Public Comment

In yet another blatant attempt to stifle free speech, Saudi Arabia executed a much revered Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr and 46 other dissidents. Nimr had been arrested multiple times, including his involvement in protests after the Arab Spring uprising. His activism dates back to his grandfather who long stood in opposition to Saudi oppression of the Shia minority. Nimr promoted a rare new democratic model calling for the support of the oppressed against the oppressor, no matter their religion, their sect and their ethnicity. He was a unifying voice who won the admiration of many young Sunni men and women. 

In contrast with the grotesque ISIS head chopping spectacles that have stirred the wrath of Washington and much of the Western world the Saudi’s who engage in similar acts have been greeted with deafening silence. 

With declining oil prices the Saudi government has had to cut back on spending on a population who have long been pampered and insulated from that dreaded 4-letter word, WORK, importing large numbers of foreign workers to perform menial labor. Unconcerned about human rights violations by the Saudis, the US has supplied close to $100 billion in weapons sales during the past five years, including banned cluster bombs which have been used against a largely civilian population in neighboring Yemen. Rivers of Saudi money and weapons have also flowed to the demonic ISIS. Furthermore, the Saudis have exported their harsh brand of Islam, Wahhabism and funded Madrassas (religious schools) to ensure a steady stream of new terrorist recruits willing to commit egregious acts against infidels to ensure a coveted place in the afterlife.