New Year only lasted a day or so for 47 individuals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as on Saturday, January 2nd 2016 in a mass execution, 43 had their heads chopped off by executioners using a sword known as the sulthan while 4 of them apparently were shot. The swords must have been especially sharpened for the day as 43 beheadings is a lot in one day even by Saudi standards baring in mind that it sometimes takes 2 or 3 strikes to sever the head before the victim can be pronounced dead. Execution is apparently based on Sharia Law derived from principles of the Qu’ran and is mostly used to put to death for crimes like murder, apostacy, blasphemy, idolatry, homosexuality, drug use/trafficking, sedition, adultery, witch craft and the like. Except if you happen to be a renowned Shia Cleric and disagree with the way how things are done in Saudi Arabia, then I suppose you were just a bloody nuisance and had to be dealt to.
With all the imagery today (03/01/16) of ISIS apparently about to execute five men who were said to be British spies reportedly in retaliation of the three ‘token sorties’ flown by the British and ordered by David Cameron against ISIS in Syria there will no doubt be a great outcry at the brutality of ISIS once more and rightly so. However actions of ISIS fighter compares poorly with the regular barbarism that goes on in Saudi Arabia. In 2015 it is reported that 151 people including 71 foreigners were put to death by the sword in Saudi Arabia; 2016 has got off to a bad start. Most of the foreigners are migrant workers from poorer countries who who are often sentenced to die without any knowledge of the court’s proceedings because they don’t speak Arabic and do not receive translations.
Amnesty International says that despite UN calls for the end of public executions many convicts were beheaded in either the public square of the town or city where they were sentenced, or in other publicly-accessible spaces. In some cases, the remains of those executed were displayed in public as a deterrent to others, Amnesty said. Typically done in cases of “haraba” or banditry, this involved tying the decapitated corpse along with the victim’s head in a bag to a post in a public square.
So just how did Saudi Arabia become appointed as Head of the United Nations Human Rights Council and why? This is a UN council of 47 member nations charged with the responsibility of promoting human rights around the world. Actually it’s hard to find any successes of the UN Human Rights Council once more demonstrating the complete wastefulness and lack of effect the UN is.
The Guardian newspaper reported in September 2015 that ‘Leaked documents suggest a vote-trading deal was conducted between Britain and Saudi Arabia to enable both nations to secure a seat at UN’s influential body. “Britain conducted secret vote-trading deals with Saudi Arabia to ensure both states were elected to the UN human rights council (UNHRC), according to leaked diplomatic cables.” Recalling that the UNHRC is one of the UN’s most influential bodies it is apparent that the conspiracy is not one of reporting the fact but that it happened because the two governments conspired to make it happen. The classified exchanges the paper said, suggest that the UK initiated the secret negotiations by asking Saudi Arabia for its support. Both countries were eventually elected to the UNHRC, which has 47 member states.
Saudi prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz welcomes David Cameron in 2012.
Of course it’s not only Britain that cozies up to the Saudi royal family, it’s a global feeling of brotherhood! For the US, Saudi Arabia is a staunch and defended ally, complicit in all America’s underhand dealings in that region. It’s only to be expected then that New Zealand submissively toes the American demand to respect this barbaric monarchical regime that treats its own citizens as second rate whilst the royals lives lives of repugnant luxury. Women have no say, can’t drive cars and can’t get a job without permission from a male. Woe betide them should they be seen in the company of another male…. that’s a decent flogging down in the local square on Saturday morning, worse still, off with your head!
So when in January 2015 King Abdullah died aged about 90, Prime Minister John Key requested the New Zealand flag to fly at half mast on all government buildings and the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The same happened all around the world (Cameron flew the Union Jack at Westminster) as western leaders grovelled in recognition of the death of one the modern worlds worst tyrants.
I’m glad that at the time people spoke out but it never changed the obedience that Key displayed to remain a loyal member of the US led ‘coalition of the willing’. The NZ Herald reported that writer and commentator Hamish Keith hit out at the decision on Twitter, saying; “We are flying flags at half mast in ‘respect’ for a torturing misogynist human rights flaunting autocrat – Je suis un hypocrite.” Eric Crampton, economist and head of research at the New Zealand Initiative think tank, said: “I choose to recognise half-masted flags as mourning the victims of the oppressive Saudi regime.”
While the Monarchy of Saudi Arabia and its ruling royals remain key to western politics in the middle east its unlikely that much will change in that land in the near future. They really don’t care about snubbing their nose at many western values most of us think are worth while. Where things can come unstuck is the ongoing clash between Shia and Sunni beliefs in regard to interpreting Islam. This is actually the play dangerously ignited by American policies being enacted in the Middle East now with Iran emerging as a bolder new player. A clash of the titans may about to unfold.
Malcolm Eves