Unrealistic expectaion

Submitted by MW (United States), Aug 25, 2007 at 00:49

Mr Pipes said:

Further, once these materials are allowed, other benefits would likely follow, such as permitting non-Islamic religious buildings and services in the kingdom for the millions of non-Muslims who live there.

... Even if Saudi Arabia gave in to the point of allowing into the country religious articles it now forbids, that will not logically lead to the wholesale restructuring of the society - especially when the monarchy is so beholden to the Wahhabis for their continued power.

At best, a relaxation would be little more than, "you can bring them here but you cannot permit them to be seen. You can bring them but you cannot do anything with them in view of anyone else, even your own traveling companions." No matter what concessions they may make to ensure access to airports, they will not make any concessions they do not have to make within their borders and no amount of pressure from the West can force them to do otherwise.

We in the West treasure our national sovereignty. Our values require that rights we extend to ourselves should be equally extended to others. That includes tolerating the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia to the point that we have to accept they are not obligated to relax their restrictions upon everything that is not Wahhabi. We should not like it, but the rights we enjoy include the responsibility to honor those rights for all others.

Personally, I hope to be wrong. Unfortunately, I expect to be right.

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