Saudi "terror funders" are reform activists: lawyer (Reuters)

[Eugene]

Saudi "terror funders" are reform activists: lawyer

Sun Feb 4, 4:38 AM ET

RIYADH (Reuters) - Ten men arrested in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of funding terrorism
include known political activists detained in the past over calls for reform in the
absolute monarchy, a lawyer said on Sunday.

The Interior Ministry said on Saturday it had arrested 10 people, including a foreign
resident, for collecting donations and giving them to "suspicious elements." It said
the arrests were part of police operations against "funding terrorism."

Bassem Alem, a lawyer representing some of the men, said they were reformers who
had recently been warned by the Interior Ministry, overseen by hawkish Prince Nayef
bin Abdul-Aziz, to halt their meetings and petitions.

-snip-

A court jailed three reformers in 2005 for petitioning for a constitutional monarchy
but King Abdullah pardoned them after he came to power the same year in what
analysts said was a sign of changing trends within the ruling family.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070204/wl_nm/saudi_security_reformists_dc

[ixion]

1. the problem with the word 'terrorism' is that it is vague

and can mean anyone who causes anyone else to experience 'terror'.

For example: someone who is trying to reform a corrupt government will, no doubt, be seen as 'terrorist', because the government experiences terror at the thought of being removed from power.

This is the slippery slope of fighting wars of abstraction, and one that will no doubt weight heavily on our ability to sustain the species.

[rodeodance]

3. and once that lable is attached--it is as bad as a sex offender

[ck4829]

2. Well, isn't that convenient?

[Roland99]

5. Exactly.

[Kagemusha]

4. So they're political activists who want to reform the monarchy.

See. Terrorists.