A cruel Saudi couple tortured their 49-year old Sri Lankan maid, LT Ariyawathi, by hammering 24 hot nails into her after she complained of her heavy workload. The maid returned back from Saudi Arabia after 5 months. On her return Ariyawathi's family took her to the hospital after she complained of massive amount of pains. The X-ray showed 1 to 2 inch nails in her hands, legs and feet - One had been hammered in over her eyes. Mrs Ariyawathi told a local newspaper that her employers... Full Story

Saudi Arabia has confirmed a deal to purchase $30 billion worth of F-15 jets from the United States. Since Arabs drive their warplanes as though they were camels, the sale poses no threat to Israel. It dwarfs Israeli military procurement, however. Why would the Saudis buy a massive amount of American weapons when their economy is crumbling under the weight of welfare payments to baby boomers? The last time the Saudis approved a similarly huge military purchase was after Desert Storm, as a... Full Story

The Guardian published a story of Israel agreeing to sell nuclear warheads to South Africa in 1975. Though Shimon Peres weaselly denied the report, the affair is in fact well-known and true. So yes, we offered to sell a few nuclear warheads to our close ally, so what? And it was not exactly a sale: South Africa took part in Israeli nuclear program. Likewise, Pakistan delivered several nuclear kits to Saudi Arabia in return for funding Pakistani nuclear program. Pakistan requested North... Full Story

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, and Jordan, four US clients in the Middle East, announced their plans for “peaceful” nukes. Their plans cannot be credible: unlike Iran, the sheikhdoms lack engineers to operate the facilities. It takes someone more educated than Bedouins to run nuclear programs. The sheikhdoms won’t risk a squabble with Iran on their own, and were propped by the US. Obama’s reasoning is straightforward: tell Iran that it would gain no comparative... Full Story

Buraidah, Saudi Arabia A 12-year girl from Buraidah, a conservative town near the capital Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), was sold in marriage by her father to his 80-year old cousin for bridal money of 85,000 riyals ($23,000). Interestingly Saudi Arabia has no minimum legal age for marriage and father of the girl is granted guardianship over the girl and he decides who and when she is married.  The mother of the girl had earlier filed for divorce on behalf of the girl accusing the 80-year old husband of raping her... Full Story

On Jun 4, 2009, President Obama went to Cairo, Egypt and gave a speech to the Islamic World. It was entitled, A New Beginning, a seemed to promise a less overtly hostile attitude from US government toward the Muslim World.  Given the apologetic and conciliatory tone of the address, I was quick to disparage it. Given the antipodal natures of America and Islam, I found it’s entire premise to be fatally flawed. I had overlooked the fact that, while President Obama was careful to... Full Story

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia President Barack Obama begins a crucial Mideast trip Wednesday with a visit to Saudi Arabia, where concerns about U.S. outreach to Iran, the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and the kingdom's willingness to accept Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo will all likely be on the agenda. The range of issues highlights the important relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, one of Washington's strongest allies in the Middle East. The Sunni Arab powerhouse is also the world's largest oil... Full Story

Abha, Saudi Arabia A Jeddah court judge announced in a Seminar on Domestic Violence that it was OK for a husband to slap his wife  if they spent money lavishly. The statement triggered a hue and cry among the women in the audience. “If a person gives SR1,200 to his wife and she spends SR900 to purchase an abaya (the black gown) from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment,” said Judge Hamad Al-Razine. Al-Razine was... Full Story