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Saudi blogger is back
The Religious Policeman, a reform-minded Saudi blogger with a scathing sense of humor, is back. He left his readers concerned last year after telling us that strange things were happening in his neighborhood, and then signing off indefinitely. RP blogs from one of the most repressive police states in the world, and thus risks imprisonment, torture and death for saying really funny, un-Islamic things, like this for instance:Yes, folks, it's Muslim Mayhem Month again, the time of year when our brothers all around the world compete to see who can win the "Ummah Cup" by inflicting the most destruction and misery, and proving that ours is indeed the Religion of Trouble!
Notions of liberal and conservative, hawk and dove just aren't relevant when reading this guy. He can go from bleeding heart liberal to Abu Limbaugh in the same paragraph, and I don't even notice. He is most touching when he writes about abuse of women in the name of Allah, and he dedicated his blog to the 15 Saudi schoolgirls who burned to death in 2002 when Saudi religious police wouldn't allow the girls to flee a burning building without their headscarves. But he can be critical of what he sees as a Muslim culture of victimization, as when he tells the French Arab rioters to get jobs and quit using drugs.
Let me remind you of the rules once again. All types of violence and nastiness by Muslims are elegible, the more ingenious the better, and while it helps if it is done in the name of Islam (for example, shouting "Allah Akhbar" at the same time as burning someone), that isn't necessary, just so long as it's done by a recognisably Muslim group, and so brings publicity and credit to Muslims the world over.
His is a rare, insiders view of Saudi politics, written in fluent, idiomatic English, by a man as comfortable praying in a Saudi mosque as he is shopping for ties on Saville Row. He is particularly hilarious when skewering the Saudi royal family. Citing a Saudi news story, King Abdullah arrives in Jeddah - The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz arrived here Thursday from Makkah, RP writes:Makkah to Jeddah, that's a journey of about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles. One hour by car. And he did it all by himself, with no grown-ups. However, there were a few adults seeing him off, just to make sure he headed in the right direction.
Anyway, welcome back Muttawah!
He was seen off in Makkah by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the deputy premier, minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, a number of other princes and officials.
You can just imagine the conversation.
"Here, wipe your nose"
"Here's a bag of candy, but don't eat them all at once"
"Give me a ring when you get there, so I know you're safe"
"Don't lose your coloring book"
"Are you sure you've been to the toilet? Better go again, just to be sure"
"Are we nearly there?"
7.11.05 17:15