This is my first diary, so please be gentle...
I have finally seen something that has me beside myself, yet is not already diaried here. Egyptian doctor Raouf Amin El-Arabi served the Saudi Royal Family for more than 20 years before being tried and convicted of causing a Saudi princess to be addicted to painkillers. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison and 700 lashes. Upon appealing his sentence, the judge doubled both the jail term and the whippings. Dr. El-Arabi started his sentence in November and has been served 70 lashes a week since then. His family is devastated.
Original story:
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/...
My few years of medical education tell me that even one beating of 70 lashes is a threat to life, much less having this repeated weekly. The judge has implied that this is a light sentence since it is not "technically" a death sentence or life imprisonment. However, Dr. El-Arabi simply gave the princess the narcotics she asked for by name, ones she had received in the US after falling from a horse.
Egyptians have demonstrated for the Egyptian government to intervene on his behalf as well as on behalf of a colleague who has also been severely sentenced. Guest workers are often abused in the Kingdom, Middle Eastern and Asian ones more so than Westerners, who still find it a very difficult climate. Women and non-Muslims are also special targets for harassment. However, the Egyptian government like the U.S. government is in thrall to the Saudis and has been unwilling to do much. At this point they have forbidden Egyptian doctors from signing new contracts with private Saudi hospitals as well as restricting contracts with other employers in the Kingdom. This causes more difficulty for Egyptian workers, who have a hard time finding employment in Egypt that provides adequate compensation.
As I previously mentioned, this has deeply upset me. I know the Saudi government is difficult to move, but I am hoping and praying that if enough people are paying attention, and maybe even more if we pray hard enough, this man and his colleague will be released from what is almost certainly a drawn-out death sentence.
I am asking that people pray, put requests on change.gov, try to work through Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and tell everyone you can. I suppose if there is a bigger picture it is that we as a country need to be kind but firm in our dealings with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We need to send a message that we expect progress in the area of human rights. In return we will respect them and we will work to educate ourselves regarding Arabs, Muslims and the Middle East (which, as I think most here know, are three independent but heavily overlapping populations.)
Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/...
I realize this is a short diary but it is more an emotional plea than a reasoned argument of any sort. Time is of the essence to save this man's life.