DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has arrested a prominent campaigner for women’s rights for insulting Islam, activists said yesterday, accusing authorities of trying to crush all dissent.
Suad Al Shamari, a co-founder of a liberal human rights group, is being held in prison, according to two activists who did not want to be named.
Shamari recently posted pictures on Twitter of a man kissing the hand of a long-bearded Islamic cleric. She commented on his beard and said: “Notice the vanity and pride on his face when he finds a slave to kiss his hand.”
In another tweet last month, she said she had been called “immoral and an infidel because I criticised their sheiks,” referring to religious or tribal leaders.
She recently appealed to the king and the interior minister over the case of two women who, she alleged, were arrested by religious police for taking a taxi driven by a man.
Saudi Arabia strictly segregates the sexes and women are not allowed to drive, although many do use taxis with male drivers, without incident. In September a Saudi court upheld a sentence of 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for Raef Badawi — who co-founded the Saudi Liberal Network with Shamari — for insulting Islam.
AFP
