08/11/2008
Saudi Authorities Arrest Two for Alleged Homosexual Prostitution
Two Filipino workers were arrested in Riyadh for "suspicion of engaging in homosexual prostitution" on Saturday:
"Roussel R. Reyes, vice consul and third secretary who heads the Assistance to Nationals’ Section at the local Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, confirmed the report of the arrests on the alcohol charge, but not the charges involving homosexuality. 'A consular team of the Philippine Embassy will proceed on an assistance mission and visit the local prisons on Aug. 12 to find out the conditions of our workers, and probably we will know about the accusation of sodomy by that time.' The two men suspected of homosexual acts were in the Kingdom illegally and were making a living selling alcohol and engaging in gay prostitution, police said. Members of the Kingdom’s religious police are investigating contacts found on the men’s mobile phones."
Saudi Arabia appears to be stepping up arrests for homosexuality, which is illegal in the country. In late July, 55 were arrested at a "gay party" at a rest house near Qatif and 21 were arrested in a similar incident in the same area in June.
Posted 12:07 PM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Rights, News, Philippines, Saudi Arabia | Permalink
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An article in the Christian Science Monitor, May 10 2001,
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/05/10/fp7s2-csm.shtml
says "150,000 cases of spirits, most of it Scotch whisky, are smuggled into the country every year, with resulting profits of $200 million. Industry experts believe that 70 percent is consumed by Saudis and the rest by expatriates... ...80 percent of the smuggled alcohol comes from the United Arab Emirates. Another 18 percent arrives by the tiny Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, via the causeway linking it to Saudi
Arabia." A bottle of whisky (Johnnie Walker Black Label) can fetch $200. Expatriates making bootleg alcohol claim to earn $3000 per week.
guess where most of this alcohol goes? the royal palace perhaps?
Posted by: bading | Aug 11, 2008 1:01:37 PM
When Saudis vacation away from their country they must go plum wild. Drinkin' and sodomizin' all over the place.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Aug 11, 2008 1:20:39 PM
Derrick, they actually do. I lived in Jordan for a while, and during the summer, when the Saudis vacationed (I have no idea why they were picking Jordan, but whatever), they would generally make fools of themselves, making suggestive comments at women, including my mother, drunk driving, and generally being very disruptive and noisy.
And as I've mentioned before, I would not be surprised if these Filipinos were doing nothing illegal. Sometimes, the KSA and other Gulf countries like to round up foreign workers and accuse them of crimes, just to point out that it's the "foreigners" who are causing problems and not the governments themselves.
Posted by: Sami | Aug 11, 2008 1:57:06 PM
Sami, did you miss that the Filipinos were in Saudi Arabia ILLEGALLY? How is that "doing nothing illegal" just to start with?
Seriously, this is an anti-Muslim, anti-Saudi bigoted story typical of the Left and Right. It has nothing to do with persecution of homosexuals.
These Filipinos are accused of 1. being illegal aliens 2. engaging in prostitution--both crimes--and, yeah they might have been gay while doing it.
Posted by: queendru | Aug 11, 2008 5:14:57 PM
Ha? I tried re- reading the article, and I think I missed the spot where it says these Filipinos are in KSA "ILLEGALLY".
Probably, the problem with Saudi government is that it blame most of its problem to the foreigners, where in fact if you visit the job sites in the "DEVELOPING COUNTRIES" Saudi is actively promoting itself as the place to be.
When they have a problem about its people going to places where its more liberal, they blame the US, when people ask for religious leniency they Turkey for being religiously lenient, and now, who else to blame? Filipinos, and tomorrow Indians, the next day, Canadians.
Like the Saudi government and Westboro Baptist Church have something in common. What you think?
Posted by: Adam | Aug 11, 2008 6:55:58 PM