Comments on the Death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

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We at AIFD will shed no tears for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who passed away yesterday, January 22nd.

As the head of a tyrranical, murderous and notoriously repressive government, King Abdullah is responsible for the execution of dissidents, the torture of minorities, and the exportation of the most malignant strain of politicized, radicalized Islam the world has known.

We do not share in the saccharine and morally bankrupt assessment of many in the media. King Abdullah was no “reformer,” and we grant him no credit for “nudging” the Kingdom forward. Under King Abdullah’s reign, Saudi Arabia remained the country where bloggers are sentenced to potentially fatal lashings, where writers are jailed for tweets , dissidents and “witches” are beheaded, and where the monarchy itself participates in child marriage and the religious establishment calls Jews “apes and pigs.” We have to question the integrity of those in the media and ruling classes who are now eulogizing King Abdullah as though he were worthy of admiration. Even Queen Elizabeth has ordered Britain’s flags to fly at half-mast today. While we do not revel in death, we also will not celebrate or participate in the fictional retelling of King Abdullah’s legacy.

The House of Saud, with the king at the helm, likes to refer to itself as the “Custodian of the two Holy Mosques” – that is, the owners and overseers of the holiest sites in Islam. We at AIFD reject not only this structure, but also the Saudi regime’s stranglehold on contemporary Islam. From the megalomania of the House of Saud to the cancer of Wahhabism, we at AIFD recognize that the real reformers of Saudi Arabia are languishing in its jails, dying by its sword, and living suffocated behind its walls; while those in power fuel the radicalization that brought us 9/11, the attack at Fort Hood, and even ISIS. The real human tragedy and loss is that today, the world sends condolences for King Abdullah while heroes like Raif Badawi remain in prison, the marks of severe lashes yet unhealed.

While we will not cry for King Abdullah, we are also not optimistic about his successor, King Salman – said to be even more repressive and problematic than King Abdullah, particularly with regard to women’s and minority rights.

In the wake of King Abdullah’s passing, we will not just pray for, but also continue to work tirelessly for the day when we Muslims and the world rid ourselves of the evils of theocracy and dictatorship. At a time when the movement to advance individual liberty and autonomy within the “house of Islam” is already challenging, we who stand for freedom and universal human rights must be more diligent than ever. Our hill just became steeper.

 

02/10/2015 AIFD STATEMENT ON DEATH OF KAYLA MUELLER

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My heart goes out to the family of American ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller, whose death was confirmed this morning. This young woman dedicated her life to helping those who needed it most, and the world has lost a bright light now that she is gone. This tragic news only furthers our resolve to speak out and shake the hold of political Islam, the ideology that fuels the radical Islamists who continue to commit these barbaric acts. As an Arizonan and a Syrian-American, I, along with my family, will be eternally indebted to Kayla for the ultimate sacrifice she made in trying to aid our beleaguered extended families suffering in Syria. She and her family will forever be in our prayers.”

-Dr. Zuhdi Jasser

Dr. Jasser Named Senior Fellow at ACU Foundation’s Policy Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy

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Dr. Jasser is pleased to be among several influential American conservatives named senior fellows at the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Policy Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy.

In his role, Dr. Jasser will continue to advance American principles of liberty and freedom through his advocacy of the separation of mosque and state, his commitment to religious freedom and his opposition to Islamism.

The American Conservative Union’s press release appears below:

ACU Foundation Launches Policy Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, American Conservative Union (ACU) Chairman Matt Schlapp announced the formation of the ACU Foundation’s Policy Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy. The Center is a place to continue many of the conversations that were started at this year’s redesigned Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), including educating grassroots conservatives about the ideas of the Reagan Doctrine and how those ideas are just as applicable today.

The Senior Fellows include The Hon. KT McFarland, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Gordon Chang, author of ‘The Coming Collapse of China,’ and Forbes contributor; Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, the President and Founder of the American Islamic Center for Democracy; The Hon. Mike Magan, the Managing Director of Magan Dahlgren Ltd.; The Hon. Dennis Shea, Founder and President of Shea Public Strategies, LLC.; Amanda Bellows, Russian and American historian; and Jeff Ballabon.”

“The American people are growing more concerned about what they are seeing across the Middle East, from the rise of the Islamic State to the blasé disposition of President Obama to the prospects of a nuclear Iran. I believe that these concerns, when combined with an increasingly emboldened Russia and China, could mean that questions of our security and the state of the globe will dominate the presidential election. We believe this is the right time to offer constructive answers to our elected officials and to the people they represent.”

“We are grateful to our Senior Fellows for their willingness to lead the way toward a ‘Peace through Strength’ approach applicable for the 21st century.”

The Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy can be visited online at http://acufoundation.conservative.org/center-for-statesmanship-diplomacy/.