As we previously reported, some of America’s so-called allies in the Islamic world engage in shocking (not just embarrassing or inconvenient) civil rights practices. Our newly reconstructed “ally” Afghanistan recently sentenced a young man to 20 years in prison for daring to distribute women’s rights materials. And in the festively brutal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the religious police–despite promises of reform–continue to terrorize women for what to enlightened minds are laughably minor offenses (actually, to an enlightened mind they wouldn’t be offenses at all).
When is the US government going to stop putting up with these egregious regimes? I thought we liberated Afghanistan to rid that country of religious zealots and their rabid violence, but now their highest court confirms ruining a young man’s live because it offended someone’s Islamic sensibilities? Say it ain’t so, Hamid! As to Saudi Arabia, I understand they have a shitload of oil they’re our close ally, but there comes a point that the potential good we derive from an alliance is outweighed by the odor of evil that wafts over from them and (in the eyes of the world) clings to us.
For those who wish to voice their displeasure, here are the contact pages for the embassies of Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
The US will stop putting up with these regimes when we can get cured of our oil addiction. I just finished Thomas Friedman’s latest book “Hot Flat and Crowded” and he has an excellent section about how we need to stop propping up Saudi Arabia due to the insane religious zealotry they practice.
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