Sudan vs Saudi Arabia: a study in hypocrisy and blatant double standards
Sudan is very far from perfect, but has it warranted the particular attention given to it by Christian groups in the US? Let's compare Sudan with Saudi Arabia.
It is a fact that the United States have committed their military and diplomatic power to secure the survival of the most fundamentalist state in the world - Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi government is more rigid in its application of Islamic law and more repressive than the one in Khartoum.
Not a single church is allowed to exist in Saudi Arabia. Christians are denied any freedom of worship.
By way of comparison, Sudanese Christians occupy key posts including the Sudanese vice-president, cabinet members and legislators. There are hundreds of churches all through Sudan, north and south.
The signs are plentiful in a visit to Sudan that the Islam practiced there is less strict that that of Egypt, to say nothing of Saudi Arabia. One scarcely sees the headcovering that makes many women in Egypt appear so forbidding, much less the Saudi veil.
Saudi Arabia has no form of popular representation, all political organizations are illegal. Like all the other Arab oil-exporting states of the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that does not recognize the concepts of civil rights. The slightest challenge to official policies is severely punished.
The UN Commission on Human Rights has over the years publicly expressed concern about the human rights situation in a wide range of countries in all regions of the world. But it has NEVER publicly addressed the serious human rights situation in Saudi Arabia!
Guess what powerful nation has been protecting them all the time...
The American Christian right's double standards are highlighted by the fact that it has taken a stance against investment in Sudanese oil projects, while it remains mute with regard to the Saudi Arabian oil industry.
It appears that the desire to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s resources has led foreign governments to ignore their obligations to human rights, they rarely if ever condemn violations that are reported. The international community’s response to human rights violations in Saudi Arabia can best be summarized by one word - silence.
President Bush said last week in a speech: "Sudan is a disaster area for all human rights, but the right of conscience has been singled out for special abuse by the Sudanese authorities."
What about Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally for many years, Mr President?
Saudi Arabia is the most critical and important US ally in the Gulf. It is frequently labeled as "moderate" by U.S. officials and the mainstream media as long as it's foreign policies correspond with U.S. policy interests, even if there is nothing particularly moderate about their level of repression...
Food for thought:
Many international observers believe that U.S. ally Saudi Arabia has contributed more funds to extremist groups connected with terrorism than has Sudan, Libya, Iran or any of the other "rogues".
Sources:
Amnesty International
The European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council
Foreign Affairs magazine |
