Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, wrote an op-ed piece in The Telegraph Monday, threatening the continued cooperation between the two countries over British “disrespect” of the Kingdom’s sovereignty.
The ambassador notes one recent example of disrespect, when opposition Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn boasted that he had convinced Prime Minister David Cameron to cancel a prison consultancy contract with Saudi Arabia worth $9 million, over “a number of domestic events in the Kingdom.” Specifically, one such domestic event was a sentence of death by beheading and crucifixion handed down by a Saudi court to a Shia protester who was 17 at the time of his alleged offense.
The BBC reported recent tensions between the UK and Saudi Arabia over Karl Andree, 74, a citizen of the UK who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia after being caught with homemade wine and may be facing 360 lashes.
The contract was for British companies to provide a “training needs analysis” for Saudi prison service staff. David Cameron’s spokeswoman said the cancellation had nothing to do with the beheading, but reflected the government’s decision to focus on domestic priorities.
The Muslim term Hudud, meaning “limits,” includes crimes specified in the Quran which are considered crimes against God, to be punished, according to the Hadith (a collection of quotes attributed to Muhammad) with amputation, stoning, flogging, beheading or crucifixion. They include Theft, Highway robbery, illicit sex, false accusation of illicit sex, and apostasy, including blasphemy
“Saudi Arabia is a sovereign state,” the ambassador writes, “Our Kingdom is led by our rulers alone, and our rulers are led by Islam alone. Our religion is Islam and our constitution is based on the Holy Qu’ran. Our justice system is based on Sharia law and implemented by our independent judiciary. Just as we respect the local traditions, customs, laws and religion of Britain, we expect Britain to grant us this same respect. We do not seek special treatment, but we do expect fairness.”
“If the extensive trade links between the two countries are going to be subordinate to certain political ideologies, then this vital commercial exchange is going to be at risk,” the ambassador threatens unabashedly, adding, “We want this relationship to continue but we will not be lectured to by anyone. Hasty decisions prompted by short-term gains often do more harm than good in the longer term.”
Corbyn, for his part, said PM Cameron should send a “strong message to repressive regimes that the UK is a beacon for human rights” and warned that the Saudi prison contract would damage Britain’s standing in the world.