London moot assails Saudi govt

LONDON: A conference of NGOs, human rights groups and Saudi nationals have blasted the Saudi regime for what they alleged systematic destruction and desecration of the historical Islamic holy places which are revered by millions of Muslims around the world.

The Kingdom of Saud came under rare but severe criticism from the speakers who alleged that Saudi Kingdom’s claim that it was reforming under King Abdullah, installed five years ago, was a smokescreen and a symbolic gesture aimed at deceiving the world into believing that the new King was working to bring reforms.

The conference was hosted by Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham and was addressed besides him by Christoph Wilcke, a senior researcher in Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division, Dr Irfan Al Alawi, a PhD Lecturer in Islamic Theology, and Tasawwuf and Executive Director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, and Fouad Ibrahim from the Gulf Issues Centre for Strategic Studies. Seperately, Lord Ahmed has already raised the issue of human rights, security and governance in the House of Lords.