Bitcoin Forum

Saudi Arabia has officially identified atheists as terrorists in sweeping new laws that threaten up to 20 years in prison for almost any criticism of the government or Islam.

The regulations place secular citizens who commit thought crimes in the same category as violent terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch and Saudi Hezbollah.

Under the new decree by King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia will jail for up to 20 years anyone who fights in conflicts abroad – an apparent move to deter Saudis from joining rebels in Syria.

But the law also applies to any Saudi citizen or a foreigner residing in the kingdom that ‘calls for atheist thought in any form or calls into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based.’

The laws have been denounced by human rights groups for making no distinction between religious expression and violent extremism.

‘Saudi authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or independent association into crimes of terrorism,’ said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2594139/Saudi-Arabia-declares-atheists-terrorists-new-laws.html

But what about all the non-Muslims that live in Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine being one of them (ethnically Jewish atheist)? As far as he knows, he's just not allowed in Mecca.
Btw, if Islam can be interpreted as just "submission to God", wouldn't that mean any monotheist can enter Mecca?

. Non muslims do not exist in saudi arabia, so your friend does not exist according to the kingdom.

. No.

This just proves, again, the point that "terrorist" is a meaningless word. US is also good on doing that, not around religion, yet, but we can see how it relabeled the UÇK Terrorists at Kosovo to "freedom fighters" or more recently the dozens of fanatic Muslim crackpot groups at Syria.

Back on topic, this "law" sounds more like:

Islam is our insane bullshit and we want to keep that insane bullshit. Let us be insane! Don't be a rational terrorist!

If only we could classify christians as terrorists here.  Image how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of science fiction.  Bet we could have climate change conquered in a couple years.

As a christian I would welcome it. Why not. Too bad for some people this particular thread is about Saudi Arabia To Classify Atheists As “Terrorists”…

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning women from driving cars...

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning socializing between women and men...

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning selling of pet cats and dogs, and also walking them in public parks in the capital, Riyadh

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning camera phones that could promote obscenity

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning movie theaters

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning single women roaming alone

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning freedom of religion

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning woman’s sports

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning music lessons in public schools

Imaging how fast science would progress as people started focusing on reality instead of banning anything linked to Valentine’s Day


I mean... Just imaging.

As long as the Americans and the West Europeans stoop before King Abdullah, the Saudis would be just fine.

That is also why no one cares about Tibet.

The NATO and the US doesn't care about Tibet because they don't have the balls to stand up to the Chinese bullying.

What happened to human rights, freedom, and stuff like that?

Never ever talk that sort of stuff in the middle east (especially in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait.etc) or you'll never see your home country again.

Are there actually any atheist terrorist group in the world? or political terrorist group using atheism as a front?

Many of the ultra-left wing armed rebel groups, such as the FARC and the ELN of Colombia are officially atheist.

There's also the death penalty for muslims who give up their religion, and women can't drive in Saudi Arabia. Don't be surprised if nobody goes there for a vacation.

When you think about it, keeping a woman from driving is not as bad as killing Iraqis or the Chinese sending tanks to crush a Tibetan riot.  ::)

When think about it again, if SA was just about keeping women from driving, but it is also the country with more Death Penalties sentences and executions in the planet, followed by Iran and the "now Democratic" Egypt, maybe they just suck.

... And all other things I posted in #6

It's beaten out of kids when they're young through physical harm, negligence and religious and political indoctrination (arguably the same thing) via poor parenting and public schooling.  Those kids grow up to believe the "might makes right" philosophy which supplants any notions of there being rights or freedom (for they were denied both growing up, combined with undeveloped empathy and a damaged frontal cortex), and express their childhood trauma through a desire to dominate by following the state.

Does this adequately sum it up?

Yes. Apostasy is punishable by death in most Muslim nations. But that is not preventing hundreds of thousands of Muslims from abandoning their religion every year.

... as long as it is quiet so the members of their family still muslims do not suffer

http://exmuslim.com/about-me/#.UzzHp_ldV8E

I wonder what goes on in the heads of these religious devotees? Of course, it's absolutely impossible for people like me, who believe everybody should be free to believe and think in whatever they want (always provided this is not harmful to anybody else) to even remotely understand their thought processes.

Such beliefs may have had its place centuries ago, but most peoples have come to learn from the past, and societies have developed accordingly and are now reasonably liberal. But nothing's changed in places such as Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan , Pakistan and other Muslim countries, because their rulers would face losing power if they gave their peoples choices - just as it was a thousand years ago.

The Irony is Saudi Arabia is an ally of the Atheists America.

US is not atheist. 80-85% of the population believes in some sort of organized religion.

US needs the Saudi oil and Saudi Arabia needs the US protection against Iran. It is a win-win situation for both the parties.

Interesting as they have 3-4 times more road fatalities that the western countries. And i don't see any real difference between them and qatar or Oman for example.
So , this clears the myth about female drivers.

... But does not do a thing to help the image of Saudi drivers drifting while AK-47ing...
http://youtu.be/dGt0RnZcO88