When men hold hands - what the Arab world sees

There have been many posts regarding the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to the Bush "ranch" in Crawford, and the greeting the prince received by his host:

Bush greeted him with a hug and a kiss on both cheeks. The president then took Abdullah's hand in his and guided him up the path leading to his office, taking care to a point a field of bluebonnets on the way."

While many have been speculating about the sexual orientation of Mr. Bush, we have missed the message that this display sent to the Arab world.

More on the flip.

These quotes are from an interview between Amy Goodman, host of DemocracyNow!, and As'ad AbuKhalil, a Professor of Political Science at California State University, Stanislaus.

...this sends a message throughout the Middle East, and it speaks far louder than the hefty, exorbitant expenditure on propaganda since September 11. It seems the obsession with crude oil prices overwhelmed any other talk about the Arab-Israeli question, about the so-called spread of freedom in the Middle East and more importantly even the so-called war on terrorism and the House of Saud production of fanatical Muslims throughout the world. It was very obvious that all of the vapid speeches that Bush has been making about democracy and reform in the Middle East all are pushed aside in order for those two to get together and for the President to emphasize about what he called one time the permanent friendship between the two governments. Here is somebody, the President of the United States, who made himself totally bogusly a symbol of somebody championing reform and democracy in the Middle East, holding hands, literally in this case, with the head of religious dictatorship, one of the worst violators of human rights throughout the world.

Ahh, the "nuance" that is not lost on the rest of the world falls on tin ears in this country, the leader of the free world (so called). You can read or listen to the entire interview here.

•  I don't think it was lost on us.

  We've been laughing our heinies off, and that's important to a librul in this day and age.

  by SensibleShoes on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 06:12:48 PM PDT

•  How this American sees it...

  Great diary, exposing again how US hypocrisy is causing us to lose the war of principles, the one that really matters.

  I don't want to change the subject, and it's probably already been said somewhere here, but Harry Reid or Dean or someone should get out there and say "Holding hands with the dictator of Saudi Arabia is not a substitute for a real energy plan. With the right priorities we could dramatically improve homeland security by achieving energy independence and getting out of bed with Arab dictators."

  Wish I could finish with a joke or at least a wink, but... grrrrrr.....

  by rcw66 on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 06:24:38 PM PDT

  •  How about we tell Frist

    Bush is holding hands with the dictator of a country which arrests Christian visitors.  

    I wonder if Bush will get arrested the next time he goes.  Maybe we should alert the authorities the next time he visits.

    by otto on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 06:31:02 PM PDT

    •  Wahhabi exclusivism

      That's right, non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia have no rights whatsoever.  They're not even dhimmis...

      by GCarty on Fri May 13, 2005 at 04:58:24 AM PDT

•  This happens frequently

  http://www.christiantoday.com/news/meast/289.htm

  A local newspaper has reported that Saudi Arabia has detained 40 Pakistani Christians for a religious gathering on Saturday in the capital Riyadh, according to Reuters.

  Of course, the administration is interested in Saudi Arabia because they are such a free and open society, not because they have oil.

  by otto on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 06:29:55 PM PDT

  •  Why does Bush hate Christians?

    by friendofliberty on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 06:38:38 PM PDT

    •  More like...

      Just a basic indifference, at least to those with brown skins.

      by dirtroad on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 07:19:39 AM PDT

•  The World's 10 Worst Dictators

  Parade Magazine

  by rogun on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 07:05:27 PM PDT

  •  The Story on Crown Prince Abdullah

    5. Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia.
    Age 81. In power since 1995.
    Last year's rank: 5

    Bending under strong international pressure, Crown Prince Abdullah and his family, who have absolute power, are holding Saudi Arabia's first elections in 40 years--municipal elections, that is. Women may not vote or run for office, owing to "technical difficulties": Most Saudi women don't have the photo IDs needed to register; there aren't enough female officials to register those who do; and men may not register women, because the sexes are forbidden to mingle in public. Worldwide, the royal family promotes an extreme form of Islam called Wahhabism, which considers all followers of other religions--even other Muslims--"infidels." In 2004, the U.S. State Department added Saudi Arabia to its list of nations in which religious liberty is severely violated.

    by rogun on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 07:07:35 PM PDT

•  I wanted to scream

  when I saw it. Made it only too plain what Bush's real priorities are.

  Not hearing any apologies to Craig Unger, are you?

  by Madman in the marketplace on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 07:30:21 PM PDT

•  Poppy Bush Told Junior

  to hold the Prince's hand and show other signs of deferrence-- much in the same way non-alpha wolves do with the alpha wolf in the pack.

  so what came of this "meeting"? the House of Saud will allegedly up their oil production over the next ten years-- requiring a minimum $50 BILLION dollar investment to do so.

  sure. sure they will invest $50 billion just because their lackeys in the U.S. politely ask them to. problem: THERE IS NO additional refinery capacity in the U.S. to refine the crude into gasoline.

  thus the official explanation of the purpose of the meeting can be dismissed as Bogus.

  the unofficial purpose of the meeting? the House of Saud likely inquired about BushCo's plan to attack Iran-- since Iran is muscling in on the House of Saud's territory.. i.e. Iran having the balls to make oil and natural gas deals with India, Pakistan, etc.

  this cannot stand.

  by Superpole on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 07:37:46 PM PDT

•  In Dallas we saw it like this...

  Dallas Morning News:

  
  
  

  by ouranos on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 08:31:23 PM PDT

  •  Is that a pickle in Dubya's pocket?

    Or is he just glad to see the jolly old princey boy. I mean being President is HARD work, don't you know.

    by jakethomson on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 09:17:45 PM PDT

  •  That is just so good. n/t

    by Spud1 on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 05:23:12 AM PDT