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Saudi Arabia Tag

Last weekend, Saudi Arabia began an "anti-corruption" purge as a way to consolidate power for the future leader. While that received a lot of attention, something slipped through the cracks. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned from his post during a trip to Saudi Arabia, "citing the destructive role of Iran and Hezbollah in the Middle East." Now Saudi Arabia has demanded its citizens leave Lebanon immediately due to "a dispute over the influence of Iranian ally Hezbollah in a country that hs been a battleground in the rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran." Lebanon believes the kingdom is holding the prime minister, with some claiming Saudi officials forced him to resign and holding him under house arrest. Two other gulf states have also advised against traveling to Lebanon.

Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia witnessed the arrests of 17 princes, including billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal. The arrests came after the government formed an anti-corruption committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's favorite son and heir to the throne. Experts said these arrests happened as a way for King Salman to clear "any remaining obstacles to his son's ascension to the throne." However, it may have an affect on the world economy as bin Talal owns 95% of Kingdom Holding, which has stakes in Apple and Twitter.

WELCOME TO 2017, SAUDI ARABIA!!! King Salman issued a royal decree to finally allow women to drive in the kingdom. You hear that feminists? Females couldn't drive in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is a country that oppresses females, treating them as second class citizens. Recently, authorities arrested a young woman who wore a skirt and crop top in public. Her head was not covered. The video, posted to Snapchat, "show the woman walking through an ancient fort in Ushayqir, a village in Najd province about 95 miles from the capital, Riyadh," reports the Washington Post.

Officials in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have all announced the countries have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar due to terrorism and extremism. From The Guardian:
The official state news agency, citing an official source, said Saudi Arabia had decided to sever diplomatic and consular relations with Qatar “proceeding from the exercise of its sovereign right guaranteed by international law and the protection of national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism”.

While in Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump signed a $110 billion arms deal with the kingdom. The White House has claimed the deal "includes defense equipment and other support to help the Arab nation and the rest of the Gulf region fight again terrorism and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran." But Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has a problem with the munitions part of the deal due to Saudi Arabia's continued coalition in Yemen against the ousted government.

In Saudi Arabia for his first foreign trip as president, President Trump delivered a speech on Islamic extremism and the need for the world to unite against and eradicate it.  Trump urged the Muslim-majority countries to "take the lead in combating radicalization" and to expel Islamist extremists from their places of worship, communities, holy lands, and the planet. Some highlights from the full text of President Trump's speech.
"I stand before you as a representative of the American People, to deliver a message of friendship and hope. That is why I chose to make my first foreign visit a trip to the heart of the Muslim world, to the nation that serves as custodian of the two holiest sites in the Islamic Faith." "Our vision is one of peace, security, and prosperity—in this region, and in the world. Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to God."

The Arab world's most-watched TV network, MBC 1, will air a prime-time TV drama depicting life under ISIS. The 30-part series will debut during Ramadan. “Black Crows", "paints a picture of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, as a brutal criminal organization run by corrupt and hypocritical leaders. But recruits are depicted as victims, and women who challenge the militants’ control are heroes," reports the New York Times.

Unfortunately, I am not kidding when I say that the UN elected Saudi Arabia to the Women's Rights Commission. It reminds me of when the UN elected Iran to the human rights council. Remember that? Saudi Arabia received its spot when the Economic and Social Council voted on new members for the women's rights commission, which wants to help promote equality for females. The commission's website states that females "suffer violence and discrimination" and remain "under-represented in political and economic decision-making processes." Females around the world also "lack decent access to basic education and face occupational segregation and gender wage gaps." Too many countries still deny females "access to basic education and health care." Gee, what country falls into most of these categories? Saudi Arabia!

I worked in National Security at Breitbart, which made me very grateful to live in America. Every day I covered stories describing actual oppression of females. I bet you anything those females would love to have the cost of their birth control as their only worry. Those marches made me ashamed of my sex since governments in other countries actually treat its female citizens like second class citizens. I will concentrate on three countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and India.

Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with its plans of creating an international Islamic army. Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance (IMA) comprises of 39 Sunni Muslim states including nuclear-armed Pakistan. According to a report published this week by the British newspaper Guardian, former Pakistan army chief Raheel Sharif has been tapped to become the first commander of this "Muslim Nato". Saudi-led Islamic army is not backed by Iran, which is busy building a rival Muslim block by financing and arming standing armies and terrorist militias in Shia-majority countries and regions. The declared aim of this military alliance is to fight terrorism. Ironically, its leading member states are direct sponsors of Jihadi terrorism across the world. Pakistan's military actively nurtures and sponsors Islamic terrorist groups operating against Hindu-majority India, along with its long-standing ties with Taliban in Afghanistan. Gulf Arab States and Turkey have supported and funded Islamic State (ISIS) at one time or another.

The Senate voted to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that allows families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, which means lawyers have started to move ahead with cases already pending in court:
James Kreindler, whose New York firm represents hundreds of victims’ families, said attorneys would soon file papers at the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York seeking to reinstate Saudi Arabia as a defendant in lawsuits filed shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks and consolidated in the New York-based federal court. “If we haven’t done it by today, we’ll do it Monday,” Mr. Kreindler said in an interview.

Yesterday, I wrote about today's Senate vote expected to override Obama's veto and today they voted overwhelmingly to do just that. Fox News reports:
The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to overturn President Obama’s veto of a bill letting families of Sept. 11 victims sue the Saudi Arabian government, bringing Congress within reach of completing the first successful veto override of Obama’s presidency. The Senate voted 97-1 to reject the veto. The measure heads next to the House, where lawmakers will need to muster a two-thirds majority, as in the Senate, to override.

As Mary noted earlier this month, Obama's veto of the bill to allow 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia for its involvement is likely to be overridden by Congress.  The votes will occur this week:  in the Senate on Wednesday and in the House on Friday. ABC News reports:
For the first time in President Obama’s tenure, the Senate is set to override his veto of a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia in U.S. courts. The president vetoed the bill Friday, citing concerns that it could open the U.S. government to similar lawsuits.