Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrest (American) mother

[katty]

more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3321637.ece

Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrest mother for sitting with a man

The TimesFebruary 7, 2008

Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrest mother for sitting with a manSonia Verma in Dubai
A 37-year-old American businesswoman and married mother of three is seeking justice after she was thrown in jail by Saudi Arabia's religious police for sitting with a male colleague at a Starbucks coffee shop in Riyadh.

Yara, who does not want her last name published for fear of retribution, was bruised and crying when she was freed from a day in prison after she was strip-searched, threatened and forced to sign false confessions by the Kingdom's “Mutaween” police.

Her story offers a rare first-hand glimpse of the discrimination faced by women living in Saudi Arabia. In her first interview with the foreign press, Yara told The Times that she would remain in Saudi Arabia to challenge its harsh enforcement of conservative Islam rather than return to America.

[gateley]

1. Wonder if there's any U.S. coverage on this -- these are Bush's dancing buddies...nt

[katty]

3. ha..yeah maybe buried on the last page of some local rag

[smoogatz]

2. Our friends and allies in the war on terrah.

Let freedom reign!

[comfycouch]

4. Bush hearts Saudi Arabia n/t

[yurbud]

5. we are very concerned about Islamic fundamentalists--unless big oil likes them

[yurbud]

6. I was disturbed by the kid gloves treatment we gave the Saudis long before 9/11

[BridgeTheGap]

7. And these people are our allies!?!

What a bunch of control freaks!

[SweetLeftFoot]

8. Typical

backward, misogynist craap. People talk about Aghanistan being the 'good war' because the jihadis are/were there.

Saudi is where the jihadis were/are and always will be.

And they own a goodly, and growing, proportion of your major financial institutions ...