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Trump Has a Chance to Shake up the US-Saudi Relationship: Will He?

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If the U.S.-Saudi alliance is to continue, the parameters of it must change so that American security interests can be preserved.

President Trump will meet Thursday with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s deputy crown prince and next in line to the throne.

The Saudi agenda at the meeting in Washington will involve “the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries and regional issues of mutual interest,” according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The president’s agenda for the meeting is currently unknown, and the White House has not yet released talking points on the matter. However, top agenda items in past meetings between the two countries have centered on energy prices and the wars in the Middle East.

The United States used to rely heavily upon Saudi Arabia for the importation of energy resources. But recent discoveries have changed that leverage; the U.S. has billions of barrels of oil that have yet to be utilized, and President Trump has expressed that he wants America to become more energy independent.

Next on the agenda involves analyzing the complicated relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and how to proceed with the alliance moving forward.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s foremost violators of the basic human rights of its citizens. The country treats women (both through legal and traditional procedures) as inferior beings, imposing harsh restrictions that limit their mobility in both their personal and professional lives.

Not only does Saudi Arabia impose human rights violations within its borders, the country is heavily engaged in proselytizing its radical Wahhabi doctrine throughout the world.

Wahhabism, the predominant ideology inside the country, was founded about 250 years ago after the Saudi royal family established an alliance with cleric Sheikh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab. This allowed for the Saudi royal family to stay in power while fundamentalists could preach their fringe ideology without question. Today, the treaty still remains in place between Riyadh’s radical Islamic forces and its dynasty.

Critics allege that Wahhabism promotes a fundamentalist version of Islam that leads followers to embrace groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Moreover, individuals within the country (who work inside and outside the government) are suspected of directly funding countless militant jihadist movements.

And, at the same time, Saudi Arabia has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into normalizing its ideology in the West. The Saudis have donated countless millions to establish its Islamist brand in America’s finest academic institutions, such as Harvard and Yale University.

President Trump should ask that Saudi Arabia rein in its anti-American elements and end its domestic abuses. Doing so would be in America’s best interests and could provide for a stronger basis for a real partnership between the two nations. Saudi Arabia should stop promoting dangerous, undemocratic ideologies if it wants a continued partner in the United States. (For more from the author of “Trump Has a Chance to Shake up the US-Saudi Relationship: Will He?” please click HERE)

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Americans Not Believed Among Militants Detained by Saudis

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By Reuters. U.S. officials said on Sunday they did not believe nine U.S. citizens were among 33 suspects detained on terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia over the past week, as reported by a Saudi newspaper.

The English-language daily Saudi Gazette, citing an unnamed source, on Sunday reported that four Americans were detained last Monday, followed by another five in the following days. Saudi authorities also detained 14 Saudis, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indonesian, a Filipino, a United Arab Emirates citizen, a Palestinian and a citizen of Kazakhstan, the report said.

Six U.S. officials told Reuters that the U.S. government could not confirm that any Americans were among the 33 suspects detained.

However, two officials said U.S. authorities were still checking names against databases. Saudi authorities were also investigating the citizenship of those detained, one of the officials said.

None of the U.S. officials was authorized to speak publicly, and the U.S. embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Read more from “Americans Not Believed Among Militants Detained by Saudis” HERE)

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Saudi Police Arrest 9 American ‘Terror’ Suspects

By AFP. Saudi authorities have arrested nine American citizens among 33 “terror” suspects rounded up over the past week, the Saudi Gazette newspaper reported Sunday.

Four Americans were arrested last Monday and five others over the past four days, the paper reported, citing an unidentified source.

Washington, a strong ally of Riyadh, confirmed it was aware of the report but declined to elaborate.

A US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: “We are aware of reports alleging that several US citizens were detained in Saudi Arabia.

“The Department of State takes its obligation to assist US citizens abroad seriously. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.” (Read more from “Saudi Police Arrest 9 American ‘Terror’ Suspects” HERE)

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Saudi Arabia Cutting Ties With Iran, Tensions Reach Fever Pitch After Execution of Shiite, Calls For “Divine Revenge”

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By Newsmax. In a significant escalation of tensions, Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran and expelled the Islamic Republic’s diplomats, a day after its embassy in Tehran was attacked to protest the Saudis’ execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Iran’s ambassador in the kingdom has 48 hours to leave, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said late Sunday in Riyadh. “Saudi Arabia will no longer deal with a country that supports terrorism and sectarianism,” he said.

The move marks the biggest crisis in relations between the regional powers since the late 1980s, when the Sunni-led kingdom suspended ties with Shiite-ruled Iran after its embassy was attacked following the death of Iranian pilgrims during Hajj in Mecca. Saudi Arabia also supported Saddam Hussein’s Iraq against Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. (Read more from “Saudi Arabia Cutting Ties With Iran, Tensions Reach Fever Pitch After Execution of Shiite, Calls For “Divine Revenge” HERE)

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Saudi Arabia Severs Ties With Iran as Mideast Protests Rage

By Ben Brumfield, Yousuf Basil and Catherine E. Shoichet. The two countries have long been at odds, but Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr Saturday kicked off a new round of sparring between them that analysts say could mark a dangerous shift in an already volatile region.

“I think you’re going to see a period of very harsh rhetoric, and the cutting of diplomatic ties comes at a very bad time. … This is Saudi Arabia saying, ‘The gloves are off,’ ” said Bobby Ghosh, a CNN global affairs analyst and managing editor of Quartz. . .

In Iran, the last word belongs to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And on Sunday, he tweeted, “Doubtlessly, unfairly-spilled blood of oppressed martyr #SheikhNimr will affect rapidly & Divine revenge will seize Saudi politicians.”

(Read more from “Saudi Arabia Severs Ties With Iran as Mideast Protests Rage” HERE)

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Brit, 74, Faces 350 Lashes in Saudi Arabia – Here’s the Ridiculous Reason Why

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A sickly 74-year-old British grandad is facing 350 lashes at a public flogging in Saudi Arabia for having home-made wine.

Karl Andree, who has had cancer three times and is asthmatic, has been in jail more than a year.

His family in South London are now begging David Cameron to intervene personally to prevent the savage beating.

[His] son Simon said: “There is no doubt in our minds that 350 lashes will kill him . . .

Daughter Kirsten added: “My dad broke the rules in a country that does not allow alcohol but he’s served his time. Dad is 74 and not a well man. I worry he won’t survive this ordeal.” (Read more from “Brit, 74, Faces 350 Lashes in Saudi Arabia – Here’s the Ridiculous Reason Why” HERE)

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Judge Dismisses Saudi Arabia From 9/11 Suit

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By AP. Saudi Arabia was dismissed Tuesday as a defendant in lawsuits brought by the families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks by a judge who said lawyers had failed to show sufficient evidence linking the country to the attacks.

U.S. District Judge George Daniels said in a written ruling that lawyers for the plaintiffs had failed to show facts sufficient to overcome Saudi Arabia’s sovereign immunity. He also dismissed as a defendant the Saudi High Commission for Relief of Bosnia & Herzegovina on the grounds that the charity is an instrument of Saudi Arabia and thus covered as well by sovereign immunity. (Read more from “Judge Dismisses Saudi Arabia from 9/11 Suit” HERE)

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Hundreds of ISIS Fighters Desert Over Pay Disputes

By Mark Duell. Hundreds of jihadis are leaving Islamic State for other extremist organisations after being forced to take a pay cut of almost £200 by chiefs, it was claimed last night.

ISIS militants were allegedly being paid £260 a month until the terror group faced financial shortages which forced their salaries down to £65 – and at least 200 gunmen have since quit.

The fighters from ISIS, which until recently was said to be the world’s wealthiest jihadist group, are now retreating from northern Iraq to earn more money from other terror organisations in Syria

ISIS, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has faced problems since coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria rendered it unable to access a multi-billion pound war chest, reported the Daily Mirror.

The group has made its money from the likes of bank robberies, stolen oil and people-smuggling, but accountants have cut down on cash convoys between war zones over drone attack fears. (Read more from this story HERE)


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After Attempt on President’s Life, Tiny Nation Seek US Help vs. Terror

By Josh Rogin. The Maldives is calling on the United States to help it respond to an attack on its president, potentially opening the newest front in the war on terror.

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Sunday narrowly escaped an explosion on his boat. His wife was injured. Investigators have converged on the island nation in the Indian Ocean to determine whether the blast is related to organized terrorism. The government is already rethinking its security and defense practices; top officials say terrorist recruiting has been on the rise there.

Maldivian Foreign Secretary Ali Naseer Mohamed told me Tuesday that officials are still piecing together what happened.

“No group has claimed responsibility,” he said. “But we believe it was an attack directed to the president. That’s the first time the president has been attacked in that way.”

Ali was in the United States this week for the UN General Assembly, and he said his government has been tracking an increased flow of its citizens traveling to Iraq and Syria to fight there, at least 40 so far. Some are coming back to the Maldives. (Read more from this story HERE)

Nearly 1,000 People Killed in Saudi Arabia Hajj Stampede

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image.adapt.960.high.hajj_stampede_01aSaudi Arabian authorities said Thursday that at least 717 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in a stampede near the Muslim holy city of Mecca, where an estimated 2 million people are undertaking the traditional hajj pilgrimage.

At least 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush, said the Saudi civil defense directorate, which provided the death toll. The tragedy struck as Muslims around the world marked the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Reuters, citing Saudi state television, reported that the stampede took place in Mina, a tent city located approximately three miles east of Mecca itself. The area is on the main road from the center of Mecca to the Hill of Arafat, revered by Muslims as the place where Muhammad gave his farewell sermon to Muslims who had accompanied him to Mecca near the end of his life.

It was the second major disaster during this year’s hajj season, raising questions about the adequacy of measures put in place by Saudi authorities to ensure the safety of the roughly 2 million Muslims taking part in the pilgrimage. A crane collapse in Mecca nearly two weeks earlier left 111 people dead.

Photos released by the Saudi civil defense directorate on its official Twitter account showed rescue workers in orange and yellow vests helping the wounded onto stretchers and loading them onto ambulances near some of the white tents. (Read more from “Nearly 1,000 People Killed in Saudi Arabia Hajj Stampede” HERE)

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The Mufti of Saudi Arabia Passes a Fatwa That a Muslim Can Cannibalize and Eat His Wife

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cm-copyYou heard it correctly. A Fatwa is shared on several prominent news media in the Middle East attributed to the Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, which allows a man to cannibalize and eat his wife.

But “eating the wife” is only permitted under one circumstance, in case the husband is extremely hungry. Translating the piece it says:

“A fatwa attributed to the Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, which allows a man to eat his wife or parts of her body if the husband was afflicted with a severe hunger raised concern and debate over social media since yesterday evening. The Fatwa is interpreted as evidence of the sacrifice of women and obedience to her husband and her desire for the two to become one.”

[Here are some recent interviews with this article’s author]

(Read more from “The Mufti of Saudi Arabia Passes a Fatwa That a Muslim Can Cannibalize and Eat His Wife” HERE)

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Student Visas from Saudi Arabia Increase Ten-Fold Since 9/11

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What is happening to our Republic?

Countries like Mexico are able to dictate our immigration policy.

Illegal aliens are able to disrupt congressional proceedings with impunity.

And now, Saudi Arabia is able to control our colleges.

Did Americans ever cast a vote at the ballot box to cede control of our higher education system to Saudi Arabia?

As we learned from the 9/11 attacks, our biggest vulnerability is not our air or naval defenses, it is our immigration system. Yet, not only have the politicians failed to deal with these vulnerabilities, they have blithely ignored the massive expansion of immigrant and non-immigrant visas from Middle Eastern countries since 2001. On average, we’ve issued over 100,000 new green cards to individuals from predominantly Muslim countries every year over the past decade.

Perhaps, the most jarring increase comes from student visas issued to Saudi Arabian nationals. According to the Institute of International Education, based on data compiled by the State Department, we have granted roughly 54,000 student visas to Saudi Arabian nationals during the 2013/14 academic year. This represents an eye-popping 935% increase since 2001. Saudi Arabia is now the 4th leading country of origin for foreign students in the U.S., with the rate of increase growing every year. In total, we have admitted 221,316 students from Saudi Arabia since 2001.

Why the sudden explosion in Saudi student visas, especially given the fact that Saudi Arabian nationals accounted for 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11?

In 2005, terror-supporting Saudi King Abdullah started a scholarship fund which essentially pays for his citizens to attend universities in the U.S. With the rapid rate of increase, and no caps in place on F-1 student visas, Saudi Arabia can theoretically buy out hundreds of thousands of visas in the coming years. This is a pretty good racket for Saudi Arabia because it coincides with their ubiquitous funding of Middle Eastern studies in departments of major American universities. They fund the curriculum and send their foreign nationals to change the environment on our major college campuses.

And what are the results?

Well money can’t buy you love, but it can buy hate and propaganda. The period of growing Saudi influence and concentration in our universities has corresponded with a precipitous rise in anti-Semitism on many major college campuses. When coupled with the broader increase in Muslim immigrant and non-immigrant visas in recent years – to the point that Arabic is the fastest growing language at U.S. colleges – our universities are rapidly becoming ‘little Europes’ for Jewish students.

As we noted earlier, while only a small percentage of these foreign students are likely potential security threats, the growing population from Islamic countries creates the environment that breeds this insidious ideology. It also contributes to the growing anti-Semitism, something we don’t need in this country.

The Institute of International Education also details the fields of study popular among foreign students. Forty-one percent of Saudi students are enrolled in programs within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Roughly 80% of all Iranian foreign students are pursuing degrees in STEM. So when you hear the political class drone on about the need to award more green cards to foreign students graduating in STEM fields, just know that a large portion of them hail from the Middle East. Indeed, U-Mass just took the prudent step of barring all Iranian students from studying nuclear sciences – only to relent after pressure from Muslim community-organizing groups.

And now, in an Orwellian turn of events, a group of radical Islamic leaders are able to meet at the White House and influence our domestic and foreign policies concerning the fight against “extremism.”

When do We the People get a vote? When do we get to decide the future of our country? (This article, “Student Visas from Saudi Arabia Increase Ten-Fold Since 9/11”, reposted with permission from HERE)

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Daniel Horowitz is the Senior Editor of Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @RMConservative.

Three More Beheaded in Saudi Arabia Under Rule of New King

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Saudi Arabia on Tuesday beheaded two more of its citizens and a Pakistani, continuing the strictest punishment under new King Salman.

Omar bin Yahya bin Ibrahim al-Barkati was tried and convicted of incest, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

“He was executed as punishment for his crime and as a lesson to others,” the ministry said, adding that authorities carried out the sentence in southwestern Asir region.

In a separate case, Yassir bin Hussein al-Hamza was executed in northwestern Jawf region after his trial and confession for smuggling amphetamine pills, the ministry said.

A third convict, Latif Khan Nurzada, a Pakistani, was executed for trafficking heroin into the kingdom. He was executed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the ministry said in another statement. (Read more about the people beheaded in Saudi Arabia HERE)

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Obama Admin. Bribed Iran to Stay in Nuke Talks With $11.9 Billion in Payments

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By Adam Kredo. The Obama administration on Wednesday paid $490 million in cash assets to Iran and will have released a total of $11.9 billion to the Islamic Republic by the time nuclear talks are scheduled to end in June, according to figures provided by the State Department.

Today’s $490 million release, the third such payment of this amount since Dec. 10, was agreed to by the Obama administration under the parameters of another extension in negotiations over Tehran’s contested nuclear program that was inked in November.

Iran will receive a total of $4.9 billion in unfrozen cash assets via 10 separate payments by the United States through June 22, when talks with Iran are scheduled to end with a final agreement aimed at curbing the country’s nuclear work, according to a State Department official.

Iran received $4.2 billion in similar payments under the 2013 interim agreement with the United States and was then given another $2.8 billion by the Obama administration last year in a bid to keep Iran committed to the talks through November, when negotiators parted ways without reaching an agreement.

Iran will have received a total of $11.9 billion in cash assets by the end of June if current releases continue on pace as scheduled. (Read more about from “Obama Admin. Bribed Iran” HERE)

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Saudi Arabia’s King Dies

By BBC. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the fifth of his brothers to take the throne and became king in 2005, reports Caroline Hawley

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died, royal officials have announced, weeks after he was admitted to hospital.

King Abdullah, who was said to be aged about 90, had been suffering from a lung infection.

A statement early on Friday said his 79-year-old half brother, Salman, had become king.

Abdullah came to the throne in 2005 but had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent years. (Read more about Saudi Arabia’s king dying HERE)

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