Stille før stormen? USA stenger ambassaden i Riyadh og Storbritannia gjør det samme. Varsler om at nye terrorangrep er nær forestående overseas, med mulighet for angrep også hjemme. Saudi er i store vanskeligheter. Fredningstiden er over, og all negativ omtale kommer nå ut. Systemet med hemmeligholdelse og korrupsjon, troen på egen fortreffelighet, alt blir nå avkledd for det det er verdt. Også kongedømmet omdømme i Vesten. Ta denne lederen fra Washington Post:

When the state department issued its list of countries ‘of particular concern for religious freedom’ in March, the absence of Saudi Arabia from the rogues’ gallery of persecutors stood out. America’s favourite brutal, theocratic monarchy had escaped designation in the past as well, so it was not a surprise…

«In Saudi Arabia, no religion other than the officially sanctioned form of Islam may be practiced in public, and foreign Christians have been beaten or detained for long periods without charge or trial. Muslims who convert to other religions can be executed… Keeping a list of countries of ‘particular concern’ makes no sense if Saudi Arabia is excluded for political reasons… The state department ought to listen. Leaving Saudi Arabia off the list year after year sends a message that such bigotry is tolerable in an ally. Better not to have a list at all than to have one so patently dishonest.»