Saudi Sunday: Where Have All The Flowers Gone

Methinks today I shall give the land of darkness some attention.

[T]uesday, February 14, 2006, (a flower shop owner closed his stores for three days in order to avoid harassment from the moral police. Al-watan daily reported. valentine's day is favorite target of the committee for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, viewed by the religious police as a holiday that promotes immoral behavior. Red roses often disappear from stores before, during and after the holiday in order to avoid attracting the attention of the police patrols, specially in the kingdom's capital .

I personally had witnessed many flower shops remain closed on the Valentine's Day, because they were fined last year for opening their doors on this day. They must remain closed even when they do not sell any roses at all. The religious police forces this closure because they do not want students and young people to emulate the infidels. These religious zealots are afraid that these young people might fall in love with the infidels. The religious authority does not tolerate any reason to love a non-Muslim. They must promote hatred towards the non-Muslims to erase from the minds of young Saudi any trace of love or compassion for them (non-Muslims). The saddest reality is that they (religious police) are very successful in creating fear and utter disdain for the non-Muslims through coercion, intimidation, terror and through sheer brute force-the almighty force of Islam.

In summary, I can say that signs of love are a great sin in Saudi Arabia. Music is "Satan's sound" and loving a non-Muslim is a serious crime, sometimes punishable with severe punishment. All these depravity and inhuman acts are perpetrated right in front of government's eye. It is, in fact fully supported by the state through money and infrastructure. Please note that all Islamic organizations in Saudi Arabia are supported by the government. The government is a silent supporter of all religious extremism in Saudi Arabia. This silent support for the Islamist bigots is to ensure that no one dares to criticize the royal family. The Saudi royal policy to wards the Islamist terrorists can be summed up in these few words: Burn the whole world if you (the Islamist terrorists) want, but do not say or do anything against us.

Therefore, who could really believe that Saudi Arabia is against the terrorists? Please do think this over.