An Unprecedented Uproar Over Saudi Religious Police
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JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Three members of Saudi Arabia's religious police will stand trial this week for their involvement in the death of a man in their custody, an unprecedented action against the powerful enforcers of the country's strict moral code.
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Saudi Arabian officials have reportedly detained a blogger whose writing has criticized religious extremism in the country, according to the two press freedom groups and a regional human-rights organization.Blogger and IT professional Fouad Ahmed al-Farhan, 32, was taken into custody on December 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Wednesday. His Arabic-language site now has a &quot;Free Fouad&quot; banner in English across the top.In a letter sent to friends shortly before his arrest, al-Farhan wrote that he had been told that the interior ministry was investigating him and would pick him up within two weeks. At the time he described the worst case as being jailed for three days, but he was still being held without charge as of Friday, according to Joel Campagna, Middle East program coordinator for the CPJ in New York.Al-Farhan&#39;s blog promotes political reform and bears the tagline, &quot;Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, Shura and all the remaining Islamic values which are missing,&quot; along with a dedication to his daughters, according to a report on the website of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. Some of his more critical commentary has dealt with the question of religious extremism, Campagna said. Al-Farhan also recently posted a blog item criticizing ten well-known personalities who have close ties to the Saudi royal family, he said.The Saudi government&#160;heavily censors Internet content, both political criticism and pornography, Campagna said. Contentious news or political commentary sites are frequently blocked.There have been previous incidents of online writers suffering retaliation. In 2006, Saudi journalist Rabah al-Quwai&#8217;, who had criticized religious extremism, was held for 13 days. In order to obtain his release he had to confess to having denigrated Islamic beliefs, and promise to would defend Islamic values in his future work, the CPJ reported.Reporters Without Borders Thursday released a statement calling for al-Farhan&#39;s release; its current list of &quot;13 Internet Enemies&quot; includes Saudi Arabia.Research into Internet content filtering by the OpenNet Initiative shows substantial blocking activity by the government of Saudi Arabia. The group says that filtering content for political reasons is the common denominator across the Middle East.The CPJ last year detailed Saudi media censorship in its report, Princes, Clerics and Censors.&#160;
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By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF  CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi police have arrested three men suspected of links to al-Qaida, alleging they used the Internet to plan terrorist attacks, recruit supporters and publish tracts on militant ideology, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.
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Israeli police arrested a radical Islamic leader for incitement Wednesday as he led a protest in east Jerusalem, the latest run-in with authorities for the fiery cleric.
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The Saudi government has stepped up  surveillance of charities amid fears that some of the big cash  donations made to them during the holy month of Ramadan are  being channeled to militant groups like al Qaeda.
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Police fired into the air and arrested several people demonstrating Friday in support of an Islamic group that is vying for authority in Somalia and against calls for the deployment of peacekeepers here.
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Saudi security forces clashed with suspected militants in the southern Shifa district of the capital Riyadh on Sunday, security sources said.
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Saudi Arabia has detained five people  suspected of spreading Islamic militant ideology in the  kingdom, which is battling an 18-month wave of al Qaeda  violence, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.
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Officials in Saudi Arabia say a policeman has been killed and three wounded in the latest clash with militants.
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Saudi authorities have detained a popular blogger for violating the kingdom's laws, a senior Interior Ministry official said Tuesday. It was the first known arrest of a Saudi online critic.
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The United States on Wednesday  accused Saudi Arabia of severe violations of religious freedom  in a rare official rebuke of a close ally and key oil supplier  that potentially could lead to sanctions.
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Calling for a new line of attack in Saudi Arabia
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The beating of a leader of a budding movement to uphold motoristsâ rights in the face of police corruption has prompted an outcry.
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Police arrested a group of men planning to attack holy sites around Mecca during the just-completed annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Saudi Interior Ministry said Friday.
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WASHINGTON -- In an unusual censure of a key ally in the war on terrorism, the Bush administration accused Saudi Arabia on Wednesday of &quot;particularly severe violations&quot; of religious freedom.
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ISTANBUL The police on Sunday clashed with hundreds of rock-throwing nationalists who staged a protest outside the seat of the spiritual leader of the world&#39;s Orthodox Christians.
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Saudi police, battling al Qaeda militant attacks to destabilize the pro-U.S. kingdom, have arrested two wanted militants in the central city of Buraida, security sources said Sunday.