‘The Real Deal’ on women in Saudi

MSNBC ^ | 6-19-03 | Joe Scarborough

[JustPiper]

Held in Saudi Arabia against their will

COMMENTARY by Joe Scarborough

June 19 — American women and children continue to be held in Saudi Arabia against their will. The cream puffs at the State Department can call it what they want… but if it were our children trapped in a foreign land, we’d call it kidnapping.

WOMEN HAVE FEW rights in Saudi Arabia. Like the Taliban, our so-called Saudi allies prohibit women from leaving the country without their father and husband’s approval. Thirteen years ago, an American woman actually got kicked out of the U.S. embassy for having the nerve to escape there with her children. It seems the children’s father regularly beat the woman and children. Reports of other American women and children trapped in Saudi Arabia continue surfacing at an alarming rate — despite Prince Bandar’s September promise that no American women and children would be held in his kingdom against their will.

Well, today’s news made the Prince out to be a liar.

Watch Joe Scarborough on “Scarborough Country,” 10 p.m. ET, weeknights on MSNBC TV.

23-year-old Sarah Saga and her two children escaped to the U.S. embassy to get away from another abusive Saudi relationship. Miss Saga’s story is typically tragic: Her Saudi father kidnapped Ms. Saga when she was 6 years old and refused to return her to her American mother. Saga grew up and was forced to marry a Saudi man; she had two children, and then found herself trapped in an abusive relationship. Last month she tried to take her children home to America, but once again, the Saudis refused and offered Ms. Saga a Sophie’s Choice: your freedom or your children. Already facing death threats, Ms. Saga chose to escape Saudi soil and finally come home to American soil.

But the question remains. Why does our administration and Congress continue allowing the Saudis to kidnap our women and imprison our children? If Iran were to do such a thing, we would quickly declare war. It begs the question, is the pursuit of cheap oil really worth selling our nation’s soul? I think not.

And that, my friend, is the ‘Real Deal.’

[JustPiper]

The Real Deal is horrible, what is wrong with our Government?

Free Sarah Saga and her two children

[JustPiper]

Ping ;)

[JustPiper]

Human Rights Offense Ping!

[cgk]

Thanks Piper!

Scarborough ping! (and Sara Saga ping)

[cgk]

Additional info on Sara Saga here, written by Pat Roush, another mother whose children were kidnapped 17 years ago by Saudi dad, still living in Saudi Arabia... Sarah defies Saudi thugs, won't leave without kids! . Includes contact info for the State Dept.

[JustPiper]

Thanx for Jh's link CG! I read it but did not put the two together, duh ;)

[Rutabega]

I almost never post, though I read addictively every day, but I have my own story about the State Debt and this messy business! Three years ago, I moved to Sweden with my husband because we hadn't gotten the hitches worked out with his worker's permit (he is a Swedish citizen, married to a US one, with a daughter who is a US citizen, born in the US, and had a job, etc, but since he wasn't the sort of immigrant that was the most appealing to the power's that be, they messed up our application, didn't take any blame, and left us hanging for five months!) for what was presumably going to be a few months until we got the permits worked out. Once here, he decided he wanted us to stay here, and things fell rapidly aprt in our marriage (no flames please, I tried my best, but he was a really rotten husband and a lot of really crappy things went down between us!) So, after giving him a year of warnings that I was desperate toleave, to get marriage counselling, to try and work things out (all of these were things he wasn't interested in!) I nade the very hard and miserable decision to go back to the US with my daughter. I consulted a lawyer in the US, and was told that he could invoke the Hague Convention against kidnapping on me, and had six months to do it. Over the next five months, I contacted him regularly, trying to work out an agreement with custody, so that my daughter and I could remain in the US, and he could have lots of visitation (my daughter was two when we moved back, and he had never spent one single hour with her that I wasn't there, because he said she was too much of a pest). This was not good enough, and five and a half months later (thought I was going to be home free!) I came home from work and had a letter from the US State Department telling me the rules on kidnapping. Now, I do want to remind you all that I wasn't trying to keep my daughter from my husband, I just knew that I was her primary caregiver, and that I couldn't work in Sweden (don't speak the language, and it is hard to get a job here, anyway!). So, after hours and hours of consultation with the State Dept a lawyer in Sweden and a lawyer in the US, I realized that I had no rights, and that my country was going to send me back to Sweden. The State Dept was going to find my husband a wonderful lawyer in the US, and I was going to have to pay the costs. My lawyer here told me that I would be looking at upwards of 60,000 dollars to even begin the fight, and it just wasn't possible (as he would most likely win, in any case.) Now, the technicality was that my daughter lived in Sweden for ONE month longer than she had in the US, so the custody was to be arranged in Sweden. And Sweden is across the board 50-50 custody. Please, don't think I don't want my daughter to have a great relationship with this guy, he is her dad, but I didn't want to move to a place where I can't support myself, and have no family for help. However, I moved back here in March, and am taking Swedish lessons (I am the only non-Iraqui or Bosnian in my class, and let me tell you, Clinton's War has made many more enemies than Bush's!) and living off of the Swedish welfare system. And now that we are here (and have been for almost four months!) my husband has had my daughter to spend the night with him SIX times (he is supposed to have her six times every two weeks, but it cuts into his reclaimed bachelor lifestyle, and she is a difficult three year old!) I am pretty sad about it, because every where I go, I am treated pretty badly by at least one person since I am an American (I had some guy throw a table covered with drinks on me one night because I refused to discuss the war--he was such a rabid lefty, it didn't seem worth the time!). The sad part is that that Sweden has one of the biggest track records of violating the same agreement with custody disputes, and there are tons of Americans who can't get their kids out of Sweden even though the custody was settled in US courts. So, there is my story, written even though I am sure that most of the replies will be that I obviously didn't try hard enough to keep my marriage working! (And I actually did, my parents, who are as right wing as they get, begged me to come back when they heard the stories!) Custody disputes are rotten, and since I couldn't possibly give up my daughter, I am stuck here for the next nine years (she can decide where she wants to live when she is twelve). I am soooo not a fan of the State Dept!!!

[Drammach]

despite Prince Bandar’s September promise that no American women and children would be held in his kingdom against their will.

This needs to be pointed out, loudly and often.
Along with the inferance that Prince Bandar is a liar.
(or, that he is "impotent" when it comes to enforcing his word.)

[JustPiper]

My heart is aching for you. Marriage is a personal thing, not our business, but I've been divorced and know the fear and pain and costs it can bring! I hurt so badly for you (tears) that our country is doing this and their assinine and cruel rules! In Saudi, they fought to 'not' give Sara refuge and if she went outside the Embassy she would have been either immediately arrested or her daughter taken from her. And we back that up here! We honor their abominable laws and injustices to women who marry a Saudi! Crap, I still have nightmares about Sally Fields movie "Not Without My Daughter!"

Joe's commentary does not begin to cover this story, even on his show. He had a guest, Pat Roush, whose two 'adult' daughters are still stuck in Saudi! And there are supposed to be thousands of American women dealing with this injustice in Saudi alone, whom are American Citizens. Sweden is supposed to be a beautiful place and it turned out to be hell for you. We could start a campaign here at FR for you with emailing the State Dept. etc. Would you like our help?

[JustPiper]

Freeper needs help Ping!

[etcetera]

"Thirteen years ago, an American woman actually got kicked out of the U.S. embassy for having the nerve to escape there with her children."

Thirteen years ago, Bush the Elder was president. The Bush family have Saudi friends who get invited to dinner at the White House on a moment's notice. I don't expect the current President Bush to apply any pressure on the Saudi gov't for any solution that would favor the women and children.

G.W. is supposed to be protecting Americans, but if they're in Saudi, forget it. I hold this against him.

[JustPiper]

Please Ping the Canteen folx about this Freeper's plight!

[JustPiper]

And we need to start doing something about fighting back on this!

[Ready4Freddy]

"I almost never post..."

Or use a line break / carriage return.......

[JustPiper]

Whoever is at fault will not get these women and children back! This is up to us as 'compassionate' Americans and there are no better activists nor fighters than here at FR!

[JustPiper]

And considering she does not post, I am sure with her living dilemma it is the last thing she is thinking of, lighten up ok? ;) We don't want to scare lurkers from posting ya know?

[BagCamAddict]

Geez, could you two be any more callous and petty? Good grief.

[Ready4Freddy]

What's that great Tom Hanks line from A League of Their Own? "I guess I could, if there's more money in it." (or something like that ;)

[mickie]

"The Bush family have Saudi friends who get invited to dinner at the White House on a moment's notice"

Our embassy will not feed her.....she must pay for their food. Last Wednesday they went to bed without eating.
This is an outrage!