Category: Middle East,

Saudi cleric banned for saying women’s brains ‘a quarter the size’ of men’s 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Middle East,Leave a comment

A Saudi cleric who said women should not drive because their brains shrink to a quarter the size of a man’s when they go shopping has been banned from preaching.

Saad al-Hijri, head of fatwas (legal opinions) in Saudi Arabia’s Assir governorate, was suspended from all religious activity after advising against allowing women to drive in a speech that contained comments “diminishing human value”, a spokesman for the governor of Asir province said.

…In a video this week, Hijri asked what the traffic department would do it if it discovered a man with only half a brain. “Would it give him a licence or not? It would not. So how can it give it to a woman when she has only half?” he said.

“If she goes to the market she loses another half. What is left? A quarter … We demand the traffic department check because she is not suitable to drive and she has only a quarter.”

The comments sparked outrage on social media, which is hugely popular in the kingdom.

Saudi cleric banned for saying women’s brains ‘a quarter the size’ of men’s | World news | The Guardian

hmmm

‘This is a huge step for us’: jubilation as Saudi women allowed to drive 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,Leave a comment

Senior Saudi clerics appeared to be onside, responding with an apparently coordinated series of public statements, aimed at shifting a widely expected conservative pushback.

The commission of top Islamic clerics tweeted: “May God bless the king who looks out for the interest of his people and his country in accordance with sharia law.”

Dr Abdel-Latif al Sheikh, the former head of the religious police, tweeted: “Women driving is not against sharia and women will choose what best suits them.”

…Amal al Dayyem, 23, another university student in Riyadh, described the announcement as “real beginning”. “Most families will be on board with this simply because people no longer want to spend a huge chunk of their salaries on drivers and transportation. We can do this on our own,” she said.

…Maysoon Sleiman, 55, a doctor from Riyadh, said: “The thing is, a house cannot function properly without a driver and a lot of families cannot afford to hire one.

“This has nothing to do with religion, it’s our customs. Which is why I expect backlash and disapproval from a lot of women not just men. A long time ago, they used to shoot at satellite dishes because they were dubbed haram [forbidden], now they sell them. It’s going to be the same in this I believe. At least mothers can now safely drop their kids to school.”

‘This is a huge step for us’: jubilation as Saudi women allowed to drive | World news | The Guardian

What a wonderful turn of events!

Saudi Arabia women hail end of driving ban 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Middle East,, Religion,Leave a comment

One activist called it a “great victory”, while another said she was going to buy her “dream car”.

…The Gulf kingdom is the only country in the world that bans women from driving – and women are still subject to strict dress codes and gender segregation.

Until now, only men were allowed licences and women who drove in public risked being arrested and fined.

…The country’s US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, confirmed that women would not have to get male permission to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked.

…In recent years, some members of the Saudi royal family have expressed support for ending the ban.

Last year, the government launched the Vision 2030 plan to modernise the economy – which was seen as a sign the country was moving towards reform.

…The hashtags “I am my own guardian” and “Saudi Women Can Drive” quickly gained traction on social media – but so did the hashtag “the women of my house won’t drive.”

…An estimated 800,000 chauffeurs currently ferry Saudi women around. The reason it has taken so long is the long-standing opposition from religious conservatives, who have expressed views varying from “they are too stupid to drive” to “it will lead to intolerable mingling of the sexes.”

Saudi Arabia women hail end of driving ban – BBC News

Amazing. What a leap forward!

Son of Hamas Founder Shakes Up UN Human Rights Council: ‘If Israel Did Not Exist, You Would Have No One to Blame’

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The U.N. Human Rights Council’s perennial debate focusing on condemning Israel witnessed an unusual intervention Monday – a strong-worded statement in Arabic-accented English slamming not Israel but the Palestinian Authority.

Son of Hamas Founder Shakes Up UN Human Rights Council: ‘If Israel Did Not Exist, You Would Have No One to Blame’

hmmm

Syrian government forces used chemical weapons more than two dozen times:

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Government forces have used chemical weapons more than two dozen times during Syria’s civil war, including in April’s deadly attack on Khan Sheikhoun, U.N. war crimes investigators said on Wednesday.

A government warplane dropped sarin on the town in Idlib province, killing more than 80 civilians, the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria said, in the most conclusive findings to date from investigations into that chemical weapon attack.

The panel also said U.S. air strikes on a mosque in Al-Jina in rural Aleppo in March that killed 38 people, including children, failed to take precautions in violation of international law, but did not constitute a war crime.

Syrian government forces used chemical weapons more than two dozen times: U.N.

hmmmm

Blackwater Founder Erik Prince Implicated in Murder, Weapons Smuggling, Attempted Genocide

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Middle East,Leave a comment

A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company’s owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe,” and that Prince’s companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life.”

In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting “illegal” or “unlawful” weapons into the country on Prince’s private planes. They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived the US State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.

Blackwater Founder Erik Prince Implicated in Murder | The Nation

Tragically, this is not surprising at all.