On Tuesday, June 29 at 12 Noon at the blocked off area of Pennsylvania Avenue, between the White House and Lafayette Park, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supporters will urge President Obama and Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to seek women’s equal rights and religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, during their meeting that day at the White House.
If you are interested in attending or for more information, contact: Jeffrey Imm, info@realcourage.org, 301-613-8789
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has submitted an assembly plan notification to the Washington DC Metropolitan Police for public awareness activity. In May, we had a similar event regarding negotiations with the Taliban while Afghan President Karzai was at the White House. If weather or security conditions warrant, we will move to Lafayette Park, which we have also discussed with the National Park Service (NPS).
Calling for Women’s Equal Rights
We challenge the lack of women’s equal rights in Saudi Arabia, including the laws that demand segregation of women in public life, the male guardianship program, and the inequality for women in education, employment, health, and equality before the law. We reject the treatment of women, including public lashing, abuse of women at the hands of religious police, and a culture which has allowed women to become viewed as second class citizens – in the law and daily life.
We challenge the gender apartheid in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and call for its leaders to accept the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which calls for such freedoms “in the equal rights of men and women” in every part of the world.
We also call upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to recognize the unqualified, universal human rights for all women in Saudi Arabia, for a life not based on segregation, fear, intimidation, and oppression, but as equal partners in that nation and in the world.
Calling for Human Rights of Religious Freedom
Our consistent support for freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18, which states that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” We call upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the nations of the world to support such unqualified, universal human rights on our fellow human beings right to believe and worship as they see fit. We support all of our fellow human beings RIGHT TO BELIEVE – without exception, without qualification – free from intolerance, intimidation, and fear.
The U.S. State Department continues to denote the lack of freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia, and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that Saudi Arabia be listed as a Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). We share the concerns about religious freedom in Saudi Arabia described in both the U.S. State Department and the USCIRF reports, and we urge U.S. President Obama to follow the recommendations of the USCIRF in his June 29 meeting with Saudi King Abdulaziz. (See also Adobe Acrobat PDF of USCIRF letter to U.S. President Obama.)
In terms of religious freedom, we urge the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) leaders to support Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the interests of world peace and harmony, as well as the long term security both for the KSA and the world.
Calling for Consistency in Our Universal Human Rights
We believe that support for such universal human rights is a demonstration of our love for our fellow human beings.
We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.
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Postscript: I know that some believe that calling for the KSA to support women’s human rights, the UDHR, and UDHR Article 18 for religious freedom may seem impossible. In 1979, I also stood before representatives of the Apartheid Government of South Africa calling for the end to the racial supremacism of Apartheid laws created in 1750. This was just 6 years before the founding of the first Saudi nation-state by Prince Muhammed Ibn Saud and Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab.
The end of apartheid was announced in 1990, and by 1992, apartheid was ended in South Africa. But in 1979, such calls then too were viewed as impossible . But we have seen in the world that the march for human freedom is relentless and consistent, like the waves of the ocean, such universal human rights will ultimately not be denied. It is our obligation to continue to participate in that march for freedom, as human beings Responsible for Equality AND Liberty.
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Logistics and Map:
If you are taking the Washington DC subway (Metro), you should exit at the Farragut West (Orange/Blue Lines), Farragut North (Red Line), or McPherson Square (Orange/Blue Lines) metro stops.
FARRAGUT WEST METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions: 1. Exit station through 18TH & I (EYE) ST NW entrance. 2. Walk approx. 1 block S on 18th St NW. 3. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW. 4. Walk approx. 3 blocks SE on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
FARRAGUT NORTH METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions: 1. Exit station through CONNETICUT AVE & K ST NW entrance. 2. Walk a short distance S on Connecticut Ave NW. 3. Walk straight on 17th St NW. 4. Walk approx. 1 block S on 17th St NW. 5. Turn left on I St NW. 6. Walk a short distance E on I St NW. 7. Turn right on Connecticut Ave NW. 8. Walk approx. 1 block S on Connecticut Ave NW. 9. Bear right on Jackson Pl NW. 10. Walk approx. 1 block S on Jackson Pl NW. 11. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW. 12. Walk approx. 1 block E on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
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Additional Background on KSA and Women’s Rights Issues:
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia
Perpetual Minors: Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Male Guardianship and Sex Segregation in Saudi Arabia
— Adobe Acrobat PDF File
Saudi Cleric Fired for Rejecting Segregation of Sexes — Ahmed Qassim Al-Ghamdi
Saudi Cleric Calls for Gender Segregation or Death: Shaikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak
Saudi Woman Criticizes Muslim Clerics in TV Poetry Contest — Gets Death Threats
Saudi Arabia: “Domestic abuse goes unreported due to sensitivity”
Escaping Saudi Arabia’s gilded cage — on oppression of women in Saudi Arabia
“Saudi Arabia — The World’s Largest Women’s Prison”
Saudi Woman Challenges Male-Only Polygamy, Accused of Blasphemy
Saudi judge: It’s OK to slap spendthrift wives
Saudi religious police blamed in ‘honor’ killing of sisters
Saudi Arabia: Brother kills two sisters in Social Affairs shelter over “honor”
Saudi Arabia: 75 year old woman lashed, press concerned about men
Saudi Arabia: Philippine Woman Imprisoned for Being Rape Victim
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Additional Background on KSA and Religious Freedom Issues:
USCIRF Recommendations to President Obama for June 29 Meeting
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called upon President Obama to urge “the Saudi government to implement effective strategies for preventing people from embracing violent extremism in the first place. They will need to focus on reforms that ensure that intolerance has no place in their culture. Despite the Saudi government pledging to the United States nearly four years ago that it would undertake such reforms, very little progress has been made. In this regard, we appeal to you to raise three important issues: revising the Saudi government-controlled curriculum and textbooks; reining in the government-funded Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice (CPVPV), or religious police; and releasing Hadi Al-Mutif, the longest serving religious prisoner in Saudi Arabia.”
U.S. Department of State International Religious Freedom Report 2009 on Saudi Arabia – Excerpts
The U.S. Department of State International Religious Freedom Report 2009 on Saudi Arabia states that:
“Freedom of religion is neither recognized nor protected under the law and is severely restricted in practice.”
“Moreover, the public practice of non-Muslim religions is prohibited, and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) continued to conduct raids on private non-Muslim religious gatherings. Although the Government also confirmed its stated policy to protect the right to possess and use personal religious materials, it did not provide for this right in law, and the CPVPV sometimes confiscated the personal religious materials of non-Muslims.”
“the Government continued to enforce its official interpretation of Sunni Islam. Some Muslims who do not adhere to this interpretation faced significant political, economic, legal, social, and religious discrimination, including limited employment and educational opportunities, underrepresentation in official institutions, and restrictions on the practice of their faith and on the building of places of worship and community centers. The largest group affected was the Shi’a. Non-Muslims, most of whom are citizens of other countries, also face significant restrictions on the practice of their faith. There were fewer charges of harassment and abuse at the hands of the CPVPV, but incidents of CPVPV excesses continued to cause many non-Muslims to worship in secret, for fear of the police and CPVPV. Textbooks continued to contain some overtly intolerant statements against Jews and Christians and subtly intolerant statements against Shi’a and other religious groups, notwithstanding Government efforts to review educational materials to remove or revise such statements.”
“On January 16, 2009, the Secretary of State re-designated the country as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).”
USCIRF 2010 Report on Saudi Arabia – Excerpts
“Despite King Abdullah undertaking some limited reform measures and promoting inter-religious dialogue in international fora in recent years, the Saudi government persists in banning all forms of public religious expression other than that of the government’s own interpretation of one school of Sunni Islam and also interferes with private religious practice. Ismaili Muslims continue to suffer severe discrimination and abuse on account of their religious identity and there is an ongoing crackdown on Shi’a Muslim dissidents, which has resulted in numerous arrests and detentions. Members of the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice (CPVPV or religious police) continue to commit abuses, overstep their authority with impunity, and are not subject to judicial oversight. Moreover, the government continues to be involved in supporting activities globally that promote an extremist ideology, and in some cases, violence toward non-Muslims and disfavored Muslims.”
“USCIRF again recommends in 2010 that Saudi Arabia be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC. Although so designated by the State Department since 2004, an indefinite waiver on taking any action in consequence of the CPC designation has been in place since 2006.”
“Little discernible progress has been made nearly four years after the State Department publicly announced that, as a result of bilateral discussions, the Saudi government had confirmed that it would advance specific policies with the aim of improving religious freedom conditions. The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of religion or belief. Abuses include: torture and cruel and degrading treatment or punishment imposed by judicial, security, and administrative authorities; prolonged detention without charges and often incommunicado; and blatant denials of the right to liberty and security of the person, including through coercive measures aimed at women and the broad jurisdiction and abusive actions of the CPVPV. The full implementation by the Saudi government of the July 2006 policies would diminish some of its institutionalized abusive practices that have resulted in severe violations of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief in Saudi Arabia and worldwide.”