Saudi Arabia declares all atheists are terrorists

"Atheists are Terrorists!"

Here's a new attack on the freedom to think from our best allies Saudi Arabia. While I have my doubts about just how much "faith" is involved driving this it's a sure bet that controlling their citizens is never far from the king's mind.

I'm pretty hard on the US progressive left a lot of the time but in this case it makes me think about what it would be like here if the rightwing religious fanatics finally gained control of the US government. Would they stop short of craziness like this or is this the inevitable end result of any fundamentalism?

Saudi Arabia declares all atheists are terrorists

Saudi Arabia has introduced a series of new laws which define atheists as terrorists, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

In a string of royal decrees and an overarching new piece of legislation to deal with terrorism generally, the Saudi King Abdullah has clamped down on all forms of political dissent and protests that could "harm public order".

The new laws have largely been brought in to combat the growing number of Saudis travelling to take part in the civil war in Syria, who have previously returned with newfound training and ideas about overthrowing the monarchy.

Article one of the new provisions defines terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based".

True, it's their country but we really need to stop dealing with these guys, somehow, someway. So does anybody else who thinks freedom of thought is a good idea.

reply to post by Bassago


I can add terrorist to the many things ive been called now....

From what I understand about SA, this is not surprising. Of all the Middle East countries that rule with an iron fist, SA is the worst, and also happens to be our best friend in the region after Israel. Go figure.

I don't know much about Human Rights Watch....are they reputable? Is there some sort of official "proof" to their claims?

reply to post by Bassago

Our government says its Moslems and Christians.

I'm sure that the Jews have been accused.

Saudis claim its the Atheists.

Did we miss anyone?

How about them Hindus?

At this point, is there anyone thats NOT a "terrorist"?

How about these governments, what about THEM?

reply to post by Bassago


You'd have a to go a long way down the rabbit hole you're talking about to find that moral equivalency.

You'd have an easier time finding the secular progressive equivalent and getting them into power I think.

I'm not saying that the popular boogeyman groups don't exist, but they are so maligned in pop culture thought - they are a main cultural villain trope in fact - that culture has been trained against ever putting them into power, at least, not openly.

Terrible country, that uses money and oil to create chaos around the world, too bad america is the saudis lap dog.

Wow, the world is in a bad place right now.

I'm hardly the person to champion Atheists, but this is scary. Even for Saudi Arabia it seems a bit much. This won't end well.

It is their country and we can not force our views on them but you are right, we can stop dealing with them and we should immediately.

reply to post by Bassago


Wow!! That's quite a 'revelation'!! Kinda leaves a whole path open for them to declare anyone who's not with their religious alignment to be redefined as a terrorist.

I wonder if that's a subtle hint that Amurca should just stop calling anyone they 'don't like' a terrorist.

Terrorists are just that ... Terrorists.

Terrorism knows no bounds, not religious or political or racial or any other kind, and this is just the proliferation of more ignorance onto their country and the world.

Frankly, who gives a damn about what some jerks with the power to proclaim laws in Saudi Arabia choose to decree because they feel threatened in their tiny little minds by people who think differently than they do.

If their people care to do something about it, they must do so. If they die for it, well then religion can add a few more to its count. And that would be another huge tragedy.

I guess in a good way this is because obama has made us more energy independent. Now that we use our own oil they stop pretending to like us.

The US had a recent brush with this after 9/11. Not exactly the same except for the black and white blanket statement that helped lead us to the miserable place we are at now.

So they are terrorists because they have different views on religion? Wow, now Christians and Atheists can be terrorists together in Saudi Arabia. Welcome to the club Atheists. Pretty soon everyone's going to be a terrorist in Saudi.

reply to post by Bassago


For what it's worth, I agree with the basic principle of that statement, not necessarily when it comes to the level of nation v. nation, but in general. If you think that you ought to go around murdering or otherwise terrorizing people who don't agree with you to force them to your way of thought or belief, then you don't deserve to be part of the civilized world and should be shunned.

Who takes seriously what Saudi Arabia has to say ?
Not even Muslims take Saudi Arabia seriously. Whatever they say should be judged as the Christian equivalent of the Westboro Church.

Sometimes they can even bring laughter with their silliness
Saudi Arabia deports 'irresistible' men deemed 'too handsome' to women

I can"t even think of going there.

reply to post by ketsuko


Yeah that's pretty much as I see it too, the SA ruling family is probably not ready for admittance to any civilized nation group quite yet.

Funny how they're worried about the jihadist coming back from Syria and causing them trouble. Didn't they pay for most of that mess to begin with?

From what I can tell, this is still based on comments from HRW and no one has commented on their reputation. Are they reputable? Also, is there anything official we can view from the SA government to verify this?

I'm not being a naysayer...just want a source to move forward.

reply to post by sheepslayer247



They appear to be and have been at it since 1978. I'll let folks make their own determination.

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Boy do I have and have had a lot to say on this subject, as I have said in topics I have started, it is only a matter of time and all the rights America has fought for will fall by the wayside, because these groups vote a certain way to get into positions of power, once there, bam, it's all over but the cying.

reply to post by Bassago


Fair enough. I've been doing some digging and I cannot find a Royal decree #44 that actually mentions anything about atheists, except from pro-atheist sites. Most "reputable" sites mention everything else, but nothing about atheists.

Even the Saudi sources do not touch on it.

Can you provide a better source?

I have been posting about the treatment of Christians in these countries,

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Hello? did I hear crickets?

Remember that old saying first they came for the Christians and I did nothing, then they came for me and there was no one left?

www.abovetopsecret.com...