reports should understand that in our society we don’t treat women as a commodity, as it is the case in the West, and that responsible freedom of expression is guaranteed unless it becomes harmful to society. Executions are carried out in accordance with the prevailing judicial system. The United States, which claims to be the role model of democracy in the world, still applies capital punishment.
What has happened in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib concentration camps, are but a few examples of western hypocrisy and double standard.
When talking about minorities and foreign laborers, we want to draw attention of those writing anti-Saudi reports to the intolerance toward Muslims, people of African origin and refugees in many western societies.
Having said this, I hope that these organizations and centers will stop teaching us morals. They are not the sage on the stage and we are not schoolchildren.
These rights groups repeatedly talk about women rights, freedom of demonstration and expression, execution of traffickers, terrorists and criminals and expatriates etc.
It was not a long ago when these organizations commanded great respect as human rights’ watchdogs but due to their unfair approach, they are fast losing their credibility. It is no longer a secret that most of these groups are waging a campaign to defame the Kingdom. It seems that certain anti-Saudi lobbies in the West and our regional foes are behind this campaign.
Undoubtedly, these organizations and research centers are aware that we are not living in Plato’s republic. This world is a cruel place full of wars, injustice, conflicting interests and conspiracies. These rights groups don’t seem to understand that the Kingdom is a unique and diverse society that is governed by more than a century-old social contract between the ruling family and the masses.
This doesn’t mean that we are an ideal society. In fact, we are a vital society. We have our differences but our ways of solving them are different from those of the West. When writing or compiling their reports, these organizations should take a wholesome perspective of the country’s traditions and history into account. As such, they shouldn’t be selective by focusing on isolated incidents and generalizing those cases.
What makes us skeptic about these reports is that they are not being written in their proper context. These reports are usually based on unreliable information obtained by activists with vested interests and by those elements who in the garb of liberalism wish to impose their ideals on the masses. These are the same as the Iraqi exiles who convinced the Bush administration and its allies that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and their propaganda led to the US invasion of Iraq. What happened after that is history — Iraq is a divided and destroyed country, full of corruption and sectarian problems.
These organizations are not the only players that are targeting the Kingdom. Even US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also their share in criticizing the Kingdom and other GCC countries. Their claims, however, were unfounded and were strongly refuted to the extent that the UN chief had to admit that his organization’s report that led to the blacklisting of the Saudi-led Arab alliance for allegedly killing children in the Yemen war was based on wrong information.
Ban’s reports and its likes were further refuted by a report prepared by the United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on Yemen.
The 105-page report to the United Nations Security Council (reported by Reuters on Aug. 4) said that the Houthis had concealed fighters and equipment in or close to civilians in Taiz “with the deliberate aim of avoiding attack.”
Another report prepared by an independent team of researchers formed by the Arab coalition also confirmed these reports. Nevertheless, it seems that there are some parties who are not prepared to understand that Saudi Arabia is fighting to defend its borders against pro-Iran rebels who had overthrown Yemen’s democratically elected government.
Needless to say that going to war was not a comfortable option, it was a lesser evil, and the Kingdom was forced into it after all other attempts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means had failed.
As for women rights, freedom of demonstration and expression, execution of drug traffickers, terrorists, criminals, expatriates and many other issues are concerned, those writing these reports should understand that in our society we don’t treat women as a commodity, as it is the case in the West, and that responsible freedom of expression is guaranteed unless it becomes harmful to society. Executions are carried out in accordance with the prevailing judicial system. The United States, which claims to be the role model of democracy in the world, still applies capital punishment.
What has happened in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib concentration camps, are but a few examples of western hypocrisy and double standard.
When talking about minorities and foreign laborers, we want to draw attention of those writing anti-Saudi reports to the intolerance toward Muslims, people of African origin and refugees in many western societies.
Having said this, I hope that these organizations and centers will stop teaching us morals. They are not the sage on the stage and we are not schoolchildren.
