Free Republic

Within days of the murderous September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, President Bush declared before a joint session of Congress: "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." Unfortunately, under the leadership of King Fahd (actual or nominal), Saudi Arabia demonstrated it was possible to be with us and with the terrorists. Far from being regarded as a hostile regime,...

Just reported on Fox News.

FEW have penetrated the closed world of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family, with its enormous wealth, the lavish lifestyles of its princes and their private passions. Those who do know the truth about King Fahd and his family — the wives, mistresses and advisers — are usually well rewarded to hold their tongues. But a ruling by a senior High Court judge has opened the door to the House of Saud and will allow a rare glimpse inside. Later this year at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, the bitter dispute between King Fahd, 82, and one of his wives,...

An obscure Arabic word is making a comeback from centuries of oblivion to dominate the debate about whom Muslims are allowed to kill in the service of political goals. The debate has been triggered by the killing of large numbers of Muslims, including women and children, by Islamist insurgents in Iraq. Are such acts permissible? Judging by fatwas (religious opinions) and articles by Muslim theologians and commentators, the Islamic ummah (community) is divided on the issue. Those who believe that killing innocent people, including Muslims, is justified in certain cases, base their opinion on the principle of tattarrus. The word,...

<p>Reliable sources in the Saudi capital of Riyadh said Friday that King Fahd is dead, reports the Saudi Institute.</p> <p>The king had been dead since late Wednesday, according several well placed sources in the capital of Riydah who spoke to the Saudi Institute, a pro-democracy think tank in Washington, on condition of anonymity.</p>

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - King Fahd, who moved Saudi Arabia closer to the United States during his two-decade rule, was taken to a Riyadh hospital Friday for medical tests, the Saudi Press Agency said. An Arab official said the government had put the kingdom on a state of alert and canceled all military leaves. But the Interior Ministry denied that any emergency had been declared. "This is absolutely not true," ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said. "There's no canceling of leaves and no state of emergency or anything."

Obviously related to the illness. Must be series.

Riyadh, 29 April (AKI) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah's visit to the United States this week to discuss oil matters with President George W. Bush, took place amid growing speculation back home that the bed-ridden King Fahd's condition has worsened with the monarch slipping out of conciousness. Speculation is rife among Riyadh's ruling elite of Fahd's clinical death - but even if this were true, any official announcement would delayed until a final decision on Fahd's successor has been taken. Sources close to the Saudi royal family told Adnkronos International about the "suspicious" disappearance of King Fahd from...

With just four days be fore the deadline set by the United Nations' Security Council was to expire, Syria completed its military withdrawal from Lebanon this week, ending an occupation that had began almost 30 years ago. The event, a setback for President Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist regime, is a major victory for pro-reform forces in both Lebanon and Syria. In Lebanon, the pro-reform movement has already scored a number of victories. It has brought down a Syrian-appointed prime minister, forced the creation of a neutral caretaker Cabinet and quashed attempts at postponing next month's election. The opposition has also forced...

CAIRO, EgyptA man identified as Osama bin Laden bitterly criticized the Saudi regime in an audiotape posted on an Islamic Web site on Thursday.The voice sounded like the al-Qaida terror chief's, and the lengthy tape was posted on a site known as a clearinghouse for militant Islamic comment. The identity of the speaker, however, could not be independently confirmed.The speaker said that while Saudi leaders blame "holy warriors" for trouble in the kingdom, "the truth is that the whole responsibility falls on the shoulders of the regime."The tape appeared the same day another dissident had called for anti-monarchy protests in...

Yemen has re-arrested two militants, suspected of masterminding the bombing of a US warship in October 2000. Jamal al-Badawi and Fahd al-Qusaa are accused of planning the attack which killed 17 on the USS Cole. The two men were detained after a shoot-out, when security forces stopped their car in Abyan province. The pair are the last of 10 escapees to be recaptured, after a prison break-out last May which was an embarrassment to the Yemeni authorities. Mr Badawi is the highest-profile detainee in Yemen and, like most of the other suspects in the USS Cole case, he is believed...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A US judge ordered Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and members of his family to pay more than 200 million dollars to the estranged wife of a dead Saudi royal following a 20-year legal battle. The court in Los Angeles ordered the payment under a long-disputed 1983 separation agreement between Sheik Mohammed al-Fassi, the eccentric late brother-in-law of Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz, and his wife Dena al-Fassi. Dena al-Fassi, 41, filed the suit in late 2001 claiming the Saudi royals should be responsible for covering the 81-million-dollar settlement awarded to her that has ballooned to...

Saudi Arabia's community of foreigners is trapped between bombings by Islamic terrorists, police torture and palace feuding For Westerners seeking the good life in a desert kingdom, Saudi Arabia offered easy money, sunshine every day and a whisky-driven illicit party scene where casual sex was taken for granted. 'Are you married or do you work in Saudi Arabia?' was a common joke, echoing the colonial antics of 'Happy Valley' in Kenya. But that is all over now. The Western community is living in fear. It has become the target of a series of bomb attacks, carried out by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists...

Former president Jimmy Carter, who has recently emerged as one of the Jewish state's most vocal critics for its current West Bank anti-terror policy, has been the recipient of tens of millions of dollars from Arab sources. Recently, for example, Carter suggested that the U.S. government should threaten Israel with the possible loss of U.S. aid if it continues its military offensive in the West Bank. He also said the U.S. should demand that U.S.-supplied weapons be used only for defensive purposes. Mr. Carter's views are often aired by the American media as those of a neutral mediator -- the...