A Worthwhile Reminder of the Stakes With Saudi Arabia

The official Saudi sponsorship of religious intolerance is not unknown, but every once in a while it is good to remember exactly who we are dealing with.This is especially true in the case of Saudi-supported charities and organizations operating in the United States, who portray themselves as the face of tolerant Islam.My most recent reminder was from the official website of Saudi Airlines, outlining what infidels can take into the country.Tucked away in the Customs Regulations section is this:_A number of items are not allowed to be brought into the Kingdom due to religious reasons and local regulations. These include alcoholic beverages, pork and pork products, prohibited drugs and narcotics, firearms, explosives, edged weapons and pornographic materials.__Items and articles belonging to religions other than Islam are also prohibited. These may include Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings, items with religious symbols such as the Star of David, and others._Let's think about that for a moment. NOTHING representing another religion is even ALLOWED IN THE COUNTRY. This is not just a ban on proselytism, and goes far beyond virtually any place on the planet.This is almost a casual, throwaway line in the middle of routine regulations. Yet we treat the Saudi government as an entity with whom we are willing to do business, including the selling them billions of dollars of weapons to perpetrate this narrow, discriminatory theology and policy.Now look at the other side. Saudi-funded groups across Europe and the United States are now routinely demanding (and seeking to gain through legal action) special privileges for their members here.The right to a separate public school (New York), the right to refuse transport to those carrying alcohol and other items (Minnesota) and countless other efforts by Muslim Brotherhood-related groups carrying out the plan of peaceful conquest of the United States.Individuals, towns and states are paying millions of dollars in legal fees (those who choose to fight rather than cave) to fight giving these groups privileges and exceptions that no other religion here enjoy, or should enjoy.CAIR, ISNA and other groups claiming to speak for the Muslim world continually raise the specter of "Islamophobia" and discrimination when anything is said about their now-well documented ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and other things they have so long denied. Interesting that there has been so little attention paid by any of these groups to true discrimination, hate and bigotry by the country that has been one of their patrons for decades.It is truly a mind-boggling set of circumstances, brought home by those two small paragraphs on an official government website. I do not travel with a Bible, crucifix or other religious symbols. But I would like to think I could if I wanted to.Perhaps we should agree to those conditions of travel if we can ban all symbols of Islam here. Or perhaps we should simply refuse to do business with that type of government until there is some semblance of religious tolerance.Won't happen, of course, but it useful, at least to me, to remember why fighting the Brotherhood and its groups in this country is so important. They are not agents of tolerance, but agents of the worst form of intolerance, bigotry and hatred, made worse, not better, by the fact much of it is state sponsored.The very least we should do is refuse to do any sort of business with Islamist groups that do not publicly renounce funding from a government whose official policy is that of hatred and intolerance.