An update on the Faihan al Ghamdi case

AND FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS AFTER THE OUTRAGE.......

'He will stay in prison for a long time': Saudi royal family intervenes in case of 'celebrity' preacher released after paying blood money despite raping and torturing daughter to death
Royal family reportedly 'stung' by the outrage over the case

THE INDEPENDENT
The Saudi royal family has intervened to block the release of a ‘celebrity’ preacher accused of raping, torturing and killing his five-year-old daughter.

Fayhan al-Ghamdi was set to be released after agreeing to pay “blood money” to the mother of his daughter Lama, who suffered multiple injuries including a crushed skull, broken back, broken ribs, a broken left arm and extensive bruising and burns. Social workers say she had also been repeatedly raped and burnt.

Al-Ghamdi, who regularly appears on Saudi television, admitted using a cane and cables to inflict the injuries after doubting his five-year-old daughter’s virginity and taking her to a doctor, according to the campaign group Women to Drive.

The case caused a scandal in Saudi Arabia, with public calls for the cleric to be put to death.

Despite the country’s notoriously strict legal system however, fathers cannot be executed for murdering their children, in the same way husbands cannot be executed for murdering their wives.

Rather than getting the death penalty or receiving a long prison sentence for the crime, Al-Ghamdi served only a few months in jail before a judge ruled the prosecution could only seek ‘blood money’.

Albawaba News reported the judge as saying: “Blood money and the time the defendant had served in prison since Lama's death suffices as punishment.”

Today, however, the Saudi Justice Ministry issued a statement saying the cleric remained in prison and the case was continuing.

The Times reported sources in the Saudi capital Riyadh as saying the royal family had been “stung” by the outrage over the case, with senior members intervening to ensure a stricter punishment is given.

One source told the newspaper, “The royal court is now looking at the case. He [Al-Ghamdi] will stay in prison for a long time.”

The £31,000 blood money Al-Ghamdi agreed to pay is considered compensation under Islamic law, although it is only half the amount that would have been paid had Lama been a boy.

Formal objections to the ruling were initially raised by three Saudi activists, and the twitter hashtag #AnaLama (which translates as I Am Lama) was set up.

In response to the public outrage over the case, Saudi authorities set up a 24-hour hotline to take calls about child abuse.

SAUDI DRIFTING - A CRIMINAL MOTORSPORT

The youth in Saudi Arabia have very little forms of entertainment or avenues to express themselves and thus they have created their own form of entertainment and amusement in the form of Saudi drifting also known as tafheet or hajwalah in the Arab world. This dangerous and deadly activity has been occurring in the Kingdom ever since motor cars have made their way into the oil rich Kingdom. Tafheet practice and events occur with little to no concern for any vehicle occupants, other drivers or any spectator safety. For those of you out there who do not know what drifting is all about let me give you a brief explanation. Basically the driver would drive the car at maximum speed and then turn the steering wheel sharply towards the right and then left causing the vehicle to spin and sway from side to side. Young Saudi men see this as an act of bravery or very simply a means of showing off their manhood....It is a case of "I am a macho man". In most instances though the car spins completely out of control and causes loss of life and damage to property. Many innocent bystanders or pedestrians lose their lives. Many of these drifters would actually be daring enough to carry out this bizarre activity in peak traffic on the main streets of Riyadh. Many 'shabaabs'---young Saudi men would consider drifting in rich affluent neighbourhoods to attract the young women residing in those neighbourhoods forcing the police to set up speed bumps to contain this bizarre activity. I believe that if a person has no respect for their own life and wishes to destroy their own life then no problem that's your right. But no one has the right to destroy someone elses life or show disrespect towards another human beings property. The video below is absolutely appalling. The young men in the video literally hijack the vehicles driven by expats and then utilize the vehicle to carry out their drifting stunts. As you can see they have targeted the poor expat workers residing in the Kingdom knowing fully well that these labourers do not really have a say in the Kingdom from a human rights point of view. I do not think that these youth would dare to try a stunt like this with a Saudi citizen. These youth have shown no respect towards another human being and have failed to respect another persons property. I wonder if the parent's of these youth know what their young men are up to. They continued this horrific activity for four hours. The question is this? Where the hell were the police? The mutawwa are quick to run after women in the malls yelling at them to cover their eyes, cover their faces, reprimanding them for wearing nail polish etc etc. Why was there not one mutawwa in sight to advise these destructive youth about respecting other people? Islam is a religion that teaches us to respect and value other people along with their property irrespective of race, colour or creed. Clearly these youth have not upheld the teachings of Islam. It is of paramount importance that youth camps be set up to teach young Saudi men to become productive members of society.These young men should be inspired to learn other skills or take up part time jobs. They should be encouraged to become involved in social and community welfare projects like visiting the sick, visiting orphanages, raising funds for various charities across the globe. I strongly believe that residing in an overly repressive environment creates a recipe for disaster and the video below is a clear depiction of this. What are your thoughts on this one?

ABUSING OR BEING ABUSED - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

http://abusebites-com.doodlekit.com/ - Picture

Abuse and domestic violence agianst women and children is rife within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as much as it is prevalent in other parts of the world. During the past few weeks the world has bared witness to gruesome atrocities committed against two women and a child. The first case that rocked the world was the brutal rape of the New Delhi student who later passed on in Singapore followed by the murder of a five year old child at the hands of her father in Saudi Arabia who also happens to be a religious cleric who propagated Islam on television. Just hours ago South Africans have been left shocked and speechless at the barbaric rape and assault of a 17 year old girl whose lower part of the body was slashed open and her intestines ripped out of her body. The victim passed away on arrival at the hospital. Within the last few days I have heard of a few stories of abuse that were related to me by different individuals. My Sudanese colleague brother Ahmed related a story to me that he had witnessed a few weeks ago in his neighbourhood. He was standing outside his home when he noticed a teenage girl crying and running frantically down the road with a middle aged gentleman running behind her screaming and shouting at the top of his voice. The girl ran towards the street corner where she encountered a car with a few young Saudi men. Her father was yelling at them to stop the girl. The young men got out of the car and apprehended the girl. They then took their Iqaals (the black ring that is worn on top of the shemagh or ghutra - the chequered scarf) and began to hit the girl. The girl pleaded with them to stop hitting her. Bearing the situation no longer my colleague went up to them and adviced them not to hit the girl but to rather communicate and find out what the problem is. It was discovered that the father was angry with his daughter for communicating on the telephone with her aunts son; her mother's sisters son. A friend of mine residing in Jeddah called me a few days ago to seek advice with regards to his family issues. His mother has been in an abusive relationship with his father from the time he was a child but continued to stay in the relationship for the sake of the children. His mother has now become a grandmother of many grand children and still the abuse continues. Being the eldest son out of ten children, he has encouraged and adviced his mom to divorce his father and marry again. His mother was married at a very young age and hence she is now in her late forties. He wants to give his mother the happiness that she has not experienced throughout her life. A few days ago prior to going to Madina, I bumped into a colleague of mine who seemed visibly disturbed. She is a middle aged woman, short and stout and is more of a motherly figure to me. When she is her normal self she is always bright, bubbly and jovial. When I enquired about her sadness I discovered that she has a daughter working in the Eastern province here in Saudi Arabia. Her daughter resides alone at the hospital compound whilst her husband resides in India with her kids. From the time that she got married her husband has never worked but rather demanded money from her. She has to work hard doing over time to pay for her son's university education. Her mother has asked her on numerous occasions to divorce her husband and move on but she refuses to divorce him due to the stigma associated with a divorced woman in India. According to her mother she is willing to sacrifice her happiness for her children. A Saudi friend of mine residing in Jeddah related to me a story about the plight of a South African Muslim girl married to a Saudi from Jeddah. Apparently the girl met the boy during an umra trip in Makkah during Ramadhaan two years ago. Whilst her parents were dead against her marrying a Saudi Arab, the girl was blown away with the Saudi gentlemans wealth and good looks. Both families met each other in Makkah, gifts were exchanged and of course the wedding ceremony occurred in Makkah as well. Not even six months had elapsed and the marriage was on the rocks. Her husband started locking her up in his mansion whilst he would spend the weekends in Bahrain and Morocco wining and dining numerous other women. She then asked her inlaws to speak to her husband and threatened to divorce him. After a few family meetings and discussions her husband agreed to change and hence for a month of two he was spending more time with his wife. During this period she fell pregnant but her husband was hardly with her during her pregnancy.I guess a leopard never changes its spots. He started being more abusive physically and verbally and even took away her passport preventing her from traveling or leaving the country. When her baby was born her parents came to the Kingdom to visit her and noticed that their daughter was not her usual self. After confiding in her family they all decided to assist her in leaving the Kingdom. Due to her family's strong diplomatic ties across the globe, she sought help from the South African embassy and managed to escape from the country on a private chartered plane. To be honest she was lucky to escape because she hails from an affluent family. Here in the Kingdom a woman requires permission from a mahram, be it a father, brother or husband in order to travel outside the country. Without this permission the airport security will prevent her from flying. As per Saudi law if a foreign woman divorces her Saudi husband, the children will remain in the Kingdom in the custody of the father. Hence she will leave the country without her kids. How can any mother stay away from her child?
These are just a few cases of abuse that were brought to my attention. I wonder how many more cases of abuse go unreported everyday within the Kingdom as well as in other countries across the globe. If you are victim of abuse reading this article then this is my advice to you: Everyone in life deserves happiness. If you deem yourself to be a victim of abuse then I strongly recommend you to seek help right away. Stay away from people who dampen your morale and lower your self esteem through their negativity and verbal abuse. This notion or idea of staying in the relationship for the sake of the kids is totally incorrect. Bringing up kids in an abusive and violent home will undoubtedly have a negatve impact on their lives and it may not show initially but their will be some negative influence later on in their lives. I know for a fact that especially within the Indian community, women who are abused do not report their situation to the relevant authorities simply because they do not wish for the world to know their " inside house stories". This attitide needs to change. Perpetrators need to be brought to the fore and examples need to be set so that the future generation of young men would grow up to understand the correct dynamics of a relationship and they will be equipped in dealing with issues in a relationship without displaying abusive behaviour. In the words of Flora Jessop,“To those who abuse: the sin is yours, the crime is yours, and the shame is yours. To those who protect the perpetrators: blaming the victims only masks the evil within, making you as guilty as those who abuse. Stand up for the innocent or go down with the rest.” 

THE POWER OF THE HOLY QURAAN

                                                           Picture: alimsumarno.com

Every morning my Sudani colleague, brother Ahmed reports to work an hour earlier to beat Riyadh's horrendous traffic. He would make two cups of coffee and we will engage in conversation about various subject matters. Yesterday morning he related a story to me that he had witnessed at the airport a few weeks ago. There was a student from Egypt who had completed his Islamic studies at a university here in Riyadh. He had graduated and was returning to Egypt with all his belongings. He hailed from a poor family in Egypt. His plane ticket was sponsored by the university. When he arrived at the airport check in counter, he was informed that he is overweight and needs to pay three hundred dollars before a boarding pass will be issued. He pleaded with the man at the counter regarding his plight showing the man the Quraan and other books that he had studied at the university. The man at the cunter was cold and adamant. He called a member of the military to escort the student away from the counter. Like all Saudi military personnel, the man was harsh and whilst banging his fist on the counter he told the student that he will make sure that he does not get onto the flight unless he pays the money first. The student looked at the man and in a polite tone replied, " Insha Allah - if God Almighty wills I will be on the flight most definitely." He walked away and went to the airport masjid. It was time for salaah but the imaam of the masjid did not arrive. Since their was no other person who knew the Quraan by heart in the small congregation, he offered to lead the prayer. God Almighty had blessed him with a beautiful voice and he read the verses of the Quraan as though he was speaking to His creator. When the prayer was concluded a gentleman who performed hir prayer behind him walked up to him with tear filled eyes. In fact the gentleman could not contol his tears. He was so moved by the way in which the student recited the Quraan. He asked the student where did he learn to read Quraan in such a soulful manner and also where is he travelling to. The student informed him that he was on his way to Egypt. The gentleman was surprised that the flight was going to take off within an hour and the student had not yet checked in his luggage and neither did he have a boarding pass. The Saudi gentleman then asked the student to accompnay him to the check in counter. When he arrived at the counter, the staff including the military personnel became cold with fright. The Saudi gentleman was one of the senior executive members at the airport. Within minutes the students luggage was checked in and he was given an upgraded ticket to Egypt. The Saudi gentleman asked the staff at the counter why were they harrassing the student and do they not have the slightest bit of humanity within their hearts. He lectured them on being kind to others especially students who have travelled to Saudi Arabia leaving their families behind to learn about Islam and memorise the Quraan. This folks is the power of the Quraan. A truly remarkable story indeed. The moral of the story is this, when you have complete faith and full trust in God Almighty nothing or no one can prevent you from achieving your goal in life. Always place God Almighty first in your life and you will always attain success from unknown sources.