saudi arabian judge decrees that owners of immoral satellite tv channels can be killed

According to the BBC:

The most senior judge in Saudi Arabia has said it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels which broadcast immoral programmes…

As for what’s deemed “immoral,” I’m not sure. Maybe a too-wide eye slit in a burka.

For all the time that I spend ranting about religious fundamentalists in our country and the risk they pose to the world, it’s good to be reminded on occasion that it could be even worse.

…And, for what it’s worth, I probably would have posted this story even if it didn’t give me an opportunity to link to one of my favorite Lou Reed songs ever, Satellite of Love.

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9 Comments

  1. Posted September 15, 2008 at 8:37 am | Permalink

    And the saddest part is that Saudi Arabia is the best buddy of the USA. We hate Iran and hated Saddam Hussein but somehow, this kind of thing is just fine to Bush and co.

  2. Paw
    Posted September 15, 2008 at 9:52 am | Permalink

    Outrageous! The way you talk, Dude, you’d think that Bush was given to skipping around holding hands with Saudi royalty… Oh, yeah.

    http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0426/dailyUpdate.html

  3. Curt Waugh
    Posted September 15, 2008 at 10:27 am | Permalink

    Is anybody still outraged out of ANYTHING that comes out of Saudi Arabia? This is a country run by a gang. Royal family, my ass. They are nothing more than a much larger version of the Sopranos writ large with good ol’ American dollars. This kinda stuff was good fun (albeit violent as hell) on HBO. As a country? Not so much fun, but not so much different either, eh?

    “Oh my god! A Saudi said that killing is OK. It’s like the Bush doctrine for media. Wow, that might only be the 150,000th time this year that a Saudi official in charge of something decided that death was an acceptable solution.” This is not news. This is the expected outcome under existing conditions.

  4. Brackache
    Posted September 15, 2008 at 12:03 pm | Permalink

    change “owners” to writers, directors, actors and producers; “immoral” to crappy; and “tv channels” to tv programs, commercials, news, and movies; and we might have something to work with.

  5. Posted September 15, 2008 at 12:05 pm | Permalink

    OK, if there is no skipping, where are the sanctions? Where is the human rights outcry? I don’t see it. The american government has been in bed with the Saudis for time immortal. We put sanctions on other countries for less. Think Iran. Give me one reason why the Sauds are any different.

  6. Robert
    Posted September 15, 2008 at 12:05 pm | Permalink

    Great! Now if I can just get all the immoral satellite tv channel owners I know to move to Saudi Arabia.

  7. Curt Waugh
    Posted September 15, 2008 at 2:29 pm | Permalink

    You know, on a second reading I’ve come to realize that we were all just given permissions to beat the crap out of anybody who works for Comcast. Jihad on my f’in cable bill!!!

  8. Paw
    Posted September 16, 2008 at 11:52 am | Permalink

    And I hear that if you beat off the Comcast guy that he’ll give you free HBO!

  9. Robert
    Posted September 18, 2008 at 5:33 pm | Permalink

    If there really is some immoral satellite tv channel owner actually living in Saudi Arabia, the Judge should have just mentioned him by name and issued the fatwa straight out. Why pretend.

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