Saudis 'reform militants' on web

[Rose Siding]

The Saudi government has told an anti-terrorism conference in Riyadh that it has reformed Islamist militant sympathisers through the internet.
It says an initiative to "create awareness of the dangers of terrorism" has persuaded 250 militant sympathisers to renounce their views.

The government has also opened a hotline for people concerned that their relatives are influenced by extremism.
...
The Islamic Affairs minister, Saleh al-Sheik, said the ministry had carried out the campaign through Islamic and cultural websites.

"We had a dialogue with 800 and more than a quarter were convinced. The rest are still continuing contact," he said, the Reuters news agency reports.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4241391.stm

[VegasWolf]

1. Hey, I got my Preacher's certificate on the web!! No I can so some Elvis

marryin.

[MADem]

2. I know alcohol is banned, but everyone there seems to be

hitting the hubble bubble a bit too much. They need to ease up on their hash consumption, obviously they are flailing around and coming up with some 'fer shit' ideas.

My take: This is a BIG, BIG lie. But hey, if you are going to do a crime, don't steal a bike, rob a bank, and if you are going to lie, you may as well lie BIG.

I've gotta say, the ME countries have interesting ways of dealing with malcontents or others who don't fit into their society. They'll cut off your hand, your head, hang you, stone you, etc. if you steal or do something against other members of society, but they are less willing to nail people when it is political. In Egypt, for example, they have in the past tended to "banish" malcontents as much as jail them...basically, set them loose to continue their nefarious deeds, so long as it isn't right in their back yard.

This sounds like a pathetic variation on that same theme. It didn't work for Egypt, either.