Gay Marriage in Saudi Arabia: Prospects and Obstacles.

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As I write, the passage of the Gay Marriage bill in Saudi Arabia still hangs tensely in the balance. Opposition from the religious establishment shows no sign of relenting with peaceful protests held overnight in Jeddah and Riyadh.

Meanwhile, supporters of the bill have delivered a petition with over a million signatures to the office of domestic affairs in Jeddah. The government has promised to consider both sides carefully.

Divisions between the two sides have been civil but impassioned and both feel strongly that they are on the brink of triumph.

Abu-Majid, a prominent advocate of gay liberties and executive of Saudi Gay Empowerment Committee (SGEC), said to reporters:

“This is obviously very tense. It’s also hugely exciting. The vote could go either way but I have faith it will be in the right direction: Forward. This is a chance to show the world the true progressive spirit of the Saudi people. Our values can help to lead the world.”

Meanwhile, across the ideological barricades, Sheikh Mohammad Sulayyil claimed his camp was the better placed to succeed.

“We represent the conservative majority in this country” he said “.. the silent majority, who oppose the desecration of marriage but are too polite to make their voices heard. We are a progressive, friendly society, but this is one step too far.”

Asked whether he harboured any hostility toward homosexuals (a frequent allegation by the SGEC), Sulayyil responded resolutely; “Of course we don’t. You cannot hate anyone in Islam. We love and care for homosexuals. We wish only that they respect our believes as well as their own.”

Despite observers predicting a close result, the ‘yes’ faction has easily been the most high-profile to date, with celebrities from throughout the Kingdom lining up to demonstrate their support for the bill. The 30 year old Lesbian actress Aafreeda Aftab has spoken at rallies up and down the country, accompanied by such LGBT superstars as Mohammad Badaidah, Abdul Laqiya and Osama Bin Haroum.

Some events in support of the bill have more dramatic than others. Laqiya and Haroum courted controversy by French-kissing in Medina during the Hajj season. Some clerics deemed this to be inappropriate behaviour and letters of complaint were written to various elected officials. Both actors may face a small fine if officials concur with the motion.

Within religious circles the debate has been particularly profound, with liberal and female imams taking a cautious stand in favour of tolerance and hard-line clerics stating frank opposition.

One thing is clear. Whichever way the result goes, the bill threatens to redefine the traditional identity of this gilded Kingdom and cause waves through the settled political landscape.

D, LDN

(That my satire here is almost see-through exposes how alien the Saudi world is to the one we inhabit).

Bomb Iran.

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Like Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not a country whose ambitions are limited by its borders. Tehran’s ruling clerical elite views itself as the logical executive of the Shia Muslim world, for which they would claim Iraq, Lebanon, North-East Arabia, Bahrain, and parts of Pakistan.

For this purpose, the Iranian military (including paramilitary forces) now marshals over 2.5 million men; the largest standing army in the most heavily-armed region in the world. Given its geographic position, the Iranian republic is also able to fire sophisticated missiles at Europe, Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well at US bases in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian navy meanwhile can halt oil transit in the Straits of Hormuz, potentially devastating the global economy.

And perhaps to all this, Iran may be about to add a nuclear capability.

The day the Islamic Republic first tests a nuclear device will mark the birth of a new Great Power; an Islamist Soviet Union, shielded by the threat of apocalypse to arm and manipulate the world, from Bahrain to Mexico to Tehrangeles.

The Obama administration has today consented to lay off the Islamic Republic for a period of six months, being assured of a ‘freeze’ in Iranian nuclear development. Given that Iran once hid a secret enrichment facility under a mountain, this seems foolhardy in the extreme.

Of the deal this weekend, the Israeli Prime Minister has said the following::

“Today the world has become a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world has taken a significant step toward attaining the most dangerous weapon in the world… This agreement and what it means endanger many countries including, of course, Israel. Israel is not bound by this agreement. The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of Israel and Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.”

It appears only Israel and Saudi Arabia are now willing and able to do anything about Tehran’s drive for the big league.

If, in the coming weeks, the former decides to act alone, and if the press tells you that Israel is being reckless, or selfish, or fanatical, or is somehow a ‘rogue state’, know this: This is the same state which stopped Iraq and Syria from developing WMD; weapons which could have just as easily been aimed at London as Tel Aviv. There is a clear and undeniable overlap between Israel’s security and our own, and Iran, along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, is part of a terrifying cultural revival, aimed ultimately at our common destruction.

We have been warned.

D, LDN