Saudi princess 'given UK asylum'

[emad]

Source: beeb

A Saudi Arabian princess who had an illegitimate child with a British man has been granted asylum in the UK, the Independent newspaper has reported.

It said the married woman was allowed to stay after telling a judge that her affair left her at risk of being stoned to death in her home country.

The woman, who has been given anonymity by a court, is married to a member of the Saudi royal family, the paper said.

The Home Office declined to comment on the case.




Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8158576.stm

---

Just waiting for the Home office to confirm or deny that the woman is a member of Prince Bandar's family!

[emad]

1. From The Independent story:

She became pregnant the following year and worried that her elderly husband – a member of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia – had become suspicious of her behaviour, she persuaded him to let her visit the UK again to give birth in secret. She feared for her life if she returned to Saudi Arabia.
-----------------------------------------

Relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia have been strained in recent years and were brought to a head in 2006 when Tony Blair intervened to end a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) inquiry into alleged kickbacks paid in a multibillion military aircraft deal between the two states.

The Saudi royal family was deeply concerned about the idea that the investigators might try o open up their Swiss bank accounts, it was alleged at the time.

This led the Saudis to threaten to restrict the sharing of intelligence relating to terror activity if the prosecution went ahead. They also threatened to pull out of other highly-lucrative arms deals.

Last year, the House of Lords ruled that the SFO's decision to drop the corruption investigation into the £43bn Saudi arms deal with BAE Systems was unlawful.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/princess-facing-saudi-death-penalty-given-secret-uk-asylum-1753007.html

[emad]

2. Fate of another royal found guilty of adultery

By claiming asylum in Britain, the Saudi princess is seeking to avoid the fate of another member of her royal family who was executed after admitting adultery.

Princess Mishaal bint Fahd al Saud, the 19-year-old great-niece of the late King Khalid, was shot several times in the head in 1977. Her death is thought to have been ordered by her grandfather, Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the King's older brother. She was unmarried but had confessed that she had committed adultery.

The killing became the focus of an international outcry in 1980 when the docu-drama Death Of A Princess was shown on teleivison. Saudi authorities tried to get the film suppressed and, when that failed, they expelled the British ambassador to Riyadh, withdrew 400 members of their royal family from Britain and cancelled millions of pounds worth of exports.

Most executions carried out in the kingdom are by beheading in a public square, but stoning is the technique reserved for married people convicted of adultery. Among the offences which rank beside adultery as capital crimes are murder, drug-trafficking and sodomy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/fate-of-another-royal-found-guilty-of-adultery-1753012.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Do you think the Saudis will try and get the princess back

from the UK, or just let her stay there? I don't know how concerned they are with their public image in the West nowadays.

[emad]

4. There were huge unpleasant reprisals over the Princess Mishaal

business.

I expect they will attempt to bribe UK politicians and the media gag the ID of the husband.

If it IS Prince Bandar then heaven help the UK.

[foginthemorn]

5. I recall reading of this but never saw the film.

[closeupready]

6. It's available on youtube in 10 or 11 segments.

n/t

[foginthemorn]

18. thanks for the tip. I had not thought of that (should have guess though

as so so so much in on Youtube nowadays).

[Coventina]

9. Isn't it interesting how the man is absent in both these cases?

Where is the "guilty" man in these illicit relationships?

Never mind, we all know that women are barely considered human in KSA.

I echo the sentiment downthread about becoming energy independent.

:puke:

[The Stranger]

12. If you mean the man who knocked her up, the "guilty" man is in the United Kingdom.

That's where.

:shrug:

[Coventina]

14. I guess I missed that in the article, thanks.

It just seems to me that women usually bear the brunt of the punishment of sex crimes.

[happyslug]

23. The story of Princess Mishaal bint Fahd al Saud is strange

First, she was a royal princess, second to be guilty of adultery you MUST be married, no such allegation is made in her case. Furthermore you have to have FOUR wittinesses who saw you commit the act of adultery (This goes back to the story of Aisha, the youngest wife of Mohammad and her alleged adultery, Mohammad ruled that you had to have four wittinesses and since they was less then that amount Aisha was NOT guilty of the Crime of Adultery.

The story of her death is just weird, given the above facts. This is made even more weird is that she was SHOT not stoned or had her head chop off (The traditional methods of execution in Saudi Arabia). How, she died was almost like she was gunned down by third party. The second reference below sounds like it was written down by someone who HEARD it was someone who actually saw the execution, but I have NEVER seen a confirmation (Through other sites exist but appears to be copies of the story below OR retelling of that story).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masha%27il_bint_Fahd_al_Saud
http://qatardiary.blogspot.com/2005/08/death-of-princess.html

This is a member of the Royal family of Saudi Arabia, a granddaughter of one of full brothers of the then King of Arabia. Why would a woman "Confess" to a crime that would lead to not only her death but of her lover? Furthermore the penalty is to be stoned alive NOT shot. If she confessed, why do a private execution, put her in a public place and do it properly. If this was to show that the House of Saud applies the same rules to its own members that it applies to anyone else in Arabia why shoot her instead of a Public Stoning? It makes no sense, IF HER CRIME WAS ADULTERY.

What if she embraced (remember we are talking 1977 and the height of oil profits for OPEC) the idea that the Oil Embargo should be reinstated till Israel gave up the lands it took in he 1967 War? Officially, the House of Saud was for that give back, but unofficially the House of Saud was NOT going to give up the oil profits to achieve it. Neither was the House of Saud willing to give more money to the Palestinians (Then centered in Lebanon, where she was going to school). That could NOT be tolerated, and she had to die, but as a Royal Princess (married or engaged to an ally of the Royal Family) her death could NOT be kept quiet, but no one wanted to give her a chance to yell out anything about the Palestinians or that she was innocent. Thus the story of her execution by her family, the pictures showing she was Shot and a "lover" who may or may not have been her "lover" but needed for the cover story that she was being executed for adultery. The story of her "Confession" convenient for it means no one had to actually report on her Adultery AND a open and shut case, no issue on appeal so she could be executed quickly BEFORE she could write out an appeal.

Now, her death may be an "Honor Killing", her family embarrasses that she had a lover and had her killed, but as strict followers of Islam the story of Aisha is well know to the people of Arabia AND to the Royal Family, furthermore there is the question if she was ever married (Some stories said yes, other no). From I read on her temperament, the story of her temperament is more in line with someone who grew to hate how her family was leaving the Palestinians to suffer and try to change that policy as opposed to someone who would kill herself and her lover by confessing to the crime of Adultery.

Just comments why the death of Princess Mishaal bint Fahd al Saud does NOT make sense, and may never make sense.

[get the red out]

7. Will she need body guards in the UK?

They will try to kill her one way or another won't they? Escaped property has to be destroyed rather than allowed to continue to be enjoyed by another owner.

Saudi Arabia is a wretched country, what happens when people are oppressed beyond belief, and guess where most of the 911 hijackers came from? But we had to start wars with two other countries and call the Saudis our allies. Such intelligent foreign policy.

[bertman]

8. The best reason for the U.S. to become totally energy independent is so we can destroy

those Saudi bastards' oil fields. Turn them back into desert sheiks with no international power.

[Rebubula]

10. Yes...

..that will help improve relations.

:sarcasm:

[The Stranger]

13. You're certainly a naive one.

Those are oil fields run by the corporations you work for.

They have you tilting at windmills so you'll work harder for them.

[maglatinavi]

15. sak oil

yes, and the bushies are getting the profits... what a joke of democracy... bush should have invaded the sak because of its inhuman undemocratic regime ...

[bertman]

19. Well, The Stranger, that all sounds kinda good except I have no idea what it means.

Please to explain.

[harun]

16. That foreign policy might make sense if we were 4 years old and

upset that the toys the other toddlers had looked nice.

[bertman]

20. The toys they have are hideous and deformed. Who the fuck would want them except

some money-hungry fanatic.

Saudi Arabia is one of the top three or four places on the planet that all of us would benefit from if it simply fell off the face of the earth.

Religious fanatics and murderous zealots who embrace the tactics and philosophy of the worst of the feudalism of the dark ages.

A kingdom dedicated to enforcing the despicable outrages against women and treating them as slaves.

A kingdom that takes our dollars and our protection then pays us back in the form of funding for al Qaeda to use to destroy us.

[StevieM]

21. I'm not entirely sure that it would be incorrect--based on standard definitions of the word--to say

that women are literally slaves in Saudi Arabia. At the minimum, you would have to say that walk right up to the line on that. Possibly over.

Steve

[harun]

28. How would you know? You've never been there.

[BreweryYardRat]

31. The Saudi royal males need to GO. But...

...bombing their oil fields would basically short-circuit the Middle Eastern economy. Dunno about you, but I'm not in favor of screwing up millions of people's lives. Plus, an economic collapse would give terrorist organizations a flood of new recruits.

Snuffing the Saudi male royal line isn't an option either -- if I understand their political system, they won't let the people build up the resources they'd need to form their own democracy, and assassinating the royalty without the framework for a quick, populist changeover would be a recipe for a situation worse than post-war Iraq.

Something's got to be done about them, but I'm not sure WHAT to do. Provide energy-independence technology to developing countries so they can skip the "gasoline stage" of development as much as possible?

Mind you, Saudi oil would still have some value even if the rest of the world goes green -- plastics are made from oil too.

[grahamhgreen]

11. Important to remember 'adultery' can merely mean being alone in the presence of a male person. nt

[Vidar]

17. Good for Britain.

[Blandocyte]

22. Victory for the war on drugs

keeping this woman from going home and getting stoned.

[Eryemil]

24. Wise girl: British penis > Saudi penis

:9

[No Elephants]

25. >>>

:wtf:

[Eryemil]

29. You don't agree? n|t

[Sultana]

32. LOL, ewww

[Eryemil]

43. You're a lesbian? Feel free to share your insight on British vs Saudi vagina! n|t

[Sultana]

44. You are dumbshit!

I prefer Italian peen over a British or Saudi any day, so fuck off.

[Eryemil]

46. For someone willing to tell others to fuck off you have an infantile aversion to the word penis.

My post was a joke, nothing more. Yet you felt the need to reply with the puerility one would expect of a 13yo girl.
If I did mock your choice of words, there was no need to be so boorish and insult me. I never insulted you; unless you consider being called a lesbian insulting?

[No Elephants]

26. Stay safe.

[emad]

27. 'Inappropriate' Google advertising.....

Just noticed this ad here at the start of the news thread:

Sexy Arab Girls
Meet Sexy Saudi Arab Girls online Arab Dating & Marriage. Date Now!
www.ArabMatchmaking.com

Like, duh! You cannot be serious!!

[Korsa]

30. Might be an unpopular question, but...

Why does this matter in the US? She was given asylum in the UK, and she's the one that decided to commit adultery. Sure, the guy in the UK helped out, but she knew what would happen to her if she had an affair and went home again or if it was simply just found out while she was in Saudi Arabia. He's not blameless, but she sounds brainless...to me.

And, no, I'm not saying she deserves what she'd get if she went home. I am very glad that she was given asylum in the UK. I don't think violence against anyone, woman or not, is a good thing or should ever be overlooked.

But, she was given aslyum, so...why is this important?

Maybe it's my lack of sleep making me loopy, but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents. :p I don't mean to offend anybody, though, if this is an uber unpopular question. o.O;;;

[Posteritatis]

36. This isn't unitedstatesnewsonly underground. (nt)

[Korsa]

39. Well...

That is true. I didn't really think about that when I asked my question. :p Thank you for not yelling at me about it, I really thought someone was going to be all "WTF DO YOU MEAN????"

I really was just asking! :p

But, you're right, it's not United States News Only Underground. And if I had stopped to think before I posted, I would've probably realized that even if it doesn't happen in the United States, international news does effect the United States.

Sorry for having a blonde moment! :p I'm blonde, so it happens sometimes. j/k

I do want to ask another question that has nothing to do with this though. What exactly does "nt" mean? I see it a lot, but I'm fairly new to forums and there are some abbreviations I don't understand. o.o;;

[muriel_volestrangler]

40. 'nt' means 'no text', for when someone replies with just a title

it's just a convention to tell people that there's no need to look for the body of a post - all there is is contained in the title. A few people put 'eom' instead - 'end of message'.

[Korsa]

41. Ohhh!

Okay, thanks! Sorry for asking such a silly question! You did answer another question, though, I recently did see "eom" and wondered what it meant! Now I know! :p

Thank you!

[Sultana]

33. What a dumb woman!

You can't have your cake and eat it too. She could have easily divorced and stuff.

She marked for the death, there is no way that she'll ever live in peace.

[Posteritatis]

35. I rather doubt a female member of the Saudi royal family can easily do much of anything (nt)

[Sultana]

37. Yes, they can but not like their other Khaleeji (Gulf Arabs) sisters

Saudi princesses are not as "kept" as you may think...they have more power than ordinary Saudi women.

1 example, Princess Deena Abdulaziz: The Fashionista (she has her own career and isn't covered from head to toe). She's gorgeous!
w/ her hubby




Then there is Princess Lulu al Faisal (Google is ur friend :D ).

If you are a ordinary Saudi woman, it's highly that you'll life sucks (because of restrictions).

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

38. it depends on their husbands and other male relatives

Many Saudi men are spend a great deal of time in the west and not only become quite westernized in their values, they become quite fond of western women and take that outlook home, hence the above. If you are a Saudi woman and your husband spent his youth at school poisoning his kidneys in London or Las Vegas your probably okay. If he spent his youth at a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan sawing infidels heads off... uhh you might not get off so lucky.

[Posteritatis]

42. Even the westernized ones need to worry about the morality cops there

And, of course, the morality cops in Saudi Arabia are literal ones.

[Sultana]

45. You are wrong! Yes, they can divorce their spouses.

[JerseygirlCT]

34. I'm glad she's been allowed to stay.

I shudder to think what would have happened to her had she returned.