So the government of Saudi Arabia
is funding a major PR campaign to rehabilitate their image post September
11. With taglines like "The People of Saudi Arabia… Allies Against
Terrorism" the Saudis hope to boost their opinion poll numbers in the US.
Of course, they ignore their support for the Palestinians, their rabid anti-Semitism,
and the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11 were Saudis. Nor do they
mention that their country is a theocracy that is rabidly against the rights of
women, lives in a state of virtual feudalism, and has no free press.
I have little doubt that this attempt at glossing over their abysmal human
rights record and their support of terrorism will be a major failure. The Saudis
think that they can purchase respect with a few magazine advertisements or
TV spots. They’re wrong. The only way they could earn our respect is by ending
their support of terror, ending their anti-Semitic campaign, and creating a free
state. However, if they did all those things, that would remove everything their
country was founded on.
I also find it somewhat amusing that all those who were worried about
what "the Arab street" thought of us that the Arab street is more
interested in what we think of them…
