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In this mailing:
by Denis MacEoin
• June 8, 2015 at 5:00 am
- "My
commitment is... to reject any oppression in the name of religion... a
goal that we will reach in a peaceful and law-abiding way." —
Raif Badawi.
- In another
example of Saudi "justice," Badawi's lawyer, Walid
Abu'l-Khayr, was jailed. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail, to be
followed by a 15-year travel ban.
- What is
happening to Badawi is a perfect reminder to anyone who claims to be
"offended" by "Islamophobia" why it might exist,
who is to blame for it, and that it is precisely behavior such as this
that justifies it.
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Raif Badawi and his children, before he was jailed.
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You may have seen the face of Raif Badawi, a young Saudi man, or a
short article about him, or impressive efforts by The Independent,
to bring attention to the cruel punishments inflicted on him by a series of
deeply illiberal Saudi courts: 1000 lashes -- "very harshly," the
flogging order read -- to be administered 50 at time for 20 weeks, or five
months.
Raif Badawi is a 31-year old author, blogger and social activist, who
gently tried to introduce just the smallest traces of enlightened thinking
to the government and the religious elite of Saudi Arabia from his home in
Jeddah.
He did this mainly through a website and public forum entitled,
"Free Saudi Liberals." An example of what he is now to be flogged
to death for goes: "My commitment is... to reject any repression in
the name of religion... a goal that we will reach in a peaceful and
law-abiding way."
by Burak Bekdil
• June 8, 2015 at 4:00 am
- "We,
through democratic means, have brought an end to an era of
oppression." — Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition,
Republican People's Party (CHP).
- Erdogan is now
the lonely sultan in his $615 million, 1150-room presidential palace.
For the first time since 2002, the opposition has more seats in the
parliament than the AKP.
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Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet
Bahceli addresses supporters after the release of preliminary election
results, June 7, 2015. (Image source: MHP video screenshot)
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For the first time since his Islamist party won its first election
victory in 2002, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was nowhere to be
seen on the night of June 7. He did not make a victory speech. He did not,
in fact, make any speech.
Not only failing to win the two-thirds majority they desired to change
the constitution, the AKP lost its parliamentary majority and the ability
to form a single-party government. It won 40.8% of the national vote and
258 seats, 19 short of the simple majority requirement of 276. Erdogan is
now the lonely sultan at his $615 million, 1150-room presidential palace.
For the first time since 2002, the opposition has more seats in parliament
than the AKP: 292 seats to 258.
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