was too lenient, Badawi’s sentence was increased to 1000 lashes and a fine of 1 million Riyals (£175,000, €242,000). Badawi’s first 50 lashes were administered on 9th January 2015.
According to authorities, the CPVPN charged more than 100 people with “sorcery” and “witchcraft,” and arrested 215 “magicians” in 2013. Those accused of such crimes also face the death penalty, which is generally enforced. Recent cases include that of Amina bint Abdel Halim Nassar, who was executed in December 2011 for “witchcraft” and Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri, who was executed in June 2012 for “witchcraft and sorcery”.
As well as laws against blasphemy and apostasy, there are also laws in place to punish those who evangelise for other religions. In 2012, two men, one Saudi and one Lebanese, were arrested for bring about the “forced conversion” of a young Saudi woman. It is alleged the two men encouraged her to read Christian texts and take part in Christian religious discussions online, converting her to Christianity and illegally fleeing for Lebanon. Despite these accusations, the woman, known in Saudi as “the al-Khobar girl”, identifying herself as “Maryam” appeared on YouTube explaining she converted of her own free will and had found peace in her new religion. The two were found guilty of forcible conversion and forging travel permits and the Lebanese man was sentence to six years in prison and 300 lashes, whilst the Saudi was given two years and 200 lashes.
Also in 2012, the Saudi government detained two men, Sultan Hamid Marzooq al-Enezi and Saud Falih Awad al-Enezi, allegedly for becoming members of the Ahmadi community. Their whereabouts are unknown and they face the death penalty. Ahmadis are forbidden from entering Mecca and unable to perform their mandatory hajj pilgrimage. Many hide their faith to avoid discrimination, intimidation or worse.
Christians and Jews face open discrimination as well, particularly within the educational sector and print and broadcast media. Textbooks contain inflammatory anti-Semitic rhetoric, Qur’anic passages likening Jews and Christians to apes and swine and call for apostates from Islam to be killed. Saudi Arabia follows the lead of many Muslim nations within the region by smearing the conflict with Israel as a Jewish issue.
Religious freedom, including the right not to hold religious beliefs, is a basic human right that should exist everywhere in the world, whatever the predominant faith or belief in a given region and is integral to the establishment of a just and inclusive society. Saudi Arabia is an affront to anyone who has regard for basic human rights and our silence in the face of such violations is a ghastly disgrace.
This article was originally published on the Human Security Centre website and can be found here