In Saudi Arabia, her family could kill her with little or no consequences, but hey, at least MbS has allowed women to drive cars in return for massive arms purchases.
So why is Saudi Arabia not treated like North Korea?
3
A kid. 18 years old and going up against everything she knows, simply to be granted the freedoms I sometimes take for granted. Hats off to this young woman.
7
Awaiting a statement of support from the putative leaders of the Women's March, Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour. Coming any time now... any moment, I'm sure... (crickets)
4
There is only one true solution to Saudi brutality and stone age shenanigans. Stop buying their oil. The regime is nothing if not for oil. The next time you pump gas in your car, remember that you are supporting a murderous and oppressive regime with your dollars. Let that sink in for a minute.
4
She better be careful that on her way to get her papers arranged she doesn't bump into a group of Saudis with a bonesaw.
7
Thank you Thailand you put a smile on my face.
7
@Eli
It was only under intense media pressure that they resorted to this. Otherwise, they would have sent her back to the butchers in a heartbeat. Let's not give them too much credit - just enough for their half hearted efforts.
4
BBC did a great job covering Ms. Alqunun's plight. I am fearful for her, and I hope that ultimately ends up somewhere, where she is free and safe.
I have a special place in my heart for women that live under these misogynistic and repressive regimes. My elder sister's husband is a consumer of Saudi Arabia's form of super conservative Islam. She is in a marriage, where she must be obedient to him. After their marriage, he made her leave her profession of practicing law, and she could not be the breadwinner in the family as a woman. I don't know if he beats her, but I at least know he controls her.
5
Seems to me Thailand decided not to send her back because of damage to its reputation as the land of the smiles, not because she might be killed.
3
The Saudis. Trump’s kind of people.
7
This photo speaks volumes to me. Aside from the one other woman obscured in the background, this young woman is surrounded by men. While several are presumably there to help her, is anyone else disturbed by the fact that women are all too often at the mercy of men? #wherearethewomen?
3
I think it safe to say that the Saudi government should not be trusted with Ms. Alqunun's safety underhand circumstances.
8
So now Australia, with its regressive, hard-line stance on sea-borne refugees at Nauru and Manus Island, has an opportunity to extend an immigration invitation to Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun.
The United Nations refugee agency has up to 10 days to process her request for refugee status and win Australian acceptance. She has already chosen Australia with her visa application. Can the Sunburnt Country reciprocate and move with sufficient speed? History suggests otherwise. If not, New Zealand should stand ready.
7
Thank you Thailand for showing the world that there are still countries that are willing to stand up for the world's forgotten and abused.
I know that there will be a bunch of sarcastic replies with regard to the Thai military and their messy politics, but doing the right thing needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. Otherwise it's an even harder uphill swim for the rest of us.
5
Bravo, Rahaf, and the people who helped you escape Saudi Arabia A.K.A. the Handmaid's Tale. You are an inspiration to women around the world forced to live inside Islamic bags and veils. It takes having been to these places and seen women's lives- as I have- to really begin to understand.
9
I admire her courage. Thailand did the right thing.
Ms. Alqunun plight also underscores the the religious tyranny millions of women suffer and tortuous path they have to take to escape the oppression by men & women who claim to know that God exists.
8
I feel like every single woman in Saudi Arabia deserves asylum in a Western country: They are subject to systemic governmental abuse specifically because of their sex/gender.... This is in stark contrast to Central American migrants who are predominantly economic refugees and therefore rarely deserve asylum.
4
Brave young woman, it seems. It is hard to know without having more information. But it seems that she must be allowed to find her way without fear of being sent back to Saudi Arabia.
Under MBS, that country seems to have reverted to the 16th century.
6
Ms. Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun .. Whatever you do.. Do not go to the Saudi Embassy in Thailand!
OK liberals ... Just so we are completely straight on this...
Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun is a genuine "Asylum Seeker" - I would have no problem with her entering the U.S. and applying for legal status.
The thousands of people at the border in Tijuana are NOT "asylum seekers." I know this because I travel there 3 times a month and speak with many of the refugees. They want better paying jobs, education, and healthcare. None of them are fleeing an oppressive government, gang violence or angry husband. They know they are to use the term "asylum" as a means to enter without having to apply for a visa and legal entry. They are very well aware of the fact they are "gaming the system" and they don't care!
5
Yeah, ok dude....I’ll take your word for it....
4
I suspect she will be in danger of being kidnapped or murdered given what happened to Jamal Kashoggi. Her relatives will likely feel humiliated and therefore she has reason to fear for her life even if she is granted asylum in another country.
13
@dairyfarmersdaughter
Well if that's the case - You already know what Trump's response will be.. "May be it was- may be it wasn't - It could have been- but I don't think so- but it may have but probably not - we'll never know - time will tell"
7
The one thing that runs thru my mind is that she is 18! Wow - at that age, I had just about learned to tie my shoe laces - kudos to her and may she be eternally free.
12
This young woman is not only courageous, but savvy as well. The recent murder of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi officials makes this an opportune time to put into action her plan to seek asylum.
10
If this girl's story is true, she was quite brave and is a hero. Saudi Arabia is a hellhole for women. But I think that there's much more to the story. The NY Times does not seem to have asked, or tried to ask, any questions about this girl's story. No calls to her family, or the Saudi government. Where did she learn to speak fluent English? Where did she get the money for her flight? Who helped her? How did the United Nations and the NY Times get involved? The girl seems quite media savvy.
Some commentary by the Times would help too. Would a troubled, perhaps rebellious adolescent girl be executed in Saudi Arabia for apostasy?
2
Yes, she would be executed.
13
@Ismail. No surprise there seeing how they chop guys up for hamburger.
1
Under the guardianship laws, she could be put in prison for disobeying her family. Women cannot be released from prison unless they are released to a guardian, so her guardian has the power to have her imprisoned for life.
3
Really courageous young woman! I hope our country offers her residency and citizenship.
7
This is what ‘legitimate asylum-seeking’ looks like: an adult woman whose government restricts freedom of movement based upon gender...and requires her to act against her will.
Economic migrants escaping poverty and gang violence need not apply.
10
Thanks for sharing your MAGA thoughts on the subject...
5
@Shenoa
The MAGA crowd clearly does not understand what leads to economic migration. US has been meddling in south America for as long as one can remember. Toppling legit governments to install dictators. Americans constantly consume drugs, which leads to drug wars in south America. The MAGA crowd knows nothing about this, but will froth at their mouth defending Trump.
2
It is good to see Thailand doing the right thing, despite pressure from Saudi. This has not always been the case, but let's give credit where it is due.
10
@David Feingold, Ph.D. Interesting that a small country like Thailand can stand up to Saudi pressure while the mighty US continues to kowtow and support the same regime at every opportunity. The dollar is clearly is more important than Human Rights to the US... nothing new there.
6
I certainly consider Saudi Arabia to be a miserable place for women, and I think that it's not so nice for a lot of men. But this girl's story raises questions. She speaks fluent English. Someone saw to it that she had a good, somewhat western education. She's quite media savvy, knowing how to reach the New York Times. Where did she get the money to fly to Thailand, a country that seems to have flexibility in admitting refugees. Even the USA tries to verify the truth of those claiming asylum. Where are her parents? Who is raising her and why are they not speaking?
The NY Times did not do its job . They seem to have run this story without asking any questions. Could they not have called her family to ask questions?
This girl's story is probably true, but...
1
@Gary While Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia, English is widely spoken. It is used in business and is a compulsory second language in schools. I have learned from my own experience that it is best not to make assumptions about countries I know little about.
25
@Gary
So what is your point, she doesn't deserve to escape?
Saudis speak English and have money.
She admits to being an atheist .
Yes that's a crime in Saudi Arabia , not to mention the total imprisonment of women.
10
Message to Australian customs officers: please be on the lookout for Saudi men with bonesaws in their luggage.
18
Thank you, Thailand, for opening your arms to a frightened young woman from another nation.
7
Thailand is looking like a good place to book a vacation I must say. Good on you Land of Smiles.
1
Thailand is a country in which the military seized power to chill the political tensions which were destabilizing the country.
We typically don't expect a military which has seized power to be the greatest respecter of human rights, but Thailand is the Land of Smiles and they did exactly right by this courageous woman.
Thank goodness she didn't try the USA as her escape route.
10
Caravan of One!
Well done!
11
"An 18-year-old Saudi woman who expressed fear that she would be killed if sent back to her family was allowed to remain in Thailand on Monday evening"
This is just what the family would do. We already know what
Mohammad bin Salman is capable of doing!
18
I'm glad for her. I just hope the murderous crown prince doesn't strike.
18
Yes, stay away from the Saudi embassy. She requires police protection. The Crown Prince will happily send a jet and 17 hoodlums to Thailand to kidnap her and bring her home to her famly, or murder her themselves!
24
It is not much better, if at all, for gay men. They, too, are forced to marry or face punishment.
12
Please don't visit the Saudi consulate, for whatever reason - they have bone saws.
15
Saudi Arabia ringing in the new year - 2019 b.c.
19
This is what our addiction to oil has done, doing business with a Stone Age, misogynist country. Not only that, Thailand even though they claim to be the Land of a Thousand Smiles" is a military dictatorship known for sending back asylum seekers. Only intense press coverage has stopped her from being deported. Regarding journalists, they are being killed by the hundreds every year, typically in the Middle East, Far East, Central America and Africa. The U.S. and the EU need to stop doing business with these countries. Our trade tariffs with China is a good start. Reluctantly, I give kudos to Trump on that issue. Now, it's Saudi Arabia and Thailand's turn.
14
Methinks a few small cracks are developing in the wall of Saudi patriarchy. With the continued struggle of women like Ms. Alqunun and support from people like Mr. Robertson, those cracks will widen until one day, I hope, that wall will crumble.
Of course that wall still has some crumpling left to do right here in the good ol' USA. But lifting up the most oppressed makes all of our freedoms more secure.
11
Given that the Saudis killed one of their own on Turkish soil and basically got a free pass, got Netflix to remove a comic's criticism of them (I do hope the ACLU takes up that case) and got a free pass - and Wikilieaks tied Saudi money to ISIS (and they got a free pass) - I don't hold out much hope that a military junta won't cave to Saudi demands. I hope this young woman does find freedom...and I hope the US can see that we have no place treating Saudi Arabia with favored nation status.
25
Seems like the only reason they finally stepped up to help her was because of public pressure. Social media is saving her life, not the Thai government, who seems fine if she is a prisoner of her family and beaten, so long as she isn't 'killed', but how would they ever know? She could be killed in Saudi and then lied about and Thai would likely say,"They said she's fine, so she's fine." And leave it at that, from the looks of things.
15
It’s time we treat women’s suppression of rights the same way than we treated segregation and apartheid.
16
Also important to note: Her father is a governor in Saudi Arabia who has experience with honor killing, according to her tweets.
14
Link please.
1
This is someone who in nearly any other country would be starting a life, going to school, finding a life-partner..
Instead she has to fight against what is essentially a backward oil-funded cult state armed by the United States, that chops up dissidents with bone saws while they're still alive.
But oh, they're so modern because they have all the major brands.
12
Given what Saudis can do to a journalist in Turkey, I hope this young woman locks her Bangkok hotel door well.
13
In this possibly life-saving victory, speaking up on social media cost nothing more than a tweet. Ordinary people CAN make a difference - we just have to care enough to speak up.
9
Such a brave courageous young women. It is hard to grasp the oppression and violence she is facing.
The gender policies of the Saudi state are abject. Saudi Arabia is no ally in any meaningful sense beyond 'mutual interests'.
13
It must very, very tough to be a woman in Saudi Arabia, and I have no doubt that she will be in huge trouble when she goes back. But I am not sure that I would call this young lady a 'refugee'. After all she is traveling with her parent's credit cards and cell phone account. She claims that she wants to study, but is apparently already an enrolled student in university. I am just not ready to put her in the same category as an African refugee fleeing a war zone.
2
A refugee is someone seeking refuge. She has refuted Islam, an action which is punishable by death in Saidi Arabia.
Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
20
She's not going back - that's the point of her seeking refugee status. The "trouble" she could get into on returning, is the "off with her head" type.
Nationality, wealth, education, are all relatively pointless if you're denied the ability to ever make decisions as an adult.
16
@Oakwood: You mean "huge trouble" like this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia#/media/File:Dina_Ali_(cropped).jpg
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-40105983
5
Yes. She will be murdered in cold blood if she is returned to Saudi Arabia.
She has stated that she is an atheist.
From that statement it is a very short trip to "Chop-Chop Square" where beheading's happen.
No, not all persons who cross the absolute ruler of this theocracy are chopped up with bone saws and the pieces dissolved in acid. Some are still beheaded.
Why are we allied to this country?
They believe in nothing we have ever represented.
This could also be added for Pelosi's statement on the wall : "This is not who we are as a nation!"
Exactly!
From one atheist to another: Welcome to a larger world! You are welcomed!
Glad you made it!
21
She is correct. They will never let her live now that she has "disgraced" her family. She is probably not really safe anywhere. How barbaric.
23
What a brave young woman. I am so sorry that my country, the USA, will not be welcoming her by granting asylum. Our President and his son in law Jared Kushner have too many personal business dealings with the Saudis and have shaped our foreign policy to makes us "friendly" to this dictatorial, murderous and anti-woman regime. Australia is a far better place. All the best to Ms. Alqunun.
14
Once again we see that Saudi Arabia is no one's friend except of the trump realty empire;So the dark prince claimed to have liberated Saudi women yet they still need a "male" "guardian" to function? Hypocrisy, archaic thinking, evil doing just like his barbaric murder. If this courageous woman is not allowed to travel on to Australia, then you know the Saudi's have interfered and compromised human freedom again. Do not read this story and forget it; it behooves us to follow her until she arrives in Australia;
15
Am I glad I am not a woman born in Saudi Arabia? You bet I am.
17
The Saudis are Donald Trump's. Jared Kushner's, and Ivanka Trump's best friends!
That's what Ivanka does for women.
29
FYI: the 13 countries where apostasy is punishable by death
“Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen are the relevant countries.
All of these countries, except Pakistan, allow for capital punishment against apostasy, while Pakistan imposes the death penalty for blasphemy - including a disbelief in God.”
https://www.indy100.com/article/the-countries-where-apostasy-is-punishable-by-death--Z110j2Uwxb
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy
12
Why is there no BDS movement against Saudi Arabia?
17
So brave, and at only 18.
Rahaf is an extraordinary woman, she is what freedom, dignity and liberty look like, and the world must help her.
She needs bodyguards and a quick safe trip to Australia, where she will still need bodyguards.
Saudia Arabia shows its heinous hateful colors again.
23
Yes she won't be safe in any country. The smiling mob boss sociopath running his chunk of desert has shown that he has child-like impulses to lash out at those who displease him. He may even lash out at Thailand now or Australia. I wonder if he's now organising some paperwork she needs to sign at the Saudi Embassy.
9
January 7, 2019
At 18 men and women in many countries serve in the armed forces as show of strength. Rahaf is serving her nation by living true to the natural spirit of maturity that is welcomed by every parent educated and informed that sometimes wisdom must be respected for all ages - thus we are can learn the lessons that make our world honorable and safe to the spiritual grace in all truth.
jja
8
This is wonderful news, international pressure has saved this brave young woman's life. She would make a fine addition to the population of the United States and I hope she chooses and gains asylum here. Maybe she could get elected to the House of Representatives, that would be a big win.
10
Good luck to this young lady.
Glad to see some one is helping her out.
13
The jarring disparity between countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia, that have to force people to stay in them, and the US, where prez wants to build a wall to keep people out, should attract the attention of the whole world on their social media. People want to be free. You can only repress them for so long and then they will break free -- and kill their oppressors in the process.
12
Where did she get such courage? I could use some of that myself.
15
You want compassionate immigration policy in the USA? She should be welcomed here, hailed as a brave young woman, and put in touch with volunteers (not government agencies) that are eager to help her settle in. I notice she is not demanding entry to anywhere in particular, but she is truly fleeing oppression from the Kingdom of Saud. Best of luck to her, and yes, God's blessings on her.
10
One wonders whether it would have worked if it had not been for the death of Khashoggi. If only he could have known in those last moments, how many lives his death might save.
If only we could.
18
It is unfortunate the President Trump wants to hitch the US with providing blanket support to Saudi's just because Iran is a "threat" to the US. Is selling of arms to the Saudis more important than our moral values? I hope the next Democratic Presidential candidate clearly stands up for US values and support of our real allies who should be democratic countries that support freedom of thought, religion and speech. Saudi Arabia and Turkey are clearly not in this group.
18
I am so very tired of hearing people try to make villains of apostates and persecute them. All people should have "freedom of religion" and that freedom should include "freedom from religion".
Religious belief should and cannot be enforced with violence or legal coercion.
36
Social media may have its downsides, but when it serves a purpose like this...
30
Any joy we feel at the possible liberation of this one woman should be tempered by the fact that all Saudi women live as prisoners in that backward evil regime.
How humiliating for America that we are the chief enablers of that regime. Whatever part of Trump isn’t owned by the Russians belongs to the Saudis.
47
This poor girl has to worry about MBS and friends for the rest of her life.
What worse fate is there for a woman than to be born in Saudi Arabia.
Human bondage.
34
This woman is 18, what her family wants is besides the point. Saudi Arabia is a barbaric culture that supports terrorism financially, kills people with impunity and worse of all loves trump.
BTW those people celebrating the fall of the WTC that Donnie claimed to see were probably Donnie's friends in the Saudi hierarchy.
If not for their great fortune of living atop a vast oil reserve they would be a fourth world country. The saudis are a perfect example that wealth cannot elevate a feudal society living in the third century.
33
Yes, heartening news about Ms. Alqunun. I hope that it will spur inquiries into the present situation of Dina Ali Lasloom, who was stopped in Manila airport two years ago and forced to return. Is she alive? In prison? And how about Alaa al-Anazi, the activist who went to Riyadh airport to try to help Ms. Lasloom, was arrested and "transferred to a girl's detention center"?
42
I first came across this story on a UK newspaper website yesterday morning and with all the information and urgency driven from and by Phil Robertson of HRW in Bangkok. You Sir saved a life and deserve the highest accolade ever.
25
That an 18 year old would flee her Family and Country speaks a damaging sad story of their home.
18
I hope when she gets a new country and passport she also gets a new name. We know that the Saudi Police and intelligence units will do anything to win.
19
Ivanka, the Administration's bold defender of women's rights, where is your voice???
35
Given our nation's relationship with the Saudis I wonder if her request for asylum would've been granted in the United States. Probably not; I'm very grateful she ended up in Thailand in this case.
12
One flew over the cookoo's nest... but just one.
3
way to go, kid! I'm impressed by your strength and bravery. i hope you find what you're looking for!
18
It looks like the social media uproar helped in this case, putting pressure on the Thai officials and getting human rights orgs to intervene. I am glad for this young woman but left to think of millions of other refugees in this world. Who stands up for them? Who holds a shield over the brave women and children at the southern US border?
15
Returning Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun to Saudi Arabia would be nightmarish. She must be given asylum and protected from the nightmare that would await her in Saudi Arabia.
9
I'm ordering from the local Thai restaurant tonight to celebrate Thailand.
7
She may have gotten the reprieve thanks the the NY Times coverage. I wonder how many have not been so lucky. Further I hope MBS's secret police don't track her down. She should be afforded the necessary protection. Thank you in advance Australia.
16
Another assault on the reputation of Saudi Arabia. Surely the Saudi government should not enter into this dispute which is likely between the woman and her family. The medieval laws of the Saudis are being exposed for the primitive lack of protection for women that they espouse. Too many Saudi laws represent the primitive ideas of fanatical clerics.
27
I am glad for this brave young woman. We really need to recognize the legitimacy of asylum requesters, as many cases are as dire as hers. These people are also a path to the future, we should nurture it.
12
Occasionally there are legitimate issues that qualify for asylum. Here we have a specific class (female) that is targeted by government and religious figures for harm. The Saudi government even used government operatives to put her in a dangerous situation. This is different from someone fleeing domestic abuse or drug gangs. They are not a specific class nor does their risk involve government acts of commission.
6
@Dude - I don't follow. The Saudi situation is very similar to drug gangs. It is a persecution of her by her family, which is supported by Saudi culture and custom. The drug gang situation is persecution of someone by another group, in this case the government is either complicit or powerless. So what should a human being do? Say to themselves, "oh well, this is a drug gang so I can't seek asylum"? In both cases their lives are forfeit if they return. In both cases their governments can't help or protect them, or may even help harm them. So by what criteria do you judge one case to be "more worthy" than the other?
What would _you_ do if you lived in a village that was run by drug gangs and had no other recourse but to flee?
10
@John Smith Asylum requests fall strictly into categories : asylum granted for those victims ie: for religious beliefs , political beliefs , sexual orientation , in her case because she is a woman . One cannot equate gang violence with any of the above although their lives possibly may be forfeit . Perhaps you can open the doors to Cupertino to those affected by gang violence in Chicago ??
2
@Dude
If you read the story, it is very clear that domestic abuse is at its core (see quote below). So you are actually saying that in itself does not qualify a person to seek asylum?
Spoken like a dude.
“They will kill me because I fled and because I announced my atheism,” she said. “They wanted me to pray and to wear a veil, and I didn’t want to.”
3
It's horrible enough to have to flee for your life from your home; but when the life--threatening danger comes from your own family- that poor young woman!
20
I wish folks below would not smear America or POTUS over this.
It has nothing to do with us.
Now, this woman is lucky to have been given an asylum.
I lived in Kuwait and Qatar.
The way these families treat their maids from Phillipines and Thailand, India and Sri Lanka amongst many places - this woman had it good.
Many of these maids are slaves - probably including maids of this family who in all likelihood raised her and even helped her to "escape".
If this woman - does manage to "escape" - I hope she mounts a campaign for these poor women who go to these countries so they can support their families back home.
Most of them have no freedom what this woman yearned for.
And unknowingly, they are entered into servitude with no esacpae.
So, for this woman to get a reprieve in Thailand is very ironic.
Many Thai maids there - wish some folks would mount a rescue for them.
10
@Neil Really? What is a smear on America is that we continue to support Saudi Arabia call them an ally despite their horrible human rights record and flat out barbaric attitude about women. Add on top of that fact that trump began his time in office pledging unwavering support for the Saudi's. It is absolutely comical that you would even allow something like that to come out of your mouth. It only goes to demonstrate that you share the same cognitive dissonance that most people in this country have when it comes to their supposed "ethics" and their approval of our goverment's behavior in international affairs.
22
If Saudis treated men the way they treat women, we would at the very least boycott them the way the West did South Africa under apartheid. But no, it`s only "cultural difference" instead of appalling abuse, so Western leaders, such as they are, look the other way.
36
@Patricia Goodson Oil. Although I totally agree with you. Global boycott Saudi Arabia. The move to renewable energy would be good for us all anyway.
21
Thank goodness. Not thank god. Good luck to her.
14
I first read this article not 12 hours ago and now look! Success. Nothing is more empowering for me than to see a girl fight for herself without shame, I truly hope she makes it to real freedom. When I turned 19 I came out as an atheist- no one has any clue how hard that was to do coming from a African-American family where every part of our lives is "God this and Jesus that" To this day I stand my ground and stick to my independence no matter if it means being disowned. You go Rahaf!
21
Surely with America's ( and, in particular the President's) great love and support for Saudi Arabia everything must be perfect there so this lady has nothing to fear by returning.
3
I'm so glad the Thai immigration officials did the right thing.
Meanwhile at the UN, total of 2018 Condemnations adopted at the General Assembly:
Israel 21
Iran 1
Syria 1
North Korea 1
Russia 1
Myanmar 1
Qatar 0
Saudi 0
20
Inspiring ! Young, brave and fiercely independent with critical thinking skills! I see a glimmer of hope for all the women yearning for freedom in Saudi Arabia. We are rooting for you!
34
There is more to it than what is being reported in the media. # 1 who is providing financial support for her? # 2 where did she get the money to buy tickets from Kuwait to Australia via Bangkok? The only reason she is in the news is because she is Saudi. Thousands of girls run away each year in US and we never hear about them.
1
@Masood--American girls do not face assault or murder at the hands of their own families if they return home. The article states that she was already in Kuwait when she left her family, and that Human Rights Watch played a crucial role in mobilizing support for Ms. Alqunun. This would not be a story if women were treated like human beings and had civil rights in Saudi Arabia.
41
@Masood, It's interesting that you focus on the ancillary and unnecessary questions and end with a statistic that is pointless and unrelated in any fashion to an asylum seeker. Are you Saudi? Do you believe in restricting women's rights. Are you religious? Do you still think patriarchy is ok? I think yes is the answer to all my rhetorical questions.
23
Masood clearly wants to be friended by MBS
1
I hope this woman gets the asylum in Australia. And if they prove to be too scared to let her in, I hope Canada will prevail. Moreover, I hope she never visits a Saudi consulate ever again in her entire life.
49
@Indisk " I hope she never visits a Saudi consulate ever again in her entire life."
Yes, one knows how dangerous that can be.
7
Can we offer blanket asylum to women from countries, like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, where women are second-hand citizens and their abuse and murder is tolerated? Such nations deserve to lose female population until they start valuing women enough to grant them equal rights and status under the law.
88
So a Saudi approached her with the pretext of wanting to help/ Instead he turned her over to the Thai authorities so she could be extradited back to Saudi Arabia. When the Saudis want Rahaf Mohammed that bad, she has a very good reason to be fearing for her life - bone saws or not.
76
This touches on a broader issue. Why does there continue to be a deafening silence from liberal and academic communities regarding the gender apartheid in Saudi Arabia? If this issue was in race terms--all black people must have guardians to make decisions for them--it would be condemned as was the subordinate legal position of minorities was in South Africa, and there would be demands for boycotts and disinvestment. Where is the organized outcry against state-based gender oppression by the same groups that fought race oppression in law?
122
@Jim
You obviously don't read" liberal" media like The Guardian or even the NY Times on a regular basis where the issue of women's rights in Saudi Arabia are often covered.
19
Jim, this "liberal" abhors everything about Saudi Arabia. It is not even really a country, it is a property holding of one family. How about we claim eminent domain like trump wants to do with independent nations, ie. the Native American land so he can build his monument? Apparently trump has no problem stealing land for something he wants.
14
Having lived in the middle East for over 30 years I wonder on how and where she managed to get her Australian visa. The consulate in Saudi would require paperwork and her family would be involved.
2
@RK
Australia has an embassy in Riyadh, the woman is 18 years old and I doubt Australia would require any "permission" from a family member for an adult to obtain a visa.
28
@Mark Bau
As per the reports she lived on the northern border of Saudi, hundreds of km away from Riyadh, traveling there alone for a female is impossible in Saudi.
3
A message to the Saudi regime and its traditionalist sympathizers: women are not chattel...and whether Ms Alqunun is a pious Muslim or an atheist is her right to choose.
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This is the result of theistic dictatorship. What too many people want here.
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I wish Rahaf the best! I hope the US government is watching and will be taking action to help Rahaf seek appropriate asylum or refugee status in the US or another country. Rahaf is truly courageous, and she needs help!
She is surely right about being killed if she goes back home. Declaring that she is an atheist would qualify for public execution or a forced conversion education. And, sadly, there is a worse fate than death for a young woman, forced marriage to an elder religious clerk who would ensure her compliance and her obedience to him, her family, and the government. She will be disowned by her family and shunned by her friends for the rest of her life. All her choices are terrible and grim. She needs help!
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Trump would send her back, because that is what the Saudi's want, in a sane world the US would protect her. I believe she is in very real danger and may need serious protection.
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What a glowing example of courage, bravery, planning, intelligence, need, independence, hope, and endurance; all most deserving of every bit of help and support available to her. Eighteen years of age and an inspiration for the world.
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Thank goodness for Human Rights Watch and Gen. Surachate, in an age seemingly devoid of compassion we have some heroes. Having read quite a bit about conditions for women in Saudi Arabia I have the utmost respect for this young woman for having the courage to renounce her religion and for refusing to live in a country that still treats women as chattels. I can only hope that my government welcomes a brave, free thinking person like her. Best of luck Ms. Alqunun.
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Talk about burying the lead! Until the last paragraph, it was hard to tell whether this was a legitimate need for asylum or just a typical teen's family drama.
But then we read she'd declared her atheism in a land where apostasy is a capital crime.
Asylum case closed. Asylum granted.
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@Sixofone
So true.
I first read this story on BBC which reported, “The teenager said she believed her family would kill her if she went back because she had renounced Islam.”
Even so the NYT article had me second guessing the truth till the very last paragraph.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46777848
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@Sixofone
The New York Times article should have immediately raised the matter of belief, immediately. This woman must be protected.
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If she were from Central America and tried to seek asylum here she would have been met with tear gas
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@Blue
No, she would not. She has a visa.
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@Aristotle Gluteus Maximus
She would not have a visa.
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@blue asylum ≠ economic migration
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With apostasy punishable by death in Saudi Arabia there is no question that this courageous young woman shouldn’t be returned there. It is particularly notable that she has declared herself an atheist, a status the Saudis consider particularly heinous. Hopefully the Thais will do the right thing - but unquestionably the world should keep an eye on this brave young woman’s fate.
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Apostasy isn’t just punishable by death in Saudi’s Arabia, it’s the Islamic world, the Islamic ideology that punishes free though and freedom of belief with imprisonment or death. The NYTimes has written two articles about this poor woman, and neither mentions the word Islam even once. Why is that? Where is Asia Bibi right now? Will Rania Youssef go to prison for wearing a dress? NYTimes, your bias is showing.
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Waking up to learn that this breathtakingly courageous young woman is still alive in Thailand is possibly the best news I’ve read since awakening to the devastating election outcome on Wednesday, November 9, 2016.
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@You May Say I’m a Dreamer. I second that.
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@Carrie But you're not the only one. I'm in.
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@You May Say I’m a Dreamer Count me in!
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This is the kind of situation, a person facing government sanctioned oppression, that deserves asylum. Not the kinds of economic migrants trying to jump our border.
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@DRS But you can’t know the reasons someone is fleeing until you let them claim asylum and process their claims through a court of law
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Economic migrants are often starving and in dire circumstances. I guess you haven’t been following the economic crisis in Venezuela where children are starving. These are middle class families who had jobs. Not unskilled workers. A girl who is threatened by family or a mother trying to feed her child are both legitimate asylum seekers.
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@DRS--Who are you to judge a person's reasoning, when you know nothing of their life? That's what asylum is for. It gives the person a chance to explain to a judge why they want to leave their country of origin. Assuming someone is an "economic migrant" just because of the country they are from is simply wrong and unfair.
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What legal grounds does Thailand have to prevent an adult passenger with a visa from traveling to her destination?
You can't deny somebody passage simply because their parents don't like what they are doing. Even if there were no history of abuse, the fact that a family can demand that an adult child to be returned to them, against that said child's wishes, as if that person is a piece of property, is immoral.
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@CDH
I agree and am very confused by this. She is not a child. She's 18 and already had a visa ready in Australia. I suppose the fact that she could be sent back would be in deference to some Saudi Arabian law that disallows 18 yr old women from making their own choices? I'd think the law of the country she's in would take precedent...
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@CDH From what I hear in the news, her passport was taken from her at the airport by a Saudi agent. And she hasn't got an Aus visa yet. That is why the Thai immigration officers detained her: she doesn't have both the Thai Visa and the Australian Visa.
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@R
I think you both missed this part of the article, "But on arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, she was intercepted by a man she identified as Saudi who said he would help her. Instead, he took her passport and brought over Thai immigration officials, who said they would send her back to Kuwait by her family’s request."
In essence- she had a Saudi passport with an Australian visa, which upon arrival in Thailand was taken and not returned by said Saudi who claimed to have wanted to help this young woman. She has no passport, so she legally can't enter the country or be transferred to another one until her documents are in order. Documents that she's not going to get from the Saudi government without any reassurances that she'll be returned back to them (remember, women are basically property there). So now it's just a matter of dealing with the Australians to get her paperwork in order so she can travel there and claim political asylum. That's a process that can take a little time. So long as the Thai officials have no plans on deporting this young woman back to a most sure death-- she'll be okay for now. My fingers are crossed with the hope she'll get to where she needs to be in an expedient fashion, however.
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It frustrates me when other young liberals watch the Handmaids Tale and say - it could happen here, i.e. the U.S. it's already happening in Saudi Arabia, the developed world has sold out women's lives for profit by continuing to kowtow to the wretched men in power there. I hope this girl is able to escape, and one day the whole horrible power structure there is torn down. Otherwise women's lives will remain as cheap as they ever were.
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@Lisbeth: It’s always been like this there. It is not truly a country. It is a private estate (very large), totally owned by the Saud family. They can make any law they wish, & have. It’s worse than the feudal years in Europe. Treating women like this isn not part of Islam. It is part of the Bedouin culture, which is the Saud’s Culture. Trump understands that & aches to have that kind of control here. Those wretched men are not ‘in power’, they legitimately OWN the land & everything, one on it. They managed it because at the time it was just a giant desert with nothing worth anything on it. Until oil was discovered. Now that family is richer than any other family in the world & may do as they wish in their personal playground. They give nominal power to clerics who help them keep a hold on the men. They used to pay each man enough to live well, without working, they imported people from other countries to do the work. Skilled people they hire, poor people they con into coming with promises, then enslave them. Now the oil is running out, the Sauds are desperate to take over more land to add to their fiefdom, especially with oil underneath. They kill, maim, imprision, anyone who refuses to do what they say. Heads of families can even be required to turn over their pretty young daughters to them, for whatever they wish. No questions asked. If they ever see them again, they are in cat houses, after being abused into submission, & therefore worthless.
8
The courage of Saudi women is not new. I knew a young woman who was an undergraduate at a college in California (that I will not name) in the 1960's who faced a similar situation. I don't know what happened to her. All that she wanted was basic personal freedom and dignity. I hope that she got it. I hope that Ms. Alqunun achieves her dreams. It's stunning that that should even be a question in this day and age. We can only hope that people around the world take notice and emulate her courage and determination in the face of withering, mindless oppression. Courage knows neither gender nor nationality.
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@Robert
Yes, her strong will and determination and independence and initiative are ... awesome is a fair word.
Sure hope she ends up in California. We'd love to have her.
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It would be good to hear more about this story. Is she fleeing violence ? Is she just another young person, troubled and rebellious, running away from home? It's not like the USA has a monopoly on troubled young people running away from home. It's a case like this that the NY Times can shine by giving us more information.
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@Gary
From the article:
"She said her brother and other family members often beat her and that she was locked in a room for six months because she cut her hair in a fashion they did not like."
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She's 18 years old, and therefore an adult. She has fled from a country that view women as chattel where women have just about no rights. I don't think much further needs to be explained.
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@Gary
She's fleeing blatant oppression. This is Saudi Arabia we're talking about here. And, it's not even just that she's a woman, it's that she's a declared atheist which is punishable by the death penalty.
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Mr Paddock has neglected to note Thailand's complex relations with Saudi Arabia, in which the theft of jewels--some of which may have ended up in the possession of a very prominent Thai personage--from a Saudi palace and the bizarre murder of a Saudi diplomat on the streets of Bangkok figure.
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Just unfortunate that she got conned by some guy and had her passport taken/robbed in the process. But how could she allow that??
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@Sam A significant minority of this country elected a con man to power, how could they allow that?
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@Sam Very likely because she had zero experience of the world, and had never been anywhere on her own. Just imagine how confusing it must have been.
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@Sam
Being raised in a country in which she was trained from birth to be subservient to any man, what would you expect this young woman to do when a man demanded her passport?
5
Australia is lucky that that woman, a girl really, wants to apply for asylum there. Young, brave, and determined. And an atheist to boot. We should be so lucky.
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Jack I agreed with you until the girl comment, this person is 18 and not a girl.
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Young and brave, yes. But being an atheist isn’t exactly a positive.
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@DRS
Her atheism is surely central to her bravery.
Prediction: her memoir will be cataclysmic in Saudi Arabia -- and other theocratic cultures, not just Islamic.
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So the Thais have a choice now; risk angering the Saudis who have the power to provide or pull back subisidies and economic support, or shock the "free" world of developed countries where most of their tourists come from. Let's also remember that Thailand has a significant muslim population.
Just think where she would be without the internet.
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@TMah
Thailand is 90+% Buddhist. I don't think the Muslim portion of the population has any real pull.
8
Thailand. A military regime, not a signatory to asylum agreements, had the decency, the humanity, to allow this young woman a choice. Australia’s visa - another positive choice. I wish I could believe we would have done either of these things, but given our president’s obsequiousness to the Saudis, he’d probably put her on the first plane back.
Just keep her out of the Saudi embassy.
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@Jo Williams
I'm fairly sure that here in the U.S. there'd be no question that she would be sent on to her destination, as she's a legal adult. I'm not a fan of the Trump administration's immigration policy either, but sending her back would be an obviously illegal action.
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@R And that would stop Trump's administration how? If Trump himself had a say, legality would not be a top part of the consideration...
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@R As if "obviously illegal" meant anything to the Trump administration...
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I doubt there is a chance Trump will put down his phone and stop tweeting to help this girl. It would be nice if we,the US would stand up for womens' rights.
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Australia should take her - dont send her back to mbs and friends.
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The problem right now is the Thais. Not the Australians. Thailand has in recent years sent people to whom the UN has given
3